What is it they say, "go big or go home"? I went big on my first night on safari. Mombo Camp is one of the most luxurious lodges in Botswana. Rates for high season in 2019 are running over $3,500 per person per night. And while the accommodations are perfectly appointed in every way and the hosts are beyond gracious, the wildlife is what it's known for. Mombo means "Place of Plenty" -- it's location on Chief's Island is paramount. Chief's Island is the largest island in the Okavango Delta and provides year-round habitat to too many species to mention.
Yes, that's a copper tub back there in the bathroom.
Mombo was my first introduction to safari and it made quite the first impression. Day 1 offered a pack of African Wild Dog on a kill -- a baby impala. I was too naive to even know how rare this was as we followed the animals through the brush while they stalked the impala.
Wild Dogs with Imapala Kill - Mombo (Kassi Magruder)
To add to the excitement, we got a call on the radio that there was a male white rhino nearby. In 1992, there were only 19 white rhino left in the wild in Botswana. There are considerably more now, due to successful conservation efforts. We said goodbye to our Wild Dog friends and headed out to see if we could find the rhino. About 20 minutes later, we rounded a corner and saw his massive form. I let out a low expletive, which the other guests echoed. The guide smiled.
White Rhino on the Mombo Concession (Kassi Magruder)
We spent about a half hour with the rhino before returning to camp for dinner. A beautiful ride across King's Island and back to Mombo.
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
3 days ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.
Mary Warren
4 days ago
Jess was very easy going and answered all our questions. It’s not easy dealing with 6 people at once but she did an outstanding job!
Diane Foster
6 days ago
Kassandra and the Adventure Life team have been incredible! Kassandra was very knowledgeable and attentive to our asks while making sure we kept within our budget. This was our first experience with a travel agent and we were blown away by the booking/initial exploration service. We will use Adventure Life again.