Little Vumbra - Okavango - Safari Botswana

Little Vumbra in a Nutshell

Little Vumbra is a fantastic “little” camp. It is the sister lodge to the bigger Vumbra Plains, but tucked away on a secluded island in the same concession. What you get is a more intimate experience in a family friendly lodge, under canvas and with access to idyllic water activities from the island and drives on the concession mainland.

Fast Facts

6 luxury canvas tents – well spread on a circular island
12 adults and 2 children guest maximum only
1 family tent
Swimming pool
Located in a private concession along with the bigger Vumbra Plains
Game drives in open 4×4 vehicles, night drives, walks, boating (fishing), mokoro.
Great for water activities and highly productive drives!
Access by light aircraft
DOWLOAD LITTLE VUMBRA FACTSHEET

Child Policy

Children 6 years or older are accommodated
Has a family tent with adjoining rooms
If travelling with children between 6 and 12, private activities need to be booked and paid for
Children between 6 and 16 MUST share with an adult in the same room
Minimum age for walking and mokoro is 13
Minimum age for boating is 6 years
For hot air ballooning, minimum age is 7 (and an adult must accompany any child under 16)
2 family units available
Download family unit layout
Download “Bush Buddy” programme

How to get there

This lodge is accessible by air with its own nearby airstrip. Light aircraft transfers are available from Maun, Kasane and just about any other bush airstrip. There is an exciting boating-in option available at this lodge too – enquire for details

Game viewing and activities

All game viewing is done in the private Vumbra (Kwedi) concession, free from public access. Proceeds go to the Okavango Community Trust.

Being located on a small island surrounded by permanent and seasonal water, Little Vumbra is perfect for water activities! As a bonus, a short boat ride takes guests to the mainland where you can enjoy highly productive game drives in the concession. We would highly recommend this small camp as a great place to base yourself to enjoy a good range of Okavango activities and see diverse game on the water and on land!

This is a beautiful and diverse area with a good range of dry-land habitats for productive game drives. The concession is “drier” further north at the”Mopane belt” – during drier times, large numbers of herbivores are attracted to Vumbra once the waterholes in the Mopane have dried up. This makes the game viewing rather intense, and it would be a go-to location to tick off sightings of all the big game and the full range of predators.

The only thing that is slightly unfortunate is that between the nearby Vumbra North and South Camps and Little Vumbra itself, there can be quite a few game drive vehicles out on activity at any one time – this may slightly restrict your viewing as there are limits to the number of cars allowed at each sighting?

Hot air ballooning is possible from Vumbra, using a helicopter to access the launch site.

Helicopter flips can also easily be arranged with stunning scenery for arial photography.

Due to the abundance of wildlife and varied activities, if you only had time on your safari for one camp, this could be it?

Camp Environment

The camp is up-to-date with style and modernity. It is generator powered as the island is too small to house solar panels. The generator does not run when guests are in camp.

The setting is a small round island with ancient shady trees. On arrival at the airstrip you are driven to a boat station, then use boats to access the lodge. from the jetty, the swampy vegetation around Little Vumbra is traversed on a long floating walkway that leads onto the island – it is a great way to arrive indeed! The lodge itself is built in a circular fashion around the island, with walkways and sandy pathways connecting the tented accommodation (yes your feet can touch the natural ground here!).

The main area is decked and meets you on arrival from the jetty. There are several circular gumpole structures, shaded with green canvas that make up the social, relax and dining areas. Everything is open-sided of course, allowing for views of the immediate natural surrounds. Zone one is a lounge area with a conveniently placed bar, tastefully and functionally decorated in line with the aura of a tented camp. A little tucked away is a secluded library with a good selection of reading material. The next zones are a dining area, a decked fire-pit that juts out into the surrounding water and a swimming pool.

The tented-rooms at Little Vumbra are canvas-toped and sided with ample shade-net windows for views outside, airflow and light to enter. Fortunately the decked floors are a lighter shade of wood which helps brighten the feel. Each tent is smart and very comfortable. There is one unit that has an outside bath-tub that is ideal for honeymooners. The one family tent in camp has inter-leading rooms.

There is no air conditioning, however, a ceiling and pedestal fan are installed. In each room you will find a large bed with mosquito net, a writing desk with all modern charging points, tea and coffee making facilities and complimentary wifi.

Seasonal bathrobes, slippers, liquid soap, body wash, shampoo and conditioner, body lotion, room spray, insect repellent, insect spray, shower caps, vanity kit, tissue dispenser, washing detergent (on request), sewing kit (on request) and laundry bag are supplied in each tent.

In our opinion, you will certainly enjoy the tents at Little Vumbra and will sleep under canvas, feeling that little bit closer to nature!

What we think

We like the fact that this is a community owned area, run in partnership with Wilderness safaris. Nearby villages get direct benefit and jobs.

Game is good, top-quality in fact……we would send you here for the high quality game drives. Try stay for no less than 3 nights to take advantage of this. Further, there are some varied water activities to take advantage of.

Nice and intimate lodge to enjoy the highly productive Vumbra concession – this lodge comes in a lot cheaper than the Vumbra Plains camp in the same concession!

This is for people looking for an authentic “bush camp” experience as you sleep under canvas. Being on a small island means you get the sounds of the Okavango at night while you sleep!