Duke’s East Camp

Duke’s East Camp is the sister camp of Duke’s Camp and offers exceptional safari experiences.

If you are looking for an intimate safari experience that combines serious safari panache with an unforgettable under-canvas adventure in the Okavango Delta, then welcome to Duke’s East.

The sister camp to Duke’s Camp, it delivers the same Bousfield style and distinguishing characteristics, with the added option of becoming an exclusive-use camp for family and friends to enjoy.

Overflowing with all the same adventure, this is some serious safari panache in an unfiltered African wilderness.

You’ll discover four spacious tents set beneath a canopy of ebony and leadwood trees.

Each offering an unforgettable under-canvas hideaway pitched in the remote wilderness area located on a channel of the northern Okavango Delta.

Here you will be in the experienced hands of exceptional safari guides, all honed in the bushcraft and lore of this World Heritage Site.

There are few better ways to experience one of the world’s last true wilderness areas than in the luxury of this intimate camp.

Accommodation at Duke’s East Camp in Botswana:

Duke’s East offers four spacious canvas safari suites, each carefully positioned to offer unforgettable views of the Okavango Delta.

The tents are on raised wooden decks and sit elegantly amongst leadwood and ebony trees.

Taking their cue from the style and panache of the original Jack’s Camp, the guest tents at Duke’s East revel in the much-loved vintage safari aesthetic of plush fabrics, Persian rugs and hand-carved four-poster beds.

Think mahogany sideboards filled with African memorabilia; richly patterned kilims atop wooden floors and a butler tray decked with a steaming pot of filter coffee come morning.

It’s a seamless blend of yesteryear charm, safari savoir-faire and deep respect for the surrounding natural ecosystems.

Each tent offers a spacious en-suite bathroom, bedecked with brass fittings and bespoke amenities, an outdoor shower as well as a private viewing deck.

Here leather campaign chairs offer a space for quiet reflection on your time in the wilderness, and the opportunity for spontaneous game sightings.

Herds of elephant and red lechwe are common here, and moments spent in quiet observation rarely go unrewarded.

Dining at Duke’s East Camp in Botswana:

The main mess area at Duke’s East is a delight with its old-world glamour.

Grab a drink from the well-stocked drinks cabinet and settle into the small lounge furnished with intricately carved tables, antique oriental rugs, and campaign furniture.

Meals are enjoyed under the shade of the giant ebony trees or in the communal dining tent.

Guests gather to trade tales of their days in the wilderness or admire the cabinets of curiosities filled with Africana and collectables gathered by the Bousfield family through generations of African travel.

Meals are a lavish affair of crystal glasses and antique silverware, with three-course dinners that celebrate the rich Jack’s Camp tradition of honouring guests with fine food and wine in the African bush.

Beside the flickering lanterns you’ll find, of course, pots of the Bousfield’s legendary hot chilli relish. At day’s end, gather by the firepit to watch the Mopane wood smoke curl up into the southern skies, hinting at tomorrow’s promise of yet more African adventure.

When to Visit Duke’s East Camp in Botswana:

Duke’s East is open year-round, with each season offering its own unique character and opportunities for adventure in the Okavango Delta.

Arguably the best time to visit is between April and October, and these dry winter months are peak season in the Okavango Delta.

Though they are the ‘dry’ months – because rainfall is almost unheard of – there is water everywhere!

Currently most of the Delta is in full flood from the constant pulses of waters arriving from the moist Angolan highlands around 1000km away.

Channels fill with crystalline waters, marking this to be the best time for Mokoro and boat activities. Game viewing is exceptional, with photo opportunities of elephants and antelope navigating flooded channels.

Daytime temperatures during our winter are mild, with clear blue skies, while mornings and evenings are cool enough to call for a light jacket. 

This is, undoubtedly, the best time to visit the Delta.

With the change of weather in October we welcome the ‘Green’ season, when the landscape erupts in a riot of bright green foliage fed by the summer rains.

Temperatures begin to climb, and rain falls in intense afternoon thunderstorms that lend an undeniable drama to the Okavango.

Though water levels in the channels begin to recede from October, the unique location of Duke’s East up north ensures that it receives the first pulses of new floodwaters often as early as February ensuring near year-round access to perennial channels for Mokoros and boat safaris. 

It’s very rarely in a deep drought year that boating can’t be enjoyed at Duke’s East year-round.

These warmer summer months are also best for bird watching, with the arrival of summer migrants from central Africa and Europe that set the bush alive with birdsong.

Wildlife at Duke’s East Camp in Botswana:

Where the prey goes, the predators will follow.

And with the high carrying capacity of this concession guests can look forward to impressive wildlife sightings throughout the year.

Lush grasslands sustain large herds of herbivores – including African buffalo – while the Okavango’s iconic elephants are here in abundance, with guests often enjoying thrilling sightings on vehicle, Mokoro, and boating excursions.

This diverse habitat is also exceptional in its ability to sustain a diversity of wildlife, from healthy populations of herbivores to leopard, lion, African wild dog, and smaller carnivores including Serval and Caracal.

In fact, this corner of the Okavango Delta is said to have some of the highest concentrations of lions in the Delta.

The birdlife in this region is equally remarkable, with more than 350 species recorded in the region, including the endangered wattled crane, black crake, Hottentot teal, carmine bee-eaters and the Pel’s fishing-owl.

The trademark cry of the African fish eagle is the soundtrack to many a game drive, as twitchers tick dozens of new species off their life list.