Vumbura Plains & Little Vumbura
VUMBURA PLAINS & LITTLE
VUMBURA - OKAVANGO DELTA, BOTSWANA
Vumbura Plains Camp (and Little Vumbura) are situated
about 25 km's north of Mombo in the neighboring
northern private reserve of nearly 130,000 acres, within Botswana's
Okavango Delta.
These two camps offer an excellent combination of water and land activities.
The two camps are owned and operated as separate camps by Wilderness
Safaris.
These camps offer perhaps the best combination of water and land activities
anywhere in the Delta. The area also boasts a wonderful
variety of habitats and a great diversity of wildlife, including
large numbers of Sable Antelope
(rarely seen elsewhere in Botswana) and offers excellent fishing.
Accommodation
Vumbura Plains 
For images of Vumbura Plains, click Vumbura
Plains Images Vumbura
Plains Images-2 For Layout map of Vumbura Plains Camp, click Vumbura Plains
Map
Vumbura Plains is new for 2005
and replaces the "old" Vumbura Camp. The new camp overlooks
a vast, attractive floodplain and the rooms are built under the shade
of cool and shady trees. Vumbura Plains consists of two 14-bedded camps
(2 x 12 until August 2005) linked by raised boardwalks, with its own
dining, lounge and bar area, although all 28 beds or parts thereof can
be utilized for larger parties. All 14 of the luxury rooms are raised
off the ground on wooden platforms with walkways connecting them to the
main living areas. Each room has a large, very comfortable bedroom, a
lounge, a "sala" and
en-suite facilities with a shower, a flush toilet and an outdoor shower
under the stars. The main dining, lounge and pub area are also raised
off the ground and tucked beneath a canopy of shady, indigenous trees
with a wonderful vista across the floodplains. Each room has its own
plunge pool.
Little Vumbura
For images of Little Vumbura, click Little
Vumbura Images For Layout map of Little Vumbura Camp, click Little Vumbura
Map
Little Vumbura is the companion
camp to Vumbura and is located a few minutes boat ride along the channel
from Vumbura Camp. Little Vumbura accommodates twelve guests on a wonderful
private island, reachable only by boat. The focus at Little
Vumbura is slightly more on the water activities than at Vumbura as the
camp is surrounded by water. This camp is also closer to the permanent
waters of the big, fast flowing rivers, however game viewing by vehicle
is very much one of the highlights. Little Vumbura has six tents under
an enormous canopy of ancient Okavango forest with ebony, marula, knob
thorn, garcinia and fig being the dominant trees. Attractive palms give
the island a wonderful tropical feel and bring the Elephants onto the
island, especially towards the end of winter. Each tent is large and
roomy and has en suite facilities, as well as an outside shower for
those who want to be even closer to nature. The 6 tented rooms are large and comfortably appointed and each have an en-suite bathroom with hot and cold running water, a shower and flush toilet. There is a pool for relaxing by in the quiet of the day. NOTE: This camp was completely rebuilt in 2007 and is looking absolutely beautiful.
Activities
Vumbura Plains & Little
Vumbura offer both water and land activities as this area has scenic
waterways and is also close to the Okavango's outermost open savannahs.
The water levels around the camps change each year depending on the level
of the annual floods from central Africa. The privacy of this area is
one of Vumbura's main attractions - along with its great wildlife and
superb all round Okavango experience.
The main activity at both camps
is game viewing in wonderful and varied countryside. Open 4x4 Land
Rovers allow close proximity to animals in the savannah and forested
areas. The Vumbura area is possibly the only area in the Okavango
where one can see Red Lechwe (an animal that inhabits the fringes
of the waterways) and a Sable antelope (an animal that enjoys the
dry countryside) on the same game drive. Add in Lion, Leopard, Elephant,
Cheetah and Buffalo along with all the plains animals and one has
an excellent all-round wildlife experience in a remote and private
part of the Okavango. Birding too is great with large varieties
and quantities. Walks, mekoro’s and boating give Vumbura's
guests the opportunity to enjoy Africa from a different perspective.
Night drives are possible
nearly all year, but may be restricted for a few months in the middle
of each year if there are extremely high flood levels. Walking safaris
are a must for anyone who has only experienced Africa from a vehicle
- getting close to nature with a knowledgeable guide should not
be missed. The mekoro safaris here are also excellent as well as
motor boating through the Delta's lagoons and channels. For those
who enjoy fishing, Vumbura is one of the Delta's best areas to catch
Tiger Fish, Bream and Tilapia.
Wildlife
The variety of wildlife here is stunning. Guests
can go out by boat in the morning and see Hippos, Crocodiles, Red Lechwe
and all the aquatic wildlife and then travel out by Land Rover in the
afternoon to see Elephant, Sable and all the dry savannah game. Sable
Antelope are fairly prolific here (they are less often seen elsewhere);
in fact, guests will usually see more Sable here than Impala. Herds of
Buffalo and Elephant also occur here, along with the predators - Lion,
Leopard, Wild Dog and Cheetah. Guests who enjoy their birding will love
the combination of all the Okavango water "specials" with acacia
and dry woodland species.
Community Involvement
Vumbura Plains and Little Vumbura
are part of the same community participation plan as Duba
Plains.
The aim is to bring the communities who live around the Okavango Delta
into the tourism mainstream. The villagers who live to the north of
the Okavango have been granted the rights to this area, which allow
them to derive direct benefits from the wildlife through significant
concession fees, employment opportunities and training.
Camp Partners - Dereck and Beverly Joubert
and the Okavango Community Trust
Dereck and Beverly Joubert,
two of the most successful wildlife film makers in the world, are partners
in Vumbura Plains, Little Vumbura and Duba Plains. They are also dedicated
conservationists who are committed to the preservation of wildlife, in
particular in Botswana. Dereck and Beverly have worked in the remotest
of wild places around the world for the National Geographic Society, producing
some of the Society's highest rated and awarded films, books and magazine
articles. They lived and worked in Savuti and Linyanti for years and made
that area world famous through their films: "The Stolen River", "Eternal
Enemies", "Zebras:
Patterns in the Grass" and "Lions of Darkness" before moving
on to the Linyanti. There they continued
their work with "Journey to the Forgotten River" and "Reflections
on Elephants" that put another area in Botswana into the public's
hearts and minds.
Working very closely with the Botswana Defense Force,
they teamed up to expose poaching in the far north, and through their joint
efforts have created the support and means to all but completely eradicate
poaching in Northern Botswana. Their latest film, "Whispers: an Elephant's
Tale", is yet another first. For Walt Disney Pictures, this film brings
the adventures of a baby Elephant to the big screen, the first mainstream
wildlife film in theatres in recent history. All the Jouberts' films follow
a similar goal: to bring the wonders of wild places to audiences around
the world, to break down barriers between us and them, and to show that
animals have personalities.
After all these adventures, having lived and
worked in some of the most exciting wildlife land in the world, and editing
films in London, Washington and Los Angeles, the Jouberts have returned
to Africa and turned their sights and cameras on the Vumbura/Duba area.
They have carefully chosen this place and for them the area is perfect.
The untamed wildness, the abundance of "big game" and the variety
of exciting habitats make it ideal. But, most of all, it is a place where
they can implement their conservation principles. For years the Jouberts
have had a belief in the importance of communities in the successful future
of wildlife. At Vumbura, Dereck and Beverly are working to create a model
for community/wildlife partnerships that will lead the way for that future.
Top 
Return to Map of Okavango
Delta Camps
Water
/ Land Activity Table for Botswana camps: Water/Land
Botswana
Flying
Times between Botswana camps: Fly
Times Botswana
For further information about the Okavango Delta, click More
Okavango
For further information about Botswana, click More
Botswana
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