Little Vumbura Camp
Little Vumbura offers accommodation in five tents under an enormous canopy of ancient Okavango forest with ebony, marula, knobthorn, 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 dining room and pub are under canvas and have been built in and around the existing trees. There is a pool for relaxing by in the quiet of the day. One of the camp's attractions is the outdoor dining area. Wooden decks have been built on the floodplains and dinners under the stars are a wonderful experience.
Little Vumbura has both the wetland and savannah species of wildlife - red lechwe, waterbuck, hippo, crocodile, as well as Sable, kudu, wildebeest and tsessebe, who roam the open plains. On game drives one often sees more Sable than impala. Herds of buffalo and elephant 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. This camp offers the full house of activities in boats, mokoros, walks, drives and fishing. Game drives are conducted in open 4x4 Land Rovers with experienced guides. Night drives are possible nearly all year, but may be restricted for a few months in the middle of each year if there is extremely high flood levels. The variety of wildlife here is stunning. Guests can go out by boat in the morning and see hippo, crocodile, 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 wildlife.
Vumbura and Little Vumbura are part of the same community participation plan as Duba Plains. The aim is to bring the communities 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.
While at Little Vumbura, you will be in the filming area of Dereck and Beverly Joubert, two of the most successful wildlife film makers in the world, with documentaries such as Eternal Enemies: Lions and Hyenas and Reflections of Elephants under their belt. They are also dedicated conservationists who are committed to the preservation of wildlife and believe that the future is dependent on a partnership with the community. Dereck and Beverly have worked in the remotest of wild places around Africa for the National Geographic Society, producing some of the Society's highest rated and awarded films, books and magazine articles. After more than 20 years of searching for the best areas in Africa, they have chosen Vumbura and Duba as their base, an indication of just how good the area is. As reclusive as they are, you just may see them sitting in the hot sun waiting for the lions to spring into action, or come across them digging their vehicle out after a difficult water crossing to get to a leopard or when they need a hot meal or a cold shower as they may stumble into camp.