Location: Botswana
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DumaTau means 'roar of the lion', yet it is its high concentrations of elephant and outstanding wildlife in general for which it is renowned. Located close to the source of the Savute Channel, in the vast Linyanti Wildlife Reserve in northern Botswana, waterways around DumaTau Camp lure a plethora of wildlife - particularly in the dry winter months.
DumaTau Camp is a ten-roomed luxury tented camp located in the private 125 000-hectare Linyanti Wildlife Reserve which borders the western boundary of Chobe National Park in northern Botswana. It is situated close to the source of the Savute Channel on one of the many lagoons within the Linyanti Swamp system, which makes game drives along the Savute one of the highlights of a stay here.
It lies under a shady grove of mangosteen trees, raised off the ground to overlook a large hippo-filled lagoon. The tents are spacious, under thatch with canvas walls, en-suite bathroom facilities and an outside shower. Guests can enjoy the night sounds of Africa from the comfort of their rooms, and shower under the stars! There is a dining room, pub, lounge, swimming pool and a special guest bathroom with a fantastic view.
The region has all the habitat diversity to make it a haven for wildlife, and is well-known for its elephant concentrations as they congregate along the waterways and lagoons during the dry winter months. General wildlife viewing is excellent year round including impala, wildebeest, red lechwe, Burchell's zebra, giraffe, Cape buffalo, chacma baboon, vervet monkey, and warthog. Predator sightings of lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog and spotted hyaena are good.
Wildlife viewing is the primary activity at DumaTau Camp, either on day and night game drives or while on foot and on the water (levels permitting). Short nature walks can be taken along the Linyanti River and Savute Channel, while the camp's boat takes visitors along the waters of the Linyanti, with hippo and waterfowl alike to entrance. There are also a number of platforms and hides from which to view and photograph animals and birds. One of the best hides is right at the source of the Savute and many species of game and birdlife can usually be seen from this hide.
DumaTau is situated in the 125 000-hectare Linyanti Wildlife Reserve in northern Botswana, bordering Chobe National Park. Its mix of habitats combined with the now-flowing Savute Channel makes it a biodiversity hotspot, with DumaTau actively involved in the conservation of this region. The Linyanti is a Wildlife Management Area overseen by the Botswana government. To create outstanding wildlife viewing for its guests, DumaTau works very closely with local government bodies to ensure the conservation of various wildlife species. It carries out dedicated conservation and research focussed on those species on the IUCN Red List such as the African wild dog, elephant, lion and roan antelope.
Located in an area with the highest elephant concentrations within Botswana, DumaTau facilitates and partially funds research projects to examine the impact of these elephant populations on vegetation to ensure that lessons learned can help guide management approaches both locally and nationally as it has a huge bearing on the densities of other wild herbivores such as the roan antelope. Studies are also underway to investigate the extent of the elephant impact and influence with regards to climate and local hydrological change.
Working through the Wilderness Wildlife Trust, DumaTau has provided funding for a project which aims to understand the key interface issues between the relatively dense Caprivi human population and large carnivores emanating both from Botswana as well as protected areas such as Mudumu, Mamili and Bwabwata National Parks in Namibia. Moreover, DumaTau is strongly involved in conducting aerial counts of game in the Linyanti and supports its dedicated Environmental Team, based in Maun, who are involved in game counts, research and monitoring.
The Bayei, Humbukushu, Basarwa, Bakgalagadi, Xhanakwe and Batawana are the main ethnic groups in Botswana, the area where DumaTau is located. As a show of its commitment to promoting these local cultures, DumaTau integrates traditional nights – storytelling, cultural singing and dancing, and eating local food – into its guest activities. It also incorporates aspects of local culture in its guest excursions - safaris in the Linyanti are done using dugout canoes known as mekoro.
DumaTau is actively engaged in promoting intercultural exchange and through Wilderness Safaris has set up a full-time community development department based in Maun. This department is involved in engaging with staff, communities and guests on all cultural and community matters and ensuring that there is open communication and cultural understanding between all parties. It also provides information in the form of books and brochures in the rooms and main areas.
As a show of respect and commitment to impart accurate information on its neighbouring communities’ traditions, DumaTau makes the added effort of consulting with local communities prior to sharing details of their history and traditional practices with guests.
DumaTau is part of the Wilderness Group and is marketed as a Classic Camp in the Wilderness Safaris portfolio. It generates most of its income through offering a host of attractive activities, the main ones being game drives, nature walks, boat safaris and canoeing. One of the key focuses of the business is providing employment for local communities and providing continued support for its conservation efforts. It actively invests its profits into the other 3Cs as it has adopted the 4Cs (conservation, community, culture and commerce) approach across its entire business and reporting framework.
