Wilderness Mombo

Great stay at Mombo Camp for two nights. We were greeted by our guide/driver, Moss. Great guy. Very funny. We hit it off right from the start. Very knowledgeable about the area and animals. Then we were greeted at the camp by Tomu, who gave a great presentation of the property and staff. Also met Chef Patrick, who was able to accommodate all of our picky eater needs. Food was delicious and plentiful. Tents are beautiful and nicely decorated. The whole property is amazing. During our game drives with Moss we were able to see a Pride of Lions including cubs playing as well as the elusive Wild Dogs/Painted Dogs and their 9 cubs playing which was a funny site. As we were making our way to the airstrip for our ten minute helicopter ride to Vumbura we spotted a leopard eating. The leopard is absolutely beautiful. You will come across many animals at Mombo Camp and would highly recommend this Wilderness location.

We had an epic service failure with 7 bats in our two sleeping rooms, over 2 nights. We also listened to our daughters shrieking in terror in their unit as bats flew around. We sought medical advice, then three of us had 4 rabies shots, and 1 had 2 shots. Research that. Their subsequent response was poor. |There are “inherent risks” in a safari. Bats, INSIDE YOUR ROOM, is not one of them.|In my opinion, they were unsatisfactory at response and service recovery. Most top-tier travel companies have mastered customer experience and recovery. |A traveler might have any sort of unforeseen safety/health issue there. Why would I choose a company which is ineffective at responding to anything that goes wrong? The rates are exorbitant. One expects and deserves better. |I rarely review, but the facts need to be known, and the traveler can decide.

Frankly, it doesn't get any better. Just returned from our 4th safari adventure|during the past 12 years and Mombo is as good as it gets. The staff is wonderful as is the "tent," food and wildlife viewing. Our guide Lazi was excellent. He worked hard|to show us a variety of wildlife and everything we wished to see. He was professional, friendly and patient. Expensive but worth it. Highly recommended.

We had the privilege of staying in Little Mombo for 3 nights. I don’t often write reviews, but our family was so impressed by every aspect of the experience that we felt compelled to commend the exceptional team there and encourage others to visit. Little Mombo is big on the wow factor. Every interior design detail in the room and the common areas was impeccable — from the fabrics to the quality of the glassware, the sheets, the towels, the toiletries. All selected thoughtfully and tastefully selected. ||In the room, we found an espresso machine, which was absolutely fantastic to use following those 5:30 am wake up calls. And, individual jars of homemade snacks and a fully stocked minibar. The food, in general, was incredible both in quality and variety. Each day, we’d pick our lunch from an extensive menu of healthy and fresh choices. Same for dinner — expansive and sophisticated choices. The breakfast buffet was a great start (again with amazing espresso drinks) and then we’d stop mid-morning in the bush for coffee/tea/snacks that the guide magically pulled out of the back. It’s sort of mind-boggling how seamlessly all the details were managed on a daily basis. The staff there makes it look easy, and it’s anything, but given the remote location of this camp. ||The views, of course, are spectacular starting with the fact that you almost can’t look anywhere without seeing an animal sitting on the porch of your room or the common areas. It’s an embarrassment of riches. Our game drives seldom went 5 minutes without another animal sighting. In our very first hour, our guide led us to a leopard and a leopard cub enjoying some afternoon shade. And then our next game drive led us to two lionesses with a pack of young cubs. An hour after that, we were tracking two male lions strolling their domain. I cannot over-emphasize how much wildlife you will see during your stay here. And a big part of that too, is the guides. Our guide ND was knowledgeable and passionate about what he does. He patiently entertained our zillion questions and, due to his insane driving skills, gave us some of the most thrilling rides we experienced on our trip to Botswana. ||I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the entire team at Little Mombo was first-class. I’m not sure if this camp uniquely attracts the best of the best, but every individual we met, to a person, was at the top of their game. Needs were quietly anticipated and fulfilled; conversations were genuine and unforced; there was truly not a single detail or request that was missed. ||I don’t want to spoil all the “surprise and delight” moments you’ll experience if you visit as those helped create the “wow” factor of Mombo on every level. I hope we are lucky enough to visit again some day. It certainly will remain at the top of our list.

Spectacular accommodations – our “room” included a library, huge bedroom, and full bath, and a private splash pool outside; I walked it and from one end of the interior to another some 90 feet! And as we followed the boardwalk to the dining area we observed the waters of the Okavango rising from one day to the next (slowly). One evening a clumsy elephant knocked over the boardwalk's railing...not a problem you see every day.||The real star of Mombo however was our ebullient guide, Mocks: on our first day we followed wild dogs followed by several dozen hyena as they made a kill (an impala); then the next, three lions stalking a herd of buffalo, again making a kill. Incredible!||Food was superb and one evening we enjoyed cocktails in the bush at sunset at an impromptu bar. ||Only negative is on our last night the weather turned cold and windy (it’s winter in May!) and with only screens and wooden shutters to block it, we were quite cold – other camps provided bedwarmers which would have helped.

7 bats in 2 sleeping rooms at Wilderness Mombo, 4 rabies shots, substantial emotional distress, epic service failure Our family of four had 4 bats in our 2 sleeping rooms one night. Wilderness touted their “operations team…responded swiftly and comprehensively”, so we only had 3 bats the second night! (along with shrieking daughters as bats flew around their room!). They claim the bats “not harmful” but their doctor, Cape Town medical staff, and Emory said the rabies risk was “not zero.” There were known risks to the doors, that they had not fixed, and had not communicated. So we needed 4 rabies shots over 10 days, and felt indescribable emotional distress. Research rabies – it’s >99% death rate if you get it. Their subsequent responsiveness was poor. It took two months for a response directly from them (which came from a lawyer)! There are “inherent risks” in a safari. Bats, INSIDE YOUR ROOM, is not one of them. We requested they disclose risks to future customers, and they did not reply. To me, they were ineffective at prevention, response, and service recovery. Most top-tier travel companies have mastered customer experience and recovery. It’s worth noting, most staff are warm, and the animals are wonderful; management not so. But, one might have any sort of unforeseen safety/health issue. Why would I choose a company which is ineffective at responding to anything that goes wrong? The rates are exorbitant. One expects and deserves better. I rarely review, but given their woeful response (that their lawyer/management seems proud of), I feel the facts need to be known to prevent similar distress to other families. Let the market decide…

Mombo has been on my radar for many years, and appropriately so. The game viewing, starting from the deck outside your room, and throughout the Moremi Game Reserve was excellent. A lot (not just a few) of animals, and quite varied. Over the course of our 4 night stay, we saw large herds of elephants, buffalo, zebras, as well as two packs of wild dogs, five separate male lions, including the two dominant males with their incredible Kalahari manes, packs of hyenas--who had stolen a kill from the wild dogs--two leopards, a python, and of course many giraffes, warthogs and a variety of antelope and birds. Our guide, Zee, was personable and a very knowledgeable tracker, and by working with other guides via radio, he enabled us to get to some unique sightings, such as the male lions swimming across the river (--I like the fact that Mombo limits to three the number of safari vehicles in a particular location, so that unlike some places like Sabi Sands, there isn't a rush of 15 vehicles to every lion sighting, and you can actually get an animal photo without another vehicle in the background). As with many camps, your guide (or someone covering for the guide) walks you to and from your room in darkness, and it was definitely beneficial in Mombo as they have buffalo and elephants come right into camp (--rooms are all connected via an elevated wood board walkway). The food was lovely, and the service was uniformly excellent--we particularly appreciated that the kitchen was willing to make us the equivalent of their Boma dinner since we weren't there on a Monday night, which is when they hold the Boma dinners--it was a great meal of local cuisine. They have a wood burning pizza oven, which made for a unique treat. The bar staff and housekeeping manager were all excellent and attentive to details, such as remembering your wine or cocktail preferences. Mombo set up a beautiful lunch for us on the savannah the day before we left, which we enjoyed with our vehicle mates while watching zebras and impala grazing just a 100 feet away. In May, we found it quite cold in the mornings which start with 5:30 a.m. wake-up (layer and bring a parka, hat, and gloves), and quite warm during the day (though nothing the fan above the bed couldn't address). They provide insect spray, which I used, along with my own Deet and Off wipes, as well as calf-high socks treated with insect repellent, and I still came home with dozens of insect bites on my ankles (--I suspect those occurred during sundowners). Mombo has a well deserved reputation for excellence, and it is highly recommended as one of the best safari camps I've been to (--the South African Singita lodges are in the same class).

Little Mombo is a fantastic camp that gives you modern day luxury with thoughful rooms that are luxurious and like nothing I have ever stayed in before. ||Wilderness is a fantastic company that prides itself on sustainability and uplifting the communities it works with in Botswana and throughout Africa. ||We stayed in Little Mombo the more boutique offering of the two camps. Our room was beyond luxury with a cooper bathtub, a plunge pool, a separate toilet, a sitting room, and two rainfall showers. This was all in what is a tent. Amazing and fantastic.||The game viewing was exception and our guide Moss was a great ambassador and educator for us, teaching us about this part of the Okavango Delta. The area is more dry at this time of the year and we saw lions, leopards as well as the African Wild Dog of which no more than 4000 exist in the wild. We also saw hundreds of African Buffalo one of the Big 5.||The staff is exception from the manager OT , to Theron, to the barman MK, who was a terrific mixologist. The food was wonderful with a thoughtful menu and a fantastic Boma night with the best family style dinner I have ever had a great presentation from the camp choir. ||We used the spa and loved the massage and facial services. This is an impressive camp and I can't wait to go back.