Reviews of Little Vumbura
(96%) From 121 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Little Vumbura is hot!
Highly recommend Little Vumbura for great wildlife, guiding and general relaxation.
Read more about the whole safari
Little Vumbura review
After all the dry landscapes at our previous three camps, this was a welcome change. The camp is set on an island, a 3-minute boat trip away. The setting and scenery at this camp was outstanding. It was an exhilarating experience driving thru water, sometimes with the water covering the floor of the jeep. The food and service were excellent. Rooms included a charging station (no Usb ports though) and wi-fi. My only complaint with our room was a lack of privacy from any of the other guests walking to their rooms.
One big surprise which we had not anticipated was the consequence of the camp being on an island. We could only leave the camp during daylight hours, so the early morning game drives started later than other camps, and we had to back at camp by sunset. Although we had sundowner drinks on offer, they were very hurried affairs on account of the time constraint.
The afternoon of our arrival we opted for the makoro trip as there was space available. Apparently due to the exceptional dry conditions this was the only camp offering makoro trips. They were usually fully booked due to guests coming in from other camps. A guide went ahead of our 3 canoes to ensure there were no hippos in the water. The makoro and a different boat trip are both scheduled at the same time as the evening game drive. Not sure why they cannot offer these earlier and still have an afternoon game drive.
We did experience a number of issues at this camp. No water bottle was provided until we asked for them. On the makoro trip, we stopped at an island for sundowner drinks. Despite being asked for our choice, it was not available for both us and another guest. Our afternoon game drive the second day was adversely impacted by having to pick up new arrivals coming from the airstrip in another vehicle. In addition to the detour, the guide spent a considerable amount of time repeating his talk while stopped. Had this been explained to us, we might have opted for the boat trip instead. Although this was understandable, we expected a similar game drive for our last morning with a drop-off at the airstrip. However, this was not offered to us and they still woke us at 6am! We (and another guest) were not informed of our options for a late morning breakfast.
During our whole stay, not once were we escorted to our room and back after dark. Admittedly we were close to the main lodge in the nearest room. There was little overall camaraderie at this camp. Only on one night did we have one communal dinner table. Otherwise the different parties were seated at separate tables for breakfast and dinner. Inexplicably the only jeep without a roof is assigned to airstrip pickups and returns at the hottest time of the day for the 45-minute plus journey.
Little Vumbura review
Being the northernmost of the camps we visited in the Okavango Delta, and situated on a real island, this had the most water.
It was beautiful in every way.
Little Vumbura review
All the camps, not just Little Vumbura, need to provide a way of communicating between the rooms/ tents and the main camp; My wife was stuck in her room for about four hours because the staff forgot to go and collect her and she had no way of getting in touch with them to remind them to come and collect her. (There was a lion about.) Someone else was stuck for about six hours! There is also no way of telling people not to leave their rooms. What is to be done if there is a lion on the path? Presumably no one can walk down to the rooms to give a warning.
Similarly all the camps should improve the quality of their wine. I suspect it is more a question of choosing better, rather than needing to spend much or any more.
We had a wonderful time. Excellent guide. Two splendid boat trips. Radios only had limited, quiet, use. (See comments on radios below.) Great food and service.
Little Vumbura
This camp has a wonderful and different type of location being set on a tiny island accessible only by small boats. It is a very small and friendly camp and we found the staff to be extremely warm, friendly and capable. We particularly enjoyed on Botswana Independence Day the celebration and special meal the whole staff participated in and through it gave us more insight and connection with the country.
The rooms and facilities were very comfortable and relaxing. Perhaps in comparison to our other camp at Sable Alley the rooms were not as stylishly designed but still were of a very good standard.
As a small camp (6 tents) it has a preference for community eating at a long table. This might be worth mentioning in the camp's description so people know what to expect.
The variety of wildlife here was spectacular. Maybe not in great quantity because of the amount of water around the area but the quality was exceptional. The guide we were assigned was very good and had incredible tracking abilities. We will never forget how he managed to finally find a leopard that he spent over and hour trying to track and we still couldn't see it even when he had pointed it out in the distance to us!
The water location also gives Little Vumbura the ability to offer some variety to the daily schedule. instead of just going out on safari drives twice a day we enjoyed going out for one afternoon on a Mokoro and on another taking a small boat further into the Okavango Delta. For this reason Little Vumbua was a perfect second camp since it had such a different feel and location to Sable Alley.
Perfect start at Little Vumbura
As an introduction to the Delta, this was a brilliant camp.
We saw wild dogs, cheetah and cubs, leopard, lionesses and cubs all within 2 days along with an abundance of game and birds. We had a great mix of water and land activities.
Camp is comfortable and relaxed.
Very good guide, easy to be with, knowledgeable and adaptable.
The best camp overall in 11-day safari
A very well designed and run camp throughout with a separate dining area, bar and lounge area; also a fire-pit on a raised platform of sand in a raised decking extending out into the reeds. Very well designed and comfortable accommodation with continuous hot water and battery charging-point in the room.
Everything was kept really tidy and the service from the staff was exceptional - remembering our names and providing really good and friendly service during our 3-day stay.
The land-cruisers were open-topped which we were initially concerned about because we try to avoid the sun but all turned out well (apparently the tops are put on during the hottest months). We even enjoyed the mokoro trip through the rushes and the boat ride although these took place during the late-afternoon when it was less hot and included a sundowner as well.
Our guide (Emang) was very efficient and gave us a lot of information during our drives where we saw a very varied selection of animals including Cheetah, Leopard, Lion and Elephants (crossing the water in a group) as well as Lechwe in good numbers and a herd of Buffalo in number about 400.
Little Vumbura provided a memorable ending to our 11-day safari.
Little Vumbura
This camp was the star of our previous trip and it didn't disappoint on this repeat visit - would go there again
Read more about the whole safariwonderful watery location at LIttle Vumbura
Little Vumbura is a beautiful camp right in the heart of the delta and surrounded by water, so it has a very special ambiance being on an island. The rooms are delightful and very comfortable. It was extremely cold at night and in the mornings when we were there (June) so the little touches like hot water bottles were appreciated. On one particularly cold morning they even gave us hot water bottles for our laps on the game drive!
The water levels were quite high when we visited which meant that the bridges and tracks were under water, often by up to 3 foot. I had no idea that jeeps could still operate in water that deep, so it was quite an experience moving around on the game drives. Because of the water levels it did take some time to get around with very bumpy rides at times. We had a great guide in Lettie who was lovely company and very knowledgeable. We had some of our most memorable wildlife experiences at this camp because we spent time with the animals rather than racing on to the next "sighting". We stayed for a long time with a beautiful elephant herd where one of the youngsters came right up to the jeep and checked us out with her trunk and another morning tracking a lioness the guides were concerned about who was seen with blood on her legs who had become separated from her cubs, so you felt involved with the lives of the animals. We learnt a lot from Lettie about how the guides track the animals which was very interesting.
The food at Little Vumbura was excellent, very tasty with several choices.
We had a very enjoyable mokoro trip, very peaceful floating amongst the water lilies, sighting tiny frogs.
We had a very memorable time here and would love to return to this beautiful well run intimate camp. Don't underestimate how cold it can get if you visit in winter. I wish I had brought gloves, a woolly hat and warmer jacket.
Little Vumbura review
Most things about this camp were excellent - the spectacular location, the camp itself and the accomodation.
The food was acceptable but not of the same high standard as some of the other Wilderness camps we have visited. The staff were very friendly and helpful but unlike other camps it was not clear who was in charge. Being a water camp we were able to do boat trips and a mokoro ride as well as the usual excellent game drives. Our guide, G, was very knowledgeable and personable. There was plenty of game and the bird life was exceptional.
We had three nights here which was ideal - we had time to relax as well as seeing everything we wanted to.
