Read 2 traveller reviews of Vumbura Plains

The Vumbura Reserve, north of Botswana's Moremi national park, has an environment which is, in many ways, a more watery version of that around Mombo: a series of large floodplains dotted with small palm islands and interspersed with large forested areas.

New in 2005 (these replaced the old Vumbura Camp) are two adjacent but independent camps: Vumbura Plains North and Vumbura Plains South. Each has seven wooden and canvas chalets with thatched roofs. The absolutely enormous rooms are raised up on decks and connected by walkways. Each chalet has its own very private plunge pool and sun-loungers, and also an outside shaded sofa and table. These units really are luxurious, even by Botswana's standards, with twin wash basins, indoor and outdoor showers, and lots of stylish touches.

Both camps offer a choice of activities including game drives (day and night), mokoro trips and sometimes short walks. There's a deep-water channel nearby where, depending on water levels, motor boats can be used.

The game here, including the predators, is exceptionally varied. Lion are relatively common, and the open areas suit cheetah and wild dog, which have denned here in recent years. We did not see the wild dog during our most recent stay, but a pack of 14 had been spotted the day before our arrival. Meanwhile leopard and spotted hyena are also seen frequently. There are plenty of elephants and buffalo around, although in smaller herds than those at Duba Plains. Perhaps because of this, zebra, wildebeest and a particularly large range of antelope are seen here in numbers, including red lechwe, impala and tsessebe, kudu and sable. The birds are equally varied, ranging from pink pelicans to mopane specialists such as red-billed hornbills.

Because of their comfort level and amenities, these 'Plains' camps command a supplement over Little Vumbura (or most of the Okavango's camps) of about £80-200 per person sharing per night (for 2006).

The Vumbura Plains camps are certainly not typical bush lodges, and may not be for safari purists, but we like the fact that it they really are something different. If you feel like something out of the ordinary, these are fabulous camps to stay at for a few nights.

Click on a link for more details of:
Luxury Chalet at Vumbura Plains

Lodge overview

Lodge type: Safari

No. of bedrooms: 7 (in each camp)

Season: Open Year Round

Ideal length of stay: 3 nights

Central facilities: The main lodge at Vumbura Plains is vast. The design has a slight retro feel to it, but also has an asian ambience. It might sound like a slightly odd combination, but the overall result is very stylish. There are raised and sunken areas with built in sofas scattered with lots of comfortable cushions. There are also two fun hanging chairs which you can swing in, a good library offering a selection of natural history books, and there are various carvings and interesting African sculptures dotted about. There is a shady deck overlooking the surrounding landscape and a viewing scope which you are welcome to make use of. The quirky “loo with a view” which is reached by a boardwalk away from the main lodge is definitely worth a visit! The lovely fire pit area is away from the main lodge and reached by a wooden walkway. It acts as a suntrap in the day time if you want to soak up some rays, and the fire bowl is lit in the evenings. The fire bowl is completely surrounded by very comfortable in-built sofa seats decked with squashy cushions (see the pictures in our slide show to the right of this description). There is also a large restaurant area which is open-sided and offers views out over the plains, a well-stocked modern bar, and curio shop.

Geographics

Location: Okavango Delta Safari Reserves, Botswana

Directions: Vumbura plains is approximately 20 minutes' drive from the nearest airstrip, although the length of the transfer will always depend on what you see on the way.

Accessible by: Fly-and-Transfer

Key personnel

Owner: Marketed and managed by Wilderness Safaris.

Food & drink

Usual board basis: Full Board

Food quality: The food served during our stay at Vumbura Plains was excellent. A light early morning breakfast is served before your first game drive and usually includes cereal, fruit salad, yoghurt and muffins. Tea, coffee and juice are also served. Brunch is served buffet style at around 11 o'clock, and included a varied selection of dishes while we were there – beetroot, potato and green salads, cheeses and biscuits, herb breads, and also a selection of cold meats. We were also offered a choice of hot dishes either a full cooked breakfast, or ostrich salad with pitta bread. Tea is served at around half past three and during our visit we were treated to very nice sticky slices of baklava and peach cheese cake. Fresh smoothies were also served. Dinner was a treat and we were offered a choice of fillet steak or chicken stir-fry for our main courses, and also a choice of starters. We opted for the steak, served with vegetables, which was cooked to perfection. Pudding was a rich cream-filled choux pastry. Good wines were also served with the meal, and these vary from night to night. Vegetarians and any particular requirements can be catered for on request.

Dining style: Group Meals

Dining locations: Indoor and Outdoor Dining

Room service: No room service - this is a safari camp!

Cost of meal e.g. lunch: Included

Drinks included: Bottled water, soft drinks, local beers and spirits and a limited selection of (usually) South African red and white wines are included. Champagne and imported wines and spirits will cost extra and may need to be requested in advance.

Children

Attitude towards children: Generally children are welcome but please take into account the restrictions below.

Age restrictions: Children of 12 years of age and over are accepted. Vumbura may accept ages 8-12 if the whole camp is booked out but this must be requested in advance. Children under 8 years of age are generally not accepted.

Activities: Not really, but special meals can be organised for children on request.

Equipment: No special equipment is available.

Generally recommended for children: Yes, but only really those who are 12 or over.

Notes: Vumbura Plains is a very open camp with dangerous wildlife in the area. The rooms and walkways are raised on stilts and are therefore not suitable for small children.

Central communications

Power supply: Generator

Communications: For all intents and purposes you should consider yourself out of contact. There is no mobile reception, no direct phone or fax and no email – this is the bush! Contact in an emergency is made via radio.

TV & radio: There is no television or radio in your room, this is the bush!

Health & safety

Malarial area: Yes

Medical care: All camp managers are first-aid trained and a comprehensive first-aid kit is kept at camp. In more serious cases of illness, Wilderness have an affiliated nurse who is based in Maun and can always be contacted for further medical advice. In an emergency, camps can arrange for clients to be flown out if necessary.

Dangerous animals: High Risk

Security measures: Because of the Okavango's large population of dangerous game, and the fact that Vumbura Plains is unfenced, guests are escorted to their rooms after the dark. Alarms, sirens or whistles are provided in the rooms in case of an emergency.

Fire safety: There are extinguishers on the balconies of all rooms.

Extras

Disabled access: On Request

Laundry facilities: A full laundry service is included.

Money: No exchange facilities are offered. There are safe deposit boxes in the rooms.

Accepted payment: Mastercard and Visa credit cards are accepted. Diners and Amex are not. No commission is charged on credit card transactions. Rand, £, $, Euros and Botswana Pula are accepted.

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