Reviews of Little Vumbura
Wildlife sightings and reviews
138 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Little Vumbura and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
100% success
74% success
28% success
54% success
100% success
100% success
96% success
93% success
74% success
73% success
70% success
21% success
9% success
4% success
4% success
0% success
0% success
0% success
"Little Vumbura review"
It was beautiful in every way." See all these reviews: 8n in Botswana; 3n in South Africa; 2n in Zimbabwe
"Little Vumbura review"
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." See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana; 3n in Zambia
"Little Vumbura"
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." See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana; 3n in Zimbabwe
"Perfect start at Little Vumbura"
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." See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana; 4n in Zambia
"The best camp overall in 11-day safari "
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." See all these reviews: 11n in Botswana
"Little Vumbura"
"wonderful watery location at LIttle Vumbura"
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." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana; 3n in Zimbabwe
"Little Vumbura review"
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." See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe; 2n in Namibia
"Unforgettable Experience"
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." See all these reviews: 7n in Namibia; 3n in Botswana
"Little Vumbura review"
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!" See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana; 6n in Zambia
Holiday styles & special interests in Botswana
From birdwatching breaks to walking holidays, find great ideas for your trip in Botswana.
Other lodges in Okavango Delta Safari Reserves
Alternative places to stay in this same area.