Wilderness Mombo, the operator’s flagship camp on Chief’s Island in Botswana’s Moremi Game Reserve, has introduced night drives and water-based activities for the first time since opening in 1991. The change follows regulatory changes permitting after-dark activities in the camp’s private traversing area, combined with unusually high water levels reconnecting the channels and floodplains around Chief’s Island.
The new activities give advisors a fresh selling point for a camp long associated with land-based game drives only, adding variety for guests booking multi-night stays at Mombo or Little Mombo.
Night drives, boating and mokoro now available
Night drives allow guests to see nocturnal species such as genets, civets and springhares, alongside Mombo’s resident lions and hyenas, which are often more active after dark. Boating excursions run from Kubu Jetty on a six-seater boat with a covered canopy, offered as an alternative to an afternoon game drive, with snacks and refreshments included. Mokoro excursions, poled by experienced guides in traditional-style canoes, offer a quieter option for exploring the newly inundated channels.
“For more than three decades, the Mombo story has been told from the seat of a game-drive vehicle,” said Wilderness Chief B2B Sales Officer Simon Stobbs. “Now our guests can head out after dark on a night drive, and glide across the reconnected channels by mokoro or boat.”
Availability and conditions
All three activities are available to guests staying at Wilderness Mombo and Wilderness Little Mombo, with a minimum age restriction of 16 years. The activities are seasonal and subject to water levels, availability, weather and operational conditions, meaning boating and mokoro options in particular may not be available year-round.
Wilderness operates more than 55 camps and lodges across Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
