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Featured Properties

4/1/2022

Duke's Camp – Safari Panache in an Unfiltered African Wilderness

 

For more than 30 years, Jack's Camp has been an icon of safari Africa, pioneering under-canvas luxury on the fringes of Botswana's ethereal Makgadikgadi Pans. This year the adventurous spirit of the Bousfield family ventures into new territory with the early June opening of Duke's Camp in the northern Okavango Delta. The new camp is named in honor of Sarefo 'Duke' Sarefo, born 80 years ago on the very island that the camp now occupies, with ancestral roots that that run deep into its sandy soils.

 

 

While Jack's has long taken its cue from the desert, Duke's Camp draws its inspiration from the crystal-clear channels of the Okavango Delta, which wind sinuously around this permanent camp. With expert guides honed in the bushcraft and lore of the Delta, guests will glide quietly on mokoros through its channels, experience enthralling game drives or boat rides, and enjoy scenic hot-air balloon or helicopter flights over the watery wilderness.

 

 

Perched on raised wooden decking beneath a canopy of ebony and leadwood trees, the camp will open with eight luxurious safari tents, with a further four coming in March 2023. Each room reveals a vintage safari aesthetic of plush fabrics, Persian rugs, hand-carved four-poster beds, mahogany sideboards filled with African memorabilia, and richly-patterned kilim rugs adorn gleaming wooden floors. The ambience reveals a seamless blend of yesteryear charm, safari savoir-faire and deep respect for the surrounding natural ecosystems.

 

 

The main mess area at Duke's Camp is a delight with its old-world glamour and elegant Persian tea-tent, boasting intricately carved tables, antique oriental rugs, and campaign furniture. At day's end, guests gather over cocktails to trade tales amidst 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 honoring guests with fine food and wine by flickering lantern light. After dinner, gather by the fire to watch the mopane wood smoke curl up into the southern skies, preparing for tomorrow's adventure.

 

 

 

Tembo Plains Camp – Luxurious Elegance on the Zambezi

On Earth Day, Great Plains' flagship Réserve Collection camp in Zimbabwe, Tembo Plains, opened its doors. It is set in a UNESCO World Heritage site, within the Sapi Reserve at the centerpiece of that exciting 1.6-million-acre unrestricted landscape.

  

  

The camp is tucked away into a thick riverine forest on the edge of the Zambezi River with five luxurious suites. Each has its own private indoor sitting room, outdoor swimming pool (with exercise bikes on an expansive veranda) and outdoor dining area. Stunning, handmade bathtubs with indoor and outside showers grace the en suite bathrooms. Each suite comes complete with a professional camera and lenses, as well as high quality binoculars for guests to use during their stay. The gracious 2-bedroomed Tembo Suite is comprised of two suites flanking a shared lounge, dining area and pool. In the central area, the wine cellar and interactive 5-star kitchen features a traditional Zimbabwean stone design. Tembo Plains is a proud member of Relais & Châteaux – the only Zimbabwean safari camp currently with this honor.

 

African wild dogs (painted wolves), lions and leopards are common visitors to Tembo Plains, while buffalo and elephants are regularly seen up and down the Zambezi River. The private Sapi Reserve, previously a hunting area, was established in 2016 by Great Plains Conservation as a  private photographic reserve, safe for wildlife to flourish. It borders the Mana Pools National Park to the west and is recognized as one of the finest wildlife destinations in Africa today.

Please watch this video to get a sense of this extraordinary new property.

 New Beginnings for Vumbura Plains Camp – an Holistic Delta Retreat

 

Wilderness Safaris' much-loved Vumbura Plains Camp, set in the heart of the Okavango Delta World Heritage Site in Botswana, is re-opening this month after an extensive refurbishment of both the camp's exteriors and interiors. Vumbura Plains' refreshed look and feel will celebrate its sense of place and culture, bringing bespoke design elements together with a celebration of its partnership with the Okavango Community Trust (OCT)

  

 

The nearly 150,000-acre Vumbura Protected Wildlife Area is leased from five villages, through the Okavango Community Trust, in a partnership that ensures that the benefits of conservation tourism are shared with its neighboring rural stakeholders.

 

 

"It is this core purpose, combined with Vumbura's beautiful Delta setting that has inspired the design, décor and furnishings for the refurbishment; not only rejuvenating the camp, but weaving these extraordinary conservation and cultural stories into bespoke design pieces that bring the local culture alive for our guests in a tangible way", noted Lead Interior Designer Cate Simpson.

 

  

Inspiration for the room interiors is drawn from the environment to pay homage to the Okavango Delta, and bring the natural world indoors. Art installations in the main areas honor the OCT community – showcasing individual histories, basket weaving and local fishing culture; as well as a series highlighting the unique species of the area, including sable, cheetah, wild dog, common reed frog, coppery-tailed coucal, and more.

 

 

 

 

At Vumbura Plains diversity is celebrated, from the variety of habitats to the profusion of safari adventures offering year-round unforgettable land and water experiences.

 

 

 

 Thamo Telele –Gateway to the Okavango Delta

Thamo Telele is a 620-acre private game reserve on the outskirts of the safari gateway town of Maun, Botswana, with an enviable location bordering the Thamalakane River. Not only is Maun the entry point for travel into the Okavango Delta, but this rural town with its fascinating people and quirky culture has blossomed into a tourism destination in its own right.

 

 

 

The lodge itself is set amongst a lush forest of old growth leadwood, bird plum and acacia trees. Each suite and chalet is a little bush haven - warm, relaxed and colorfully quirky. Expect giraffe themed interiors, air-conditioned rooms, ensuite bathrooms, outdoor showers, a bar and sitting area, and a refreshing pool and sundeck.

 

 

 

 

This is the ideal stop-over either side of your safari, for those wishing to extend the magic just a little longer. Here one can enjoy nature-based activities which include close encounters with the camp's resident giraffe herd, horse rides, birding, nature walks, local cultural tours and mountain bike rides.

 

 

 

One of the most captivating things about the lodge is its resident herd of 20 giraffe, which can be observed while on activities in the reserve and in the morning and evening while they feed at the waterhole. There are naturalists on hand to explain these fascinating animals, as well as broader giraffe conservation issues throughout Africa.

  

 

 

The lodge was named after its littlest resident giraffe, born in 2021. Surprisingly tall from birth, she was soon called Thamo Telele, meaning 'long neck' in Setswana. She will be waiting to welcome you to this very special place in Maun she calls home.


4/1/2022
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