DumaTau means “roar of the lion” in Setswana, and the camp has carried the name since 1997, when it opened on the edge of Osprey Lagoon in the private Linyanti Wildlife Reserve. Wilderness, the camp’s operator, places it within its top-tier Premier portfolio, and the local community still calls it Rra Dikampa, the “Father of all Camps.”
Grant Woodrow of Wilderness first visited the Linyanti as a boy in 1978 and went on to work in the reserve for more than two decades. He chose this elevated site between two major elephant trails, looking out over the lagoon near the source of the Savuti Channel. The original camp closed in November 2019 and was rebuilt on the same ground to keep those views, reopening in April 2021.
The reserve covers roughly 1,250 square kilometres and gives the camp around 45 kilometres of exclusive river frontage, a rare combination of permanent water and dry woodland that the camp’s whole programme is built around.
In the dry season, from July to October, more than 2,000 elephants gather along the Linyanti river system, one of the highest densities anywhere in Africa. Guests watch herds cross the water directly in front of the suites, often from the camp’s floating barge during a sundowner or a lunch on the lagoon.
Herds swim across the lagoon while you eat lunch on a barge moored to the bank.
Because Linyanti is a private concession rather than national park land, the camp can run night drives, off-road driving and guided walks that are not permitted inside neighbouring Chobe National Park. The result is low vehicle numbers, exclusive access to both banks of the Savuti Channel, and a quieter, more flexible safari than park camps allow.
The Linyanti Wildlife Reserve, concession NG15, runs along the western boundary of Chobe National Park near the border with Namibia’s Zambezi Region. It is a key link in the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, which lets wildlife move freely across Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Angola and Zimbabwe. DumaTau is built between two elephant corridors that carry animals between Botswana and Namibia.
Predators are well represented, with lion, leopard, spotted hyena and African wild dog all present. The Linyanti is the most frequented of Botswana’s three wild dog dispersal corridors, which matters given that only around 6,000 wild dogs remain across the continent. Hippo, crocodile and a long bird list complete the picture.
A camp built between two elephant trails, on the very edge of the water they cross.
Activities include twice-daily 4×4 game drives, day and night drives, boat and barge cruises, catch-and-release fishing outside January and February, guided walks, a wildlife hide and helicopter scenic flights at extra cost. Dining is light, fresh and largely plant-based, with meat and fish offered as additions, served in the central lounge, at the Osprey Lagoon Deli, on the barge, or at a weekly boma feast.
Conservation is built into the offering. In partnership with Eco-Exist, Wilderness committed to collar 10 elephants in 2021 to map movement and reduce human-wildlife conflict, and a dedicated itinerary lets guests join the elephant researcher, fly to the research base and help install a community water hand-pump. The Children in the Wilderness programme runs Eco-Clubs and youth mentorship in nearby villages including Gudigwa, Eretsha, Beetsha, Gunotsoga and Seronga.
The camp runs on 100% solar power, drawing 175 kW from 480 panels backed by Tesla lithium-ion batteries, an upgrade from the original array commissioned in 2012. Designed by Luxury Frontiers under Anomien Smith, the suites use reclaimed and acacia wood, hand-crafted mosaic tile and floor-to-ceiling glass, with deep shaded decks for passive cooling. DumaTau was named Best Resort in Africa and second best in the world at the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards 2025.
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accommodation
DumaTau has eight tented suites, seven twin guest suites and one family suite, raised on timber walkways above the lagoon. Each has a private plunge pool, extended deck, indoor lounge, floor-to-ceiling glass, indoor and outdoor showers and in-tent cooling. The adjacent Little DumaTau adds four suites for private buyouts.
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activities
Permanent water beside seasonal woodland means both game drives and boating. Days run to twice-daily 4x4 drives, day and night drives, barge cruises, guided walks, a wildlife hide and catch-and-release fishing outside January and February. Helicopter scenic flights are available at extra cost. The private concession allows off-road driving.
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conservation
With partner Eco-Exist, Wilderness committed to collar 10 elephants in 2021 to map corridors and ease human-wildlife conflict. Guests can join the researcher and help install a community water pump. Children in the Wilderness runs Eco-Clubs across villages including Gudigwa, Eretsha and Seronga, and the camp runs on 100% solar power.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
By light aircraft to the Linyanti airstrip, then a game drive of around 40 minutes to camp on Osprey Lagoon. The flight is usually about 45 minutes to an hour, and you can route via Kasane or Maun; Kasane is the natural gateway if you are pairing the Linyanti with Chobe or Victoria Falls.
Charters are shared and set the day before, with luggage in soft bags of around 20kg. For a private alternative we can charter a Cessna Caravan or Pilatus PC-12 flown direct to the Linyanti strip on your own timings. We arrange the flights and the transfer as one itinerary.
Yes. The Linyanti is part of northern Botswana and is a malaria area, not a malaria-free one, with a seasonal pattern: lowest risk in the dry winter from June to October, higher through the summer rains.
Since guidance changes from year to year, please confirm the current position with a travel clinic or your doctor before you travel, and take the usual precautions against bites after dark.
The dry season, from July to October, is the reason to come. More than two thousand elephants gather along the Linyanti river system in these months, one of the highest densities anywhere in Africa, and you watch herds cross the water in front of the suites, sometimes from the camp's floating barge over lunch. September and October are the peak, and the hottest.
The green summer from November is quieter and greener, with the elephants dispersed back into the woodlands and the birding at its best. For the great dry-season gatherings, aim for the middle of the year.
Winter days from June to September are warm, around the mid-twenties, but the early drives are cold, often single figures, so pack a fleece, a windproof jacket and something warm for your head and hands. October turns hot, sometimes near 40 degrees before the rains.
Neutral colours are best, sun protection is needed all year, and a light waterproof is worth having for the summer months when afternoon storms roll through. The suites have in-tent cooling for the hotter part of the day.
Yes. DumaTau welcomes children from age six and has a family suite, and the adjacent Little DumaTau, a separate four-suite camp, can be taken privately by a family or group. The operator runs a Bush Buddies programme for children aged six to twelve, and families with children in that range are usually asked to take private activities, which we arrange.
Guided walks carry a minimum age, so tell us the children's ages when you enquire and we will confirm what each activity allows and set up a private vehicle where it helps.
There is wifi at camp, delivered over satellite, so it handles messages and email rather than streaming or video calls. There is no mobile phone signal in the concession.
The suites are private and generously spaced, so it is easy to stay in touch when you need to and to put the connection aside for the rest of your stay.
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