Okavango Delta
Wilderness Jao Camp
A combination of land and water-based safari experiences
Very intimately placed in the private Jao Concession area bordering the Moremi Game Reserve in the Okavango Delta, Wilderness Jao Camp offers a luxurious way to experience this beautiful part of the world.
You will be well looked after in the nine tented rooms here, with incredible service and excellent guiding. Each of the tented rooms is situated a short distance from the main area and accessed via charming raised walkways. All of the tents have their own deck area with great views over the expanse of floodplains. Inside, you’ll find peace and comfort in the luxurious canvas setting. Wilderness Jao Camp also has a great wine cellar where you can enjoy a private dinner and a great spa where you can enjoy some superb treatments.
Within the camp itself, you have access to two plunge pools, ideal in the afternoon heat if you aren’t relaxing inside with a book from the library. Activities here are entirely dependent on the flood levels at the time of year you visit, however as a rule of thumb you can expect a split of about 30% game drives and 70% water activities, which gives you a brilliant perspective of the animals that call this place their home. Mokoro trips are highly recommended. As the camp is within its own concession area, it also can also provide night drives (weather permitting) to spot the elusive nocturnal creatures found here.
Highlights
Nine luxury tents
Jao spa
Wine cellar
Two plunge pools
Library
Gym
Morning, afternoon and night game drives
Mokoro safaris
The impact of your stay:
- Profits from each room night directly support Wilderness’s non-profit, Children in the Wilderness, dedicated to engaging children in conservation in Botswana through annual camps and eco-clubs.
- Wilderness Jao plays a crucial role in enhancing food security in Botswana. The initiative collaborates closely with small-scale farming businesses, offering critical training and infrastructural development. This strategic approach enables farmers to access local tourism supply chains, fostering sustainable agricultural practices.
- In rural Botswana, Wilderness has implemented a water provision programme, ensuring local communities have access to safe and clean water, addressing a fundamental need and improving overall well-being.
- Wilderness actively collaborates with Ecoexist, a non-profit empowering local farmers. This partnership provides practical, affordable, and effective tools to deter crop-raiding and reduce conflicts with elephants. Through these initiatives, Wilderness contributes to the harmonious coexistence of wildlife and communities in Botswana.
Trip Inspiration
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Places to combine Wilderness Jao Camp with
Linyanti
With uninterrupted views over Osprey Lagoon, and a fantastic vantage point from which to watch the areas mega-herds of elephants, Wilderness DumaTau and nearby Wilderness Little DumaTau are perfectly located for making the most of your stay in the Linyanti Wildlife Reserve.
Each spacious tented guest suite has been positioned to offer great views whether you’re relaxing on your deck, or cooling off in your plunge pool. You’ll also find the tents include spot-cooling, meaning you can find respite from the hot afternoons indoors. Spend time investigating the ‘curiosity boxes’ you’ll find mounted on the walls in your room and the drawers filled with fascinating artefacts and information. They’re a great way to learn more about the area’s wildlife and rich history. Look out for unique elephant and wild dog art in the rooms and library made from reclaimed snare wire.
Wilderness Safaris have constructed both camps to give maximum comfort and offer guests a large array of facilities. In addition to the in-tent cooling systems, you’ll discover that the central Osprey Retreat which sits between the two camps boasts a pool, drink and snack counter and a Safari Boutique area, offering you more space to mingle with your fellow guests if you choose to do so. Large decks, plunge pools and awnings are attached to each of Wilderness Duma Tau’s eight tented suites as well as at the four at Wilderness Little DumaTau.
The Wilderness DumaTau team continues to focus on the sustainability of wildlife corridors, as they have done since 1997. They believe that it is more vital than ever to protect large wildlife corridors of wilderness, like those within the vast Linyanti Wildlife Reserve – especially for the African elephant and wild dog that cover extensive ground.
Staying at Wilderness DumaTau offers you easy access to the Linyanti floodplain as well as the Savuti Channel, in fact, it’s the only concession from which you can access both. 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 hyena are good. As well as day and night game drives, you can explore on nature walks or take to the water on motorboats or the river barge (depending on water levels).
