Thembi

Hi there we have 2 nights at Pom Pom as part of 2008 mega-safari We will be there on Friday 22nd and Sat 23rd of August 2008.

I have done a search through here, aware that Pom Pom has changed hands a few times, was a WS camp, now independent again.

Has anyone been to Pom Pom that can report on the following topics?
1) Wildlife on Pom Pom Island?
2) Ambieance and Lodgings?
3) Staff and Guides?
4) Water activities?

Cheers all
Jude

HariS

Jude,

I looked up an old WS brochure that i brought home with me from one of the camps...camp looks good and they do mention all the usual delta animals and birds....dont know about current situation, though.

QueenofDaNile

I don't know if you would consider it recent but we were at Pom Pom for 3 nights in May 2005 and I think it is the same ownership now as then. It was our first tented camp experience so nothing to compare it to but we loved it. Staff and food was great. Very accomodating. Loved getting an early wake up call from the hippos in the pond next to our tent. Night game drives produced lion and leopard. We were lucky to be there just before a Pel's Fishing Owl chick learned how to fly so we saw him/her perched in a tree several times, with the mother hovering a few limbs away.
Hope you like it - we did!

atravelynn

QueenofDaNile,
That's an excellent stay. Did you do any water activities or walking?

QueenofDaNile

Lynn,

We did the mokoro and stopped to do a walk to look for leopard on the same outing. No leopard but got a good lesson in identifying animal droppings! We have a great story about one of the vehicles getting stuck in the mud at night when we were tracking lion that will always remind us of PomPom. Looking forward to having equally memorable experiences in Tanzania in October.

atravelynn

QueenofDaNile, For your sake I hope you did not find the lions while stuck on the mud.

Thembi

Hari - thanks for the tip - We have an older WS glossy brochure that included Pom Pom too - Those brochures (books really) are great aren't they fantastic photography. i think the later versions are a bit on the thin side compared to the 2003/04 versions I LOVE it that you can ask a question here and we go scurrying back to our books/brochures, search the internet, check our trip reports and follow through.

QueenofDaNile - love your nick name - I am in denial too Getting stuck in the mud while searching for lion sounds intersting - can you tell us more about that?

HariS

Jude, i have only seen their new Kafue brochure and yes, it is on the skinny side......

QueenofDaNile

Finding lion at night in the delta requires lots of luck and the ability to narrow down where they might be by listening to the roars and splashing as they move from island to island. After locating a male lion finishing a meal, the other camp vehicle radioed us that he was stuck. Thinking that we would just hop over, pull him out and come back to our lion, we went to assist. He was stuck so deep that the truck wouldn't budge so the 6 guests and spotter got out. Still no luck. The guides decided to take all the guests back to camp in one vehicle and come back with the cavalry (or at least a heavier duty truck). This meant that those who were out of the stuck vehicle now had to slog thru muck to get to the unstuck vehicle. The guides chivalrously offered to carry the guests-an offer taken up by some including two rather large gentlemen that seemed not at all embarrased to be riding piggy back courtesy of their much slighter built guides.

Of course the lions were still roaring-probably lion talk for "look at those silly tourists", as we crammed 14 people in the land rover. The trip back to camp was slowed by having to follow behind a female lion who didn't want to move out of the tire path and everyone having to get out yet again at a creek crossing to avoid getting stuck. All in all it was a grand story to retell over drinks at the campfire.

atravelynn

A grand story indeed for you and the lions.

Thembi

Thanks everyone for your replies - Pom Pom sounds good! Loved the lion story Queen. Why am I not suprised even "big blokes" accepted an offer of being piggy backed through the mud - bwaa ha ha ha - oh dear.

I hope that Pel's Fishing Owl chick got to grow up and will be sitting on a branch outside our tent!

Cheers All
Jude