Mombo Camp

Mombo Camp - renowned for having what is arguably the best big game viewing in Botswana - lies on the northern tip of Chief's Island, the largest landmass in the Okavango Delta. The sheer numbers and variety of large mammals in this area, all year round, defy description: from elephant and buffalo to tiny steenbok, large numbers of herbivores are followed by their predators in equal measure: lion, leopard and cheetah.

Mombo Camp, on the northern tip of Chief's Island within the Moremi Game Reserve in the Okavango Delta, is built under large shady trees and overlooks an open floodplain more often than not alive with wildlife. This area boasts enormous concentrations of plains game and large predators - lions in particular - providing what is arguably the best big game viewing in Botswana.

Acommodation comprises nine spacious tents raised up to two metres off the ground, with breathtaking views over the plains; the sala, long veranda and lounge area all take advantage of such vistas. Bathrooms are en-suite, with indoor and outdoor showers. The main living and dining area is under thatch, there is a boma for delicious dinners under the stars and a plunge pool to relax in on a hot day.

Large concentrations of plains game occur in front of the camp and guests may view a variety of animals without even leaving the veranda. One often finds animals wandering past, right under the rooms!

Activities at Mombo Camp mainly comprise morning and afternoon game drives in open 4x4 vehicles. These drives explore the savannah and floodplains and are exciting with prolific sightings of lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog, elephant, spotted hyaena, southern giraffe, blue wildebeest, Burchell's zebra and large buffalo herds. Black and white rhino have been reintroduced with outstanding success to the area (albeit most are further away from camp), thanks to the Botswana Rhino Reintroduction Program.

Conservation:

Mombo Camp's isolation and variety of suitable vegetation makes the area ideal for delicate reintroduction projects and collaborative conservation efforts between Wilderness Safaris, Botswana's Department of Wildlife (DWNP) and the Botswana Government have realised a dream with the successful reintroduction of the white and black rhino here.

Mombo Camp and Little Mombo camps are integrally involved in the Botswana Rhino Reintroduction Project. In 2001, Wilderness Safaris together with Botswana's Department of Wildlife initiated a programme that has resulted in white rhino running free and wild in the Okavango Delta. The first group of four white rhino arrived at Mombo Camp in November 2001, Wilderness also financing the construction of bomas, much of the transport and much of the monitoring costs. A further 22 rhino arrived as a result of an innovative 'rhino-for-roan' swap between South Africa and Botswana.

The ultimate accolade, though, has come from the rhino themselves. In August 2004, the first white rhino calf was born in the wild in Mombo, 16 months after its mother was released in 2001. Since then, the steady birth rate more than indicates the success of the rhino reintroduction programme.

---

Share this page