Mombo Camp

Where Mombo sits

Mombo occupies the north-eastern corner of Chief’s Island in the Moremi Game Reserve, in the heart of the Okavango Delta. Chief’s Island is the largest landmass in the Delta and the point where the floodplains meet permanent dry ground, which is why the game concentrations here are what they are. Mombo has a long reputation as one of the strongest predator areas in Africa.

The suites

There are nine tented suites: eight doubles and one family unit made of two adjoining safari tents with en-suite bathrooms, sleeping four. Each suite has a private plunge pool and panoramic windows positioned for game viewing from inside the room.

The main area

The camp has a swimming pool set for sundowners, a wine cellar, a gym looking over the floodplain, and wifi. The scale of the communal offering is unusual for a nine-suite camp in the middle of a game reserve.

The Sanctuary spa

The Sanctuary is a full wellness facility with a meditation cocoon, a sauna, a remedy bar and a lap pool. In practical terms it fills the long hot middle of the day between the morning and afternoon activities.

The observation hide

An observation hide gives low-angle photography and the chance to watch without a vehicle. On Chief’s Island the traffic past a hide is heavy in the dry months.

Game drives, day and night

Day and night game drives both run. Mombo is best known for its leopard and lion, and for the density of plains game that supports them; the northern Chief’s Island floodplains carry lechwe, tsessebe, zebra, wildebeest and buffalo in numbers.

Walking safaris

Guided walking safaris are offered. Walking changes the scale of the place — Chief’s Island on foot is a very different experience from the same ground in a vehicle.

Water activities

Mokoro excursions and boat safaris run seasonally, depending on the flood. The Okavango’s water arrives from Angolan rainfall months earlier, so the water programme is at its best around the middle of the year rather than in the rains.

Getting there

Guests fly to Maun and transfer by light aircraft on the onward circuit; helicopter transfers are also available. Children under thirteen cannot join game drives unless the group books a private vehicle.

Who it suits and when

Mombo suits travellers for whom predator viewing is the priority and who want it at the highest level of comfort available in the Delta. Little Mombo, a separate three-tent camp for six guests, sits adjacent for parties wanting sole use. The camp operates year-round; the dry months from June to October are the classic game period, and the green season brings birds, young animals and lower vehicle traffic.