Experience and Wildlife
At Duba Plains there is no required routine. Traditionally, early morning and afternoon to evening are the prime times to be out in the bush; the colors are vibrant and the wildlife is at its most active. However, we take our cue from the whims of nature and we pride ourselves on our flexibility.
Often we set out at dawn, a time when predators are typically active, the guides are as keen as the guests to discover the events of the previous night and what might lie ahead. But nothing is regimented because we never know what lies ahead, especially if the lions are on the hunt. We’ve often had breakfast delivered to guests right out in the bush in their vehicles so they do not miss any sighting. As the sun rises, raising the daytime temperatures, we retreat like the herds to our shady post back in camp. But as the afternoon sun begins to soften again, we return to the open floodplains in preparation for the action that arrives with sunset. We are prepared to continue past nightfall in search of nocturnal wildlife too.
While Duba Plains is famous for its large elephant herds and lion and buffalo interactions, the plains game, bird, leopard and other sightings complete the experience.
Some days we will spend hours with a single pride of lions watching the tiny cubs playing with their mother, aunts and siblings; other days we may roam the plains absorbing the splendor of a large herd of Red lechwe running through the channels, or the area's birding including some Okavango highlights such as the rare Slaty egret and Wattled crane. Other common species include: wildebeest, hippo, hyena, waterbuck, kudu, steenbuck, tsessebe and impala. Nocturnal species include civet, serval, African wildcat, honey badger, springhares, aardvark and aardwolf.
Made famous in Dereck and Beverly Joubert's National Geographic film Relentless Enemies, the Duba Reserve is home to extraordinary daytime lion versus buffalo interactions. The hunting of large prey by lions is legendary but it is never a guarantee. Patience is needed. Those who stay in camp for four nights or more regularly witness this safari highlight.
Our "puddle-jumper" Toyota Land Cruiser game drive vehicle is specially designed by Dereck and Beverly Joubert, leaning heavily on their nine years of filming experience in and around the Duba Plains area. This, and two additional brand new game drive vehicles vehicles which arrived at the end of February 2012, can travel through very high water levels and are sure to only add to the phenomenal wildlife experience Duba Plains is known for. Each of these thoughtfully engineered game drive vehicles provide all-round visibility with removable canvas roofs, and comfortable bucket seats. During the flood season (May – September), we may use a 10 minute boat transfer from camp to the game drive vehicles, which are parked and positioned to access the prime wildlife viewing areas or take advantage of the brand new bridge, also completed in early 2012, which now links the two main game viewing islands
Other exceptional activities are available by special request include sole use of a vehicle or full day drive with picnic. Keen photographers who require special arrangements or custom routines are also encouraged to book private vehicles. These special arrangements should be made at the time of booking and may incur additional cost.
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