Mombo Camp

elegant hospitality and gentle safari activities

Mombo Camp is located in the Moremi Central area of the Okavango Delta area in northern Botswana.

The camp is situated at the prime north-west tip of Chief’s Island. It is the flagship lodge in the Okavango Delta and one of the most famous in all Africa.

From the vehicle turnaround we follow a low board-walk to enter the main areas from the rear, a broad view of the broad floodplains opening up ahead. To the right is the main dining area, to the left an extremely comfortable lounge, both open out onto broad decks. Just past the lounge there is a very nice campfire area and a small swimming pool.

Leaving the main areas behind, we follow another higher board-walk off towards the rooms, passing through a stand of mature leadwood trees as we go.

Further along the board-walk there is also a small spa, gym, second swimming pool area and a substantial gift-shop known as the “Mombo Mall”.

The camp offers extremely high levels of service, with a warm welcome on arrival, personalised notes in your room and a high level of professionalism and attention to detail throughout.

One aspect that we always appreciate is the amount of animals that can be seen in and around the camp. Several guests have described the place as being right out of a NatGeo documentary, with gorgeous landscapes absolutely packed with wildlife. In front of camp it is often possible to spot elephants, buffaloes, giraffes and zebras. Around the lodge itself vervet monkeys and baboons can often be seen along the board-walks, whilst various animals wander between the rooms. One guest even described how a pride of lionesses chased buffaloes around and below his room, which shook with the impacts and reverberated with the roars. It’s not often as full-on as that, but the open nature of the camp does let you feel very much a part of the scene.

Rooms

Guest accommodation is in a total of eight lavish suites elevated on stilts, around three metres off the ground. Again entering from the rear, through a very heavy wooden door, we enter a gorgeous long space, with a pleasant lounge area to the left, the main bedroom to the right, with a gorgeous bathroom beyond that. The front of the room can be fully opened, which causes the space to flow out onto the surrounding decks, with a lovely outdoor ‘lapa’ lounge area and an outdoor shower.

One of the suites is a larger Family Tent, with two separate bedrooms.

One major standout feature of this camp is that the bedrooms are fitted with the innovative Evening Breeze systems, environmentally sensitive mini air-conditioning units which maintain comfortable temperatures within the mosquito net, which is highly appreciated during the hotter months of Sep-Nov.

Activities

Mombo Camp provides the following very limited range of guided activities …

• Vehicle safari
• Helicopter safari (not included)

When it comes to trip shapes and durations in Botswana, most visitors combine 2, 3 or 4 lodges by light aircraft over 6-12 nights, one or two of which will usually be here in Okavango Delta, combined with the Linyanti Waterfront and/or Makgadikgadi areas.

These trips are often done in combination with further nights at the Victoria Falls and/or down in the Cape.

The usual stay duration in Moremi Central tends to be limited to just 2-3 nights, since the range of activities is reduced compared with the surrounding concessions.

Seasonality

The Moremi Central area can be visited year round, but there are considerable seasonal variations.

The Jul-Sep dry season is the classic time to visit the Okavango Delta and is generally considered to be the best time for wildlife viewing, as animals are drawn to the water from surrounding areas. Temperatures can drop towards freezing at night, particularly during Jul-Aug, but the days are perfect for safari. There are also very few insects around. The flood in this central part of the delta should be strong at this time, turning large parts of the area into a gorgeous water-world, but receding fast into September. This is very much the high season in terms of prices and visitor numbers.

Oct-Dec is the hot wet season when temperatures and humidities can become uncomfortably high, particularly during Oct-Nov, in advance of the rains. With the floods having receded in most areas, the wildlife tends to become very concentrated around the few remaining water sources, making for very strong wildlife viewing. Boating activities may become less widely available except at those camps with access to permanent deepwater channels. If rainfall arrives, it is usually in the form of short showers and has little effect on safari. Some animals may disperse, but sightings remain strong. The majority of camps are significantly discounted during this period.

Jan-Apr is the main green season, when the area experiences the majority of its rainfall and temperatures and humidities have dropped. At this time the landscapes are green and beautiful with lots of babies around, providing a great contrast to the harshness of the dry season. Dec-Feb threatens the greatest chance of prolonged cloud and rain. As the seasonal waterholes become replenished, some animals disperse from the area in search of better grazing, but sightings remain strong. The majority of camps are significantly discounted throughout this season.

Getting there

Access to Okavango Moremi Central is by light aircraft from Maun and Kasane or other camp airstrips. Each camp is served by its own local airstrip.

usually combined with at least one other camp in Botswana