Read 11 traveller reviews of Little Vumbura

We've been visiting Little Vumbura for many years now, and it's long been a favorite for its excellent game, great guides, lovely small size – and its generally very reasonable prices (in an increasingly unreasonably-expensive Okavango!). The main problem has always been that it fills up so fast, that getting space here is always a challenge unless you book a very long way in advance.

We visited it most recently in late-April 2007, which was a timely visit as Little Vumbura had been given a complete face-lift at the beginning of 2007 – and it's now quite a lot smarter than it used to be.

After flying in, you are taken by boat to the jetty (about a five minute boat trip). Little Vumbura is reached by a long wooden walkway (new, very pale timber that's very creaky!) which leads to a shady bar and outside dining area on one side, and a shaded lounge with plenty of lovely blue armchairs and sofas on the other. The dining area is large, decorated with enormous drums, and has a long dining table and space for food preparation at one end.

Further on through the dining area, reached by a short walkway, is the star deck and fire pit. This is perfect for relaxing at night, but as it is surrounded by water (underneath as well!), make sure you've sprayed liberally to keep the mosquitoes away. To the left of the camp, further on from the lounge area, up a couple of steps, is the library area with a good selection of books and two lounger style chairs to relax on. Both the lounge and the library area have great views over the water which surrounds the camp.

Behind the dining area is the enclosed pool – a lovely large plunge pool and decked area, very private, with sun-beds and a shaded canopy. This also has views over the surrounding reed beds. Behind the camp are the walkways – wooden and barely 40cm off the ground level – which lead to the rooms. These walkways have become something of a playground for the local baboons which live in the forest. Little Vumbura also has a curio shop, very well stocked and always open.

With both water and dry land around, Little Vumbura offers deep-water motor-boat trips and shallow-water excursions by mokoro, as well as day and night 4WD game drives. Often they will also offer guided walks and fishing excursions.

The Vumbura Reserve has a particularly varied set of environments – from dry open floodplains to mopane woodlands, riverine forests, shallow-water floodplains, deep-water channels and even small areas of papyrus. This has perhaps contributed to it being particularly game-rich; it's no coincidence that the other camp in this area is the top-priced Vumbura Plains Camp . It's one of the only areas in Botswana where you'll find the relatively rare sable and roan antelope, together with the Delta's more common tsessebe, reedbuck, red lechwe, kudu, steenbok, wildebeest, giraffe and impala. Even waterbuck are found here, which are (surprisingly) not at all common in the Okavango.

Visiting Little Vumbura in April 2007, we had characteristically excellent game – although we would have been happier if our guide (who was generally very good) had used his radio a little less, and his guiding skills a little more.

Having said that, one of our guide's radio calls alerted him to a leopard – which turned into a highlight of our stay and one of the best leopard sightings we have had. A beautiful little female, first crossing the road in front of us and then chasing two big male baboons, finally coming to rest (in the sun) for a drink. Perfect!

On a number of previous visits to the area, we've had excellent lion, leopard, cheetah and wild dog sightings; in our view it's one of the best areas for game in the Okavango Delta, or indeed Botswana.

Click on a link for more details of:
Safari Tent at Little Vumbura

Lodge overview

Lodge type: Safari

No. of bedrooms: 6 Safari Tents

Season: Open Year Round

Ideal length of stay: 3 or 4 nights

Central facilities: A long wooden walkway (very new and creaky!) leads to the main area. On the left is a covered lounge area with big fluffy comfortable sofas (many dyed using indigo dye, found naturally in Botswana) and tables. Further up is a library area with a great view, a good selection of books, and two very squishy chairs. To the right of the walkway is the bar, under a small canopy, from where guests can help themselves if no staff are around. Next to the bar, under a thatched roof, is the dining area with a long dining table and some of the biggest drums we have ever seen – one was as tall as me! A walkway leading from the dining area takes you to the fire pit and stargazing deck (which are actually one and the same). The fire pit is surrounded by comfortable director style chairs and is the deck is suspended over water – we found that due to the water, the mosquitoes can be troublesome here so make sure to wear long trousers and shirts and give yourself a good squirt with the 'peaceful sleep' insect repellent that is provided in all the rooms and behind the bar.

Geographics

Location: Okavango Delta Safari Reserves, Botswana

Directions: Fly in by light aircraft or helicopter – it's about 35-minute flight from Maun. Then it's a 10-minutes drive, followed by a 5-minute boat trip, to reach camp.

Accessible by: Fly-and-Transfer

Food & drink

Usual board basis: Full Board

Food quality: The food served during our latest stay at Little Vumbura was fairly good. A light breakfast of toast, fruit and cereal, along with tea and coffee is served prior to your early morning game activity. Brunch is then offered at around 11 o'clock. A hot option is served at this time – on our latest visit, one of the brunches we were served was a plated meal of cottage pie and sausage (sadly quite undercooked) with a selection of vegetables, along with a selection of cold salad dishes and bread. Tea is then served at around 4 o'clock, and you can expect a savoury snack, refreshing iced tea and coffee and a freshly baked cake or pie or biscuits. The dishes served at dinner during our most recent stay were generally fairly good. Our evening meal was a buffet, based around a spicy-lamb and rice dish, with salad and gem-squash, followed by a lemon tart with cream. This was very tasty, and a cut above the standard of lunch.

Dining style: Group Meals

Dining locations: Indoor and Outdoor Dining

Cost of meal e.g. lunch: Included

Drinks included: All drinks included except premium wines, imported spirits and champagne.

Special interests

Birdwatching: Little Vumbura is a first-rate Okavango camp for bird-watching, as it is within an area of many different environments: from shallow- and deep-water floodplains and channels to dense, shady woodlands. We heard (but didn't see) a Pel's fishing owl, and our sightings included pygmy geese, carmine bee eaters, little bee eaters and plenty of owls. - See more of our suggestions of the best places for birdwatching in Botswana

Wildlife: Little Vumbura has some of the best game in Botswana; it's one of the Okavango's prime safari areas – with a real depth and range to the game here. Our team have, in the last few visits here, had good sightings of lion, leopard, cheetah and wild dog here – so it's a great area! - See more of our suggestions of the best places for wildlife in Botswana

Children

Attitude towards children: Children are welcome at Little Vumbura.

Age restrictions: The minimum age for children here is 8 years old; families with children between 8 and 12 have to pay for a private vehicle for their game-viewing trips if the children are to go on them.

Activities: None.

Equipment: No special equipment is provided.

Generally recommended for children: Yes, recommended for children over 12 years of age.

Notes: The camp has dangerous game walking through it often, so children would always need to be closely supervised by their parents/guardians at all times.

Central communications

Power supply: Generator

Communications: Radio contact with Wilderness in Maun, but there is no phone or email access here.

TV & radio: None.

Health & safety

Malarial area: Yes

Medical care: All Managers are first aid trained to high level. The closest doctor is in Maun (35/40 min flight) and the camp has phone contact 24 hours with a Medivac nurse.

Dangerous animals: High Risk

Security measures: Guests are escorted to and from their rooms when dark in the evenings and the mornings. There is an emergency 'foghorn' alarm in the rooms.

Fire safety: There are fire extinguishers in all rooms and common areas.

Extras

Disabled access: On Request

Laundry facilities: Included.

Money: There are electronic safes in all the rooms. It's worth mentioning here that if you can't remember your combination, then the managers do have an override code. This proved jolly useful when we got our code numbers mixed up!

Accepted payment: Visa and Mastercard accepted with no charge. Currencies – GBP, USD, Euro, Rand, Pula are all acceptable.

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