After a memorable evening of great food and swapping stories, I fell asleep listening to Tusk (aka Iraq) kicking his stall wall while a hippo splashed around in the water outside my tent. Just before drifing off, I wondered what the last camp, Vumbura Plains in the Moremi Game Reserve, would be like. Paul had mentioned that he'd booked it for me as a treat; it was somewhere I could relax and prepare for the long trip home and back to reality.
To be honest, I hadn't done much research on the camps before I left home. I knew I'd be writing about it and wanted to go with a fresh perspective. I couldn't imagine anything better than my time on horseback safari in Macatoo and Mashatu. However, I was wrong.
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- My room at Vumbura Plains camp
Vumbura Plains is a private luxury camp that lies in the far north of the Okavango Delta. My guide "Mork" greeted me as I exited the Cessna that brought me from Macatoo. Vumbura is run by Wilderness Safaris, a company in southern Africa that promotes responsible tourism and conservation.
Once at camp after a 45-minute drive, I was greeted by the camp manager and her chef husband with an ice-cold drink and an orientation while the staff made up a cheese sandwich for lunch for me. Vumbura Plains is made up of two seven-room camps connected by a raised deck. Each camp has its own dining room, stargazing deck and staff. The entire camp overlooks the Okavango Delta floodplains, which makes for fantastic wildlife viewing. From the deck I could see elephants quietly munching on Mopani trees in the distance.
After lunch, I was shown my "room." I entered through a door in a 10-foot privacy fence and immediately noticed the plunge pool set into the deck overlooking the sweeping vistas, and a nearby sala (a covered eating/lounge area). To my left was the living area constructed of wood-framed sliding screens. One side featured a king-sized bed covered with mosquito netting; the other a sunken living room. On the far side of the room was a wood vanity with back-to-back vessel sinks. To the right was the shower--a 6-foot concrete slab in the floor with a channel running around it. It had curtains that could be left open to enjoy the scenery. A separate room behind a sliding door housed the commode, with the outside wall made of screen so I felt as if I was out in nature. Beyond that was another deck with a private outdoor shower. It looked like something from Architectural Digest magazine--and I discovered it is on Condé Nast Traveler's 2010 Gold List of top travel destinations.
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- Marabou Stork in a dead tree at sunset
But this kind of luxury doesn't come cheap: An online search revealed rates of over $3,000 per night for two people! It's certainly fit for a rock star, and if you're looking for an exclusive resort where you will be treated like a queen (or king), this is the place to go. And it's an ideal camp for viewing all the big game on your list. To me this camp felt a bit uptight, though. The guides and staff are very results oriented--if you want to see a leopard, the guide will do his best to find one. However, I found the constant chattering of radios among the safari vehicles out looking for game distracting. I preferred a more laid-back atmosphere: My feeling is that if I see something while out on a game drive, wonderful! If not, it was a really nice drive. However, that is just my personal preference and in no way marred the exceptional accommodations and service I experienced at Vumbura.
Before the evening game drive, I took advantage of the (unheated) plunge pool and outdoor shower. On my drive, I saw a leopard up close as well as a family of elephants. Feeling like a princess that night, I luxuriated in the comfortable and spacious bed swathed in the mosquito netting. Just before closing my eyes to sleep, I reflected that safari in Botswana is one of those trips of a lifetime that everyone should try to experience. But now that it's in my blood, I doubt it will be my last.
More Journal Entries
Part 1: Bush Magic | Part 2: Big Cats | Part 3: Delta Dreaming | Part 4: The Elephant in My Living Room | Packing and Contact Lists
