Duba Plains Camp

 

Duba Plains is one of the Delta's most remote camps. The camp is built on an island shaded by large ebony, fig and garcinia trees and surrounded by expansive plains which are seasonally flooded - usually from May to early October each year, depending on the rains in central Africa. Since Duba has access to large islands, floodplains and marshes, the camp offers a diversity of experiences, but the focus depends on how much water is in the area. Guests may choose between game drives in open 4x4 vehicles, mokoro excursions and walking safaris. The night drives often provide opportunities to photograph Africa's elusive nocturnal animals in action. Mokoros are best from May to October. For the rest of the year you can take shorter mokoro excursions, but the activities concentrate more on game drives, night drives and walks. Duba's real treat is its exclusivity and it is particularly suited to those who want to be far away. This camp is small and intimate, accommodating only twelve people in an exclusive area of about 86,000 acres, and guests receive a highly personalized experience. Each of the six large tented rooms has an en suite bathroom with shower and flush toilet facilities as well as a verandah overlooking the floodplain. The dining room and pub are raised on decking under large riverine trees. There is a small communal pool.

The wildlife at Duba Plains is fascinating. As the vast open grasslands are often isolated from the mainland by deep waterways, the variety of animals is not as high as in other areas within the Okavango. However, Duba Plains more than makes up for this as it is a high impact game viewing area. Thousands of buffalo are hunted almost daily by up to four different prides of lions. Often the hunting is during the day - so one gets great photo opportunities. Lechwe, buffalo, elephant, tsessebe, giraffe and warthog dot the savannah and hippo concentrate in the deeper channels. Productive hyena dens are often in the area that offer great hyena cub viewing, and leopards are found on the forested islands. Most of the Okavango Delta's birdlife is found in the area and birding "specials" like Wattled Crane and Slaty Egret are often seen.

Duba Plains is part of the same community participation plan as Vumbura. The aim is to bring the communities around the Okavango Delta into the tourism mainstream. The villagers who live to the north of the Okavango have been granted the rights to this area, which allow them to derive direct benefits from the wildlife through significant concession fees, employment opportunities and training.

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