We spent three nights in May 2010 at this camp at the start of a 12 day, 5 camp, Southern African safari. After Vumbura we continued on to Mombo and River Club (also owned by Wilderness Safaris), and finished our trip at Singita’s Lebombo and Boulders Lodges.
We arrived at the Vumbura airstrip by single engine plane from Maun and met Brian, an extremely knowledgeable, ex-special forces guide from South Africa. During the drive to camp we saw lions, giraffe, elephants, impala, and lots of birds. We are primarily lion people but gradually grew fond of the many species of birds in the Okavango Delta. Birds are colorful, vocal and plentiful and Brian knew them all. When I jokingly asked him if he was making up the statistics about one particular bird he pulled out his bird book, opened it to a specific page and showed me a picture of the bird with even more information. He had me making notes on my small notepad every time we stopped about habits and habitat. I used this information when I sorted thru the nearly 1500 pictures we took at Vumbura. When I first envisioned this safari I thought we would sit back and look at animals during the twice a day game drives. What I discovered was how much there is to learn. It is key you have a good guide on safari and Brian is one of the best.
Our “tent” at South Vumbura consisted of one large room with a living area, open shower, two sink vanity, mosquito netted bed, private toilet and lots of storage on open shelving. Three sides of the tent were wood framed floor to ceiling screens which looked out onto the plain and allowed for flow thru ventilation. One side was canvas for privacy. Vumbura has two generators so there is electricity 24/7. Each room has electrical outlets for charging camera batteries and a netbook if you want to review your daily photos. (There is a computer in the common area for this purpose if you don’t bring a netbook). No phones or internet are available but electric light is very nice. The bed is extremely comfortable and has a variable speed quiet overhead fan. Light switches for all the lights in the room and reading lamps are inside the netting. Outside the tent is another shower, plunge pool, and a large sitting area for the afternoon siesta.
The common area has a firepit for morning and late afternoon or evening get-togethers, a large dining area which provides lots of options for meal seating, a bar, library and various spots to sit and view wildlife. Whoever designed this camp did a great job since every structure faces the plain.
Early morning breakfast is fruit, juices, and a variety of freshly prepared protein items which are important prior to the safari drives. Brunch is soup, salads, and eggs, bacon, cooked on a grill right in front of you. Dinner is fish or meat and all the trimmings. Meals are made to order and very good considering the food is brought in by truck from Maun which is 14 hours away.
What sets this camp apart is the staff. The managers during our stay were Katie and Noko who both made us feel right at home. Wilderness Safaris has done a great job selecting and training their management and staff. They all know your first name within minutes and use it during your stay. Their attention to detail and guest wishes is first class. Everyone has a smile and always available to help or answer questions. At times it is hard to believe you are out in the middle of nowhere. Any of the staff will join you (when asked) to tell stories about their homeland or ask questions about yours. They made us feel like family.
Safari drives begin at dawn and last about 3 hours and you go out again in the late afternoon after tea. Vumbura has night drives so often on your way back to camp it is dark and the guide can locate animals on their way to hunt. During our stay we saw a leopard and a hyena on the prowl.
Because Vumbura is right on the water, it is possible to arrange for a motorboat to take you into the Delta. We went to Little Vumbura camp for coffee. During the trip over and back we saw beautiful water plants and birds while we navigated down narrow channels lined with reeds and papyrus. The water is incredibly clear and you can easily see to the shallow bottom of the flooded marshes.
During our stay the water was rising and many of the normal game drive routes were under water. That doesn’t stop the guides however and often we drove through two to three feet of water to stay on track. The Land Rovers at Vumbura are new and are amazing vehicles. My guess is there is nothing they can’t master except the occasional pot hole in the bush.
The most amazing game drive at this camp was a late morning visit to an elephant pool where at least one hundred elephants, in several groups, came to the water hole, drank, bathed and moved on. We sat or stood on the opposite side and just watched for over an hour – and they were still coming when we left.
Vumbura is a large concession and you rarely see another vehicle. The guides talk to each other periodically which increases your chance of seeing animals. In addition to animals spotted on our first drive we saw kudu, hippo, baboon, tsessebe, zebra, wildebeest, and cape buffalo.
We highly recommend this camp. We want to come back tomorrow. But it is a long way from Oregon.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
