Many of our clients have had the fortune to visit, and fall in love with, Mombo Camp in Botswana’s Okavango Delta.

Back in the late 90s I remember the old Mombo Camp – the tents were quite basic but the guides used to say “with wildlife this good we could serve peanut butter sandwiches and Cokes and people would be blown away”.

Well then came the new Mombo and Little Mombo which became known as must visit locations in southern Africa. Conde Naste readers voted the camps World’s #1 Hotel (even though they are nothing like hotels) in 2009 and 2010. Travel and Leisure readers voted Mombo and Little Mombo #1 in the World in 2013. Funny enough after opening the new Mombo and Little Mombo the old tents were used to build a budget friendly tented camp in Botswana’s Okavango Delta – I recognized the tents on a site inspection one day!

Now Mombo and Little Mombo are being rebuilt again… and we are super excited to see how Wilderness Safaris’ flagship property turns out! We have been privy to discussions on what the new camps / rooms may include and can’t wait to see how the camps look once complete!

Regarding construction both Mombo and Little Mombo will be experiencing closures from late 2015 through early 2017. Here are the details keeping in mind a total of 12 rooms (24 guests) on any given night as per wildlife regulations in the area.

November 1, 2015 through January 7, 2016: Little Mombo will go from 3 rooms to 5 rooms using 2 rooms from the current Mombo Camp… in short it will be the same incredible Mombo experience. Mombo will have 7 rooms open.

January 8, 2016 through January 14, 2016: During this period Main Mombo will close and Little Mombo will be open with 5 rooms.

January 15, 2016 through July 31, 2016: Main Mombo Camp will remain closed during this period. Little Mombo will have 5 rooms and a new camp, Mombo Trails, will be open with 7 rooms.

Mombo Trails will be a tented fly camp with no permanent structures. It will have 7 rooms. Mombo Trails Camp will not be rustic or basic. The elegantly furnished tents will be very comfortable, large enough to accommodate a bedroom area, small seating area, and en-suite bathrooms with running water, shower, and flushing toilet. There will be electricity although the source is yet to be decided. The main parts of the camp will include living and dining areas along with a library in the central “mess” tent along with a campfire area. Unlike Mombo Main and Little Mombo the Mombo Trails Camp will be on the ground i.e. there will be no decks and boardwalks. Whether massage treatments will be on offer has not yet been finalized. There will be no pool, gym, or curio shop. Mombo Trails will be located 1.5 kilometers from the construction of the new Mombo and Little Mombo so there should be no impact on Mombo Trails.

August 1, 2016 through April 1, 2017: Mombo Main Camp will reopen with 8 rooms and Little Mombo will close. Mombo Trails will go from 7 rooms to 4 rooms.

On April 2, 2017 the new Mombo Camp will open it’s last room, #9, and Little Mombo will open with 3 rooms.

As for rates Little Mombo will be discounted by 20% from November 1, 2015 through August 1, 2016. It then closes.

Mombo Trails will be 40% off normal Mombo rates when open.

Once Main Mombo reopens on August 1, 2016 normal rates will apply there.

IMPORTANT: Please note the new Mombo and Little Mombo will be built on the same footprint as the existing Mombo and Little Mombo camps.  Screening will be used where possible and every effort will be made to keep noise levels down (use of heavy machinery and large transportation equipment when guests are out on activities). Having said that we know that due to the scope of the work maximum daylight hours will be used. In short guests visiting Mombo and Little Mombo over this period will be aware that construction is under way. If guests wish a completely pristine and uncompromised experience we can suggest other Botswana camps. 

Stay well,

Ian Proctor
Ultimate Africa founder and president