Little Mombo Camp

"Set the scene.At the edge of a sweeping feeding plain, right in the heart of the Okavango Delta, where hundreds of animals can be seen grazing, playing, sleeping. This is a tale of two camps. Little Mombo has just three tents, the main Mombo has nine, but what tents they are—each almost as big and enveloping as a circus big-top. Both camps are connected by a boardwalk. Twenties-style chandeliers dangle near the gin bar, where everyone gathers sharing stories about what they’ve seen after rolling back in their personal Land Cruisers. What’s the story?Wilderness Safaris, founded back in 1983, is southern Africa’s leading eco-tourism group, with an enviable collection of camps in the region, including Rwanda, South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana, one of the most glorious places on the planet to see wildlife. Mombo, in the Moremi Game Reserve, is more than 30 years old and it’s been reimagined by architect Nick Plewman and designer Caline Williams-Wynn, who have combined vintage pieces such as Chesterfield sofas and antique brasses with handmade ceramics and local fabrics—spot the Pygmy beds from the Congo that have been turned into coffee tables. You may recognize the boma from previous trips—it’s been made from recycled wood rescued from the old camp. Mombo has an impressive track record for its protection of both white and black rhino, with a wall of fame dedicated to each creature that has been saved due to guest sponsorship. What can we expect from our room?The design seamlessly walks the line between colonial, Art Deco, and modern. Eleven of the twelve units in Mombo and Little Mombo (they share the same property, known as Mombo) are identical; the 12th was added as a family unit and includes an additional bathroom and bedroom, as well as an extra-large terrace, designed for multi-generational travelers. It's almost a shame having units designed so beautifully, as your whole schedule is designed so you spend as little time in them as possible. Guests can see out onto the savannah from every spot in the tent: even the mirrors in the bathrooms reflect the outside, so you can see giraffes and zebras while blow-drying your hair. The small salons with full bar carts and leather sofas are a lot of fun, but nothing beats the plunge pools on the terraces, so close to the savannah that elephants at times mistake them for drinking holes. How about the food and drink?The food is very good; menus don't teeter into gourmet, but rather serve a thoughtful selection of food that will appeal to pretty much anyone; lots of pastas, wraps, and grilled meats (cooked over traditional coals). Ostrich and apricot tagine, wild-mushroom lasagne, harissa chicken skewers. There’s also a pizza oven. The liquor list includes South African gins and mezcals alongside bottles from London and Mexico at the bar. Dining is not communal and unlike other camps, you do have a menu from which to choose. In-tent dining can easily be arranged; the tent is so gorgeous that doing so is a nice way to spend more time there. How does it fit into the region?You could probably judge a safari camp not by the sheets but by the stories you take away once you leave. By that measure, if you do one safari in your life, it should be here. Our game drives were phenomenal. It was not about volume, but rather, activity. After each drive we'd come back with stories about what we saw: a pride of lions strategizing then pulling off a kill; a sickly mother leopard feeding her cub an impala, a honey bird directing us toward a beehive. Anything to say about the service?The staff are the type who'll enlighten you all day, then chat until that last drop is gone from the bottle of whiskey and the fire has turned to embers. O.B. was our guide and turned something memorable into something extraordinary. He got excited, almost as much as the guests would, when coming across a pride of lions or some cheetah, which showed just how much he loved the bush. Back at camp, there were long, informative chats with Tsebo. Such a great ambassador for the camp and Botswana. Anything we missed?Arrangements can be made to visit local schools and villages if requested, and canoe safaris can be done during certain seasons. Worth it—and why?The game viewing is some of the greatest on the continent. And the location means you don't even need to leave the plunge pool to see the elephants, giraffes, and zebras. If you are toying with the idea of Mombo but are unsure, just do it." - Erin Florio

"Mombo and Little Mombo Camp, located in the Okavango Delta in Botswana, offer sustainable luxury in one of the world's best places for wildlife viewing." - Travel + Leisure Editors

"Little DumaTau — a new concept catering to families or celebrities who want a private mini-camp to themselves." - Travel + Leisure Editors

"Slap-bang in the middle of the Okavango Delta on game-rich Chief’s Island, this is Wilderness Safaris’ star safari lodge, magnificently reimagined after a recent overhaul. The number of regulars who choose to return here year after year is almost as impressive as the astonishingly good game viewing on this 111,000-acre concession. So how do you improve on such a popular classic? This was the challenge put to architect Nick Plewman and interior designer Caline Williams-Wynn—and the result is a glamorous showstopper with the comfortable feel of a pair of soft Italian-leather boots. It is distinctly vintage (antique brass; Chesterfield sofas), yet slick where you want it to be, with handmade Mervyn Gers ceramics, Belgian-linen sheets on hand-stitched, crackled-leather beds, and an iPad in place of printed information. In between game drives, guests can take private yoga classes, relax in the library, swim lengths in the lap pool, or sign up for a firm-handed massage in the Africology spa. The food has gone modern, with nourishing buddha bowls and blow-out burgers with truffled fries, and there’s no pressure to take meals communally as before, although a party atmosphere pervades in the boma, which has been fashioned from wood recycled from the old camp. From about $1,800 per person per night." - CNT Editors