Reviews of Little Vumbura
(96%) From 114 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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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.
Unforgettable Experience
Visiting the Okavango Delta was the highlight of the trip and Little Vumbura more than lived up to expectations. The delta is stunningly beautiful. The camp was lovely and we loved the boat ride to and from the island every day. The view from our balcony with red lechwe just outside in front of the waters was amazing and the experience of being in an unfenced camp with animals all around was incredible: there were kudu on the path, hippo visiting at night and a lion just outside our room one night hunting the lechwe.
Being able to drive off-road brought a whole new dimension to the game drives: driving through water that often came up to the bonnet and bundu bashing was a rollercoaster in itself. Our guide G was superb and we had wonderful close-up sightings of sable antelope, lions with four cubs and a leopard with her cub - although a coupe of drives were very quiet. The mokoro allowed us to see the delta from a different perspective, as well as see a tiny reed frog and red lechwe leaping through the water in front of us.
What made Little Vumbura so magical, though, was the wonderful welcome from all the staff and the great atmosphere in the camp. The managers Anton and Laura were ever-present and superb company. Nothing seemed like too much trouble.
Our son loved having his own Bush Buddy, OB, looking after him. Our daughter does not drink fizzy drinks so had spent two weeks watching the rest of us having sundowners with nothing to have herself - but the chef, Antonio, not only arranged for her to get some chocolate milk but put it in a special bottle too. Two of the female staff also took ages to braid her hair. We were very lucky that our last night coincided with the weekly boma night, which was the perfect end to our adventure in Africa.
Little Vumbura review
We left the best for the last....what an outstanding camp! The hosts, Lara and Anton, were superb in their interaction with the guests and the quality of everything at the camp.
Rooms: The room was superb. It was very roomy and had a sunken living room area with a desk,sofa, cocktail table, guide books and other chairs. There was a porch on the front of the tented room with a sofa and several chairs. It was literally over the water. We saw so much wild life and birds just sitting on our front porch. We had Red Lechwe, a hippo and lots of bee eaters and King fishers! There were 2 fans in the room which provided a wonderful breeze in the room.
We were able to use our CPAPs wih no problem. No distilled water was offered so we used bottled water.
Service: was outstanding. The guides and the hosts were very attentive and it was a joy to spend time with them.
Food: was outstanding. The meals were all served buffet style. There was a huge variety of local dishes and there were items right off the grill at the end of the buffet. Morning included eggs cooked to order.
Activities: Our guide, Sam, was a delight to be with. He knew his birds very well. We were able to see a Secretary bird which can be tough to find. We enjoyed his ability to track animals by "reading" the foot prints on the road. My husband quite enjoyed learning the footprints as well.
We were originally alone in our vehicle with Sam. However, two days before our departure 3 American men (grandfather, father and son) joined us. They had never been on safari before and seemed to only be interested in large game. The father asked us if we had flown all the way to Africa just to see birds!! When Sam asked them what they would like to see the 27+ yr old son replied "black mamba snakes and puff adders" as he was versed in snakes. Our guide Sam picked up immediately that we were not happy to be with this group of people and asked us if we would like to go fishing to which we happily replied "absolutely". Not sure who or how it is decided what vehicle to put people into but putting 3 people who had never been on safari with 2 people who are pretty well versed in animals, etc. was a huge mistake by the camp! Anyway we had a great time fishing and my husband caught a fairly good sized Tilapia which he gave to our fishing guide.
Facilities: were top notch! The main eating, sitting and library areas were spotless. The dining room was well about to handle guests with out stepping all over each other. A grill in the dining area was wonderful as the food was piping hot! The tents were well designed, the pathways were raked I suspect several times a day and there was always some body to walk us to our tent after dark. There was also a very well stocked gift shop on site. One late afternoon, at tea time, there were 3 local ladies weaving baskets. Our guide, Sam, gave an excellent presentation to all the guests about the importance of basketry to life in Botswana.
We would return here again and again and stay longer. It was the best of all the camps!
Little Vurumba adventure
The landscape here is breathtaking. This small island has a peaceful quality not found as often at other camps.
The game drives were fantastic although we kept having to ask our guide to stop when we saw animals/birds that he had not noticed or did not think worth stopping for. He seemed distracted and often engaged in conversation with the preserve inspector that accompanied us on every game drive. Although it was clear we were an older group of guests, we had to ask for a step and help getting in and out of the vehicle nearly every time.
The staff and accommodations were first rate. An intimate camp with gorgeous views and lots to see. The water tours are stunning in terms of the colors of grasses, reeds and water reflections. Also big skies with fabulous sunsets.
Great finish to our trip
This is a lovely location with a good deal of wildlife very close.
In fact the camp was visited by elephant during our visit & we had a hippo in the pool just outside our tent. the drives were expertly organised & we found all the expected species including a brief sighting of a leopard & a very good sighting of a group of wild dogs. There is an excellent atmosphere about the camp & the staff seem genuinely happy to be there & made several complementary comments about Wilderness Travel which was good to hear.
Overall we would strongly recommend this camp as giving a good insight into the delta.
Little Vumbura
Really liked this camp. Rooms better than Selinda as larger and had seating area inside. Need for boat access only adds to the experience.
As with Selinda, guide and activities excellent, particularly with boat and mokoro trips as well as drives. Also, slightly preferred later start and earlier finish. We benefitted from having one of the local Trust guides with us too so could learn about the partnerships. And we managed to see the Wild Dogs (none at Selinda) and again having the time to be with them as they formed up to hunt is a bonus.
Only issue was a mouse on the first night which kept us awake - I saw it a few times and cornered it once but then had nothing to hand to deal with it. Reported it next morning and camp manager said they would deal but all they did as to check they could not find it. Hence next night it (perhaps lust others) also there - ate through some kit and (worse) soiled clothes as we had not been warned we needed to keep all our stuff in rodent proof bags. So next morning escalated issue (not made any easier by the fact that all the staff wear the same uniforms - who is in charge??) and got moved to another room.
Chatting to guide/manager later it seems the mouse/rodent problem is know and gets worse at this time of year - so they should have put traps in after first night. Luckily did not spoil daytime activities.
Beautiful island camp
Beautiful accommodation , it was very quiet when we stayed which suited us .
Very noisy animal night life which we were not expecting , ear plugs might help some people !
All drives set off and return across watering a boat and so one need to return before dusk . Many drives had areas when the vehicle was covered almost up to the bonnet in water .
Little Vumbura review
The camp was extremely welcoming and well run by a very strong staff team.
The standard of food was excellent.
The accommodation was very comfortable with large rooms following this years upgrade.
The team went out of their way to provide memorable experiences such as the surprise lunch on an island, drinks in the middle of the river and cultural evening. The staff team made a very specially effort to celebrate one of the other guests birthday.
Anyone visiting the camp has to be prepared for quite a hectic daily schedule, especially once the river has flooded as each excursion starts with a twenty minute boat ride to and from the parked vehicles.
