Little Duma Tau

elegant and reliable

Little Duma Tau is a very high-end luxury tented facility in a pretty waterfront position, overlooking the floodplains in the south-west corner of the Linyanti East Concession in the Linyanti Waterfront area of northern Botswana.

The main building is a large open-sided canvas structure, with modern interiors of blanched wood and touches of modern decor. To the right is the main lounge area, to the left the dining spaces, leading out to a pleasant campfire area high above a broad lagoon. Steps lead down to a jetty, which leads out across the lagoon to a further campfire area above the water. Off to one side there is a very pleasant and secluded swimming pool area.

One aspect we always appreciate is the amount of wildlife that can come into camp. Here the main event is viewing animals from the verandahs, including hippos, elephants and a plethora of birds. Along the board-walks it is not uncommon to spot kudus and bushbucks, with leopards even making the odd appearance.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Little Duma Tau is in just four very lovely suites, which are accessed along a network of low elevated walkways above the surrounding bush, dipping down here and there to provide passing places for the local hippos and elephants. The rooms themselves are large canvas structures which use a good deal of an almost transparent insect screen on the walls to provide a very open and airy feel. They are open-plan in design, with the main bedroom being separated from the bathrooms by simple hanging screens, with conventionally plumbed basins, shower and toilet. The rooms are cooled by a ceiling fan and a free-standing fan. Out front there is a lovely private verandah.

Activities

Little Duma Tau provides the following guided activities …

• Vehicle safari
• Walking safari
• Bush meals
• Motorboat safari
• Night vehicle safari
• Sleep-out hide

When it comes to trip durations in Botswana, most visitors combine 2, 3 or 4 lodges by light aircraft over 6-12 nights, one of which will usually be here in Linyanti Waterfront, often in combination with further nights at the Victoria Falls and/or down in the Cape.

East Linyanti is one of four private concessions that make up the Linyanti Waterfront, a fabulous safari area that combines naturally with the nearby Okavango Delta.

Most guests choose to stay at one lodge in Linyanti, usually for 3-4 nights.

Seasonality

During the May-Oct dry season the wildlife density along the waterfront can be astounding, especially the large herds of elephants, which decimate the stands of hardwood trees at the back of the beach.

During May-Jun there is a good chance of catching wild-dogs at den, which is usually the only time that they can be seen with any regularity.

Nov-May is the green season with verdant and beautiful landscapes, with plenty of baby animals and wildflowers.

The arrival of the rains around Nov-Dec and the subsequent filling of the seasonal waterholes sees a high proportion of the wildlife head south and east into the vast hinterlands in search of better grazing, particularly elephants, although there are still some around. Despite these effects, we have experienced some really excellent safari here during the Nov-Mar green season and there can be really substantial savings on lodge prices, so it really can be a smart time to travel.

Getting there

Little Duma Tau Camp can only be accessed by light aircraft into the nearby East Linyanti Airstrip, which has daily flight connections with all other camps in Okavango, Linyanti, the main airport at Maun (for connections to Central Kalahari, Nxai, Makgadikgadi and Johannesburg) and north to Kasane (for connections to Livingstone and Victoria Falls).

From the airstrip it is a drive of around half an hour through some potentially dull dry mopane woodland to the Linyanti Waterfront and the camp itself.

Pulling into the vehicle turnaround we are met by several members of staff, singing and dancing along to their traditional welcome song.

usually visited in combination with the Okavango Delta