Starting at the small town of Etsha 13 (GPS: ETSH13), the route to either of the lodges at Guma Lagoon is only about 13km of very sandy 4WD track. If you're driving a 2WD then with prior notice the lodges can arrange to collect you from Etsha 13, leaving your car somewhere safe whilst you're at Guma.

There are some small signposts on this route, but they're not always consistent and the route is far from straight. Start off by heading through the village on a track going east southeast. Gradually this turns east, then northeast, and finally north – as the scenery gets prettier with less domestic animals and settlements, and more small date palm islands and open floodplains.

The whole area is criss-crossed with a variety of confusing bush tracks. However, many will be seasonal and depend on the water levels, so beware of getting stuck!

Alternatively, the Island Lodge has a relatively new airstrip, or you can fly into the small airstrip at Gumare and be collected from there by the lodge. It may also be possible to fly into Seronga, and be transferred to the Island Lodge by boat from there.