What makes Wilderness Mombo unique?

Wilderness Mombo is located in the Okavango Delta, one of Africa’s most unique ecosystems and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Each year, this inland delta, spanning over two million hectares, undergoes a dramatic transformation as the famed annual waters arrive from the highlands of Angola, creating a lush, wildlife-rich paradise in the heart of the Kalahari Desert. While the inundation typically reaches the northern parts of the Delta around May, the Delta’s flat terrain means it takes several months for the inflow to gradually spread across the entire area. This slow rise in water levels is what makes the Okavango Delta so unique. Unlike other wetlands where water levels rise and fall quickly, the Okavango Delta’s waters move at a leisurely pace, creating an extended period of optimal conditions for plant growth and wildlife viewing.

Wilderness Mombo is located on Chief’s Island, the largest landmass in the Delta, which allows it to benefit from ample sunlight, soil, and water, together creating a nutrient-rich environment. According to Graham Simmonds, former General Manager (GM) of Wilderness Mombo, and current Camp Operations and Trade Manager for our Zambezi Region, it is due to Mombo being on the northern tip of the island (facing the river source) that makes it so abundant: “Ecologically I believe Mombo is geo-suited like no other. At the tip of Chief’s Island, centuries of pristine rain water has brought nutrient-rich minerals that accumulate at the island’s tip. This unique process results in lush plant growth that attracts a variety of prey species, increasing the carrying capacity and density of wildlife in the area – creating an ecosystem unlike any other”.

Another major contributing factor to the soil’s richness is the presence of peat – a spongy material formed by the partial decomposition of organic matter. Due to remnants of the bygone wetlands and papyrus that covered Chief’s Island long ago, the soil is made up of a mass of decaying vegetation and is rich in carbon and natural gases. When dry, this organic matter becomes highly combustible, leading to underground peat fires that produce ash. With Kalahari sands being the only other major soil type present (which is characteristically coarse-grained and infertile), the addition of ash to the mix (which is extremely fine-grained) improves the soil’s texture, increases its ability to retain water, and makes it highly fertile. This natural process not only contributes to the richness of the ecosystem but also inspired the camp’s name – Chibombo, meaning fire in the local dialect, ultimately becoming Mombo as we know it today.

The combination of ecological factors in this area creates a truly unique landscape with an unusually high wildlife density. The zebra population, for example, is 13 times greater than anywhere else in Moremi Game Reserve. The area also attracts large herds of red lechwe, impala, giraffe, and massive herds of buffalo and elephants, all drawn to the nutrient-rich vegetation and reliable water sources.  This abundance of prey attracts and supports a significant number of predators, including wild dogs, hyenas, lions, and leopards, which are ever-present in the region.

Cumulatively, these factors create an extremely productive wildlife haven, where exceptional sightings are a regular occurrence and wildlife legends like Legadima the leopard icon and Solo the wild dog have come and gone. This has earned Wilderness Mombo a reputation as one of the finest safari destinations on the African continent. It truly lives up to its name as the Place of Plenty.