Vumbura Plains Camp

Moremi Reserve

The Moremi Reserve, the jewel of Botswana, isolated in the northwest region of the Okavango Delta, is a 55,000 hectares private concession with an incredible diversity of animal and plant species. Bordered by the banks of the delta, the territory, which crosses numerous canals and lagoons, receives a wide variety of animals some of which are very rare like the lycaonia, a carnivorous mammal commonly called the African wild dog. Moremi is the first reserve to be created in southern Africa by an African community on its own territory. It opened in 1963 on the initiative of the Batawani population, worried about the decrease in the region’s available wild game. As a preserved sanctuary, it responds to the demands of the Botswana government’s policy of moderate tourism, as it receives a limited number of visitors who are only allowed to observe the fauna. Moremi is a privileged, upscale tourist site with a number of luxurious lodges including the Vumbura Plains Camp, owned by the prestigious Wilderness Safari group.

A new day for Africa

On the lands of the private Vumbura site in the northern part of the Moremi reserve, a new kind of contemporary style camp exists, in stunning contrast to more traditional, colonial type lodges. Created by architects Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens, Vumbura, which means “life” in the Setswara language, is a resolutely modern design creation without any historical or traditional references, in order to create a new way of experiencing Africa in the heart of the bush. The dwellings, on stilts and linked to each other by a series of footbridges, look out onto a watering point thus offering a unique view of the wildlife on a daily basis. The architects, precursors of eco-tourism in southern Africa, have made preservation of the environment an integral part of the complex’s conception. The use of pinewood for the rooms represents a true innovation. “The environment is our principal preoccupation. We use solar energy, avoid burning too much fossil energy, and we build our lodges with biodegradable materials,” explains Malcolm McCullough, director of Wilderness Safaris. In order for local populations to benefit from tourism, the Vumbura directors employ a hundred Botswanis inside the lodge in the services sector dedicated to the comfort of its twenty or so guests.

Among other activities, the hotel offers an unusual way of discovering and appreciating the reserve’s landscapes, aboard a moroko, a small boat built out of a tree trunk, which is the traditional means of transportation on the Okavango waters.

We think it’s our responsibility to hire and to train the local communities where we are implanted in order to create the future guardians of nature.” (Malcolm McCullough, director of Wilderness Safaris)