Information
Xigera Safari Lodge (pronounced ‘keejera’) is within a private area of Botswana’s Moremi Game Reserve, in the heart of the Okavango Delta. When the water levels are high in the Delta, it feels as if water is everywhere around the camp, and the luxuriant vegetation makes this seem one of the Delta’s most tropical corners.
it is surrounded by deep channels and lush vegetation within a remote area of the productive Moremi Game Reserve. For much of the year this magnificent area epitomises the permanently flooded areas of the Okavango Delta, with palm-filled islands, riverine forests, interwoven channels and expansive floodplains.
Xigera is a true water camp: This is the land of the sitatunga antelope and Pel’s fishing-owl. Waterbirds are seen in large numbers including rufous-bellied heron and the secretive white-backed night-heron. Other special birds are greater swamp-warbler, coppery-tailed coucal and Luapula cisticola brown firefinch, swamp boubou, Hartlaub’s babbler and western banded snake-eagle. One may be surprised by the presence of lion, leopard, hyaena and buffalo as they wade and swim between islands in search of food.
This concession lies in an International Birding Area (IBA) with many ‘Okavango specials’ being present, including Pel’s Fishing-Owl, African Skimmer, Brown Firefinch, Greater Swamp Warbler, Wattled Crane, African Pygmy Goose and Lesser Jacana.
Rooms
With just 12 suites showcasing the finest southern African artisans, Xigera has been innovatively designed to protect its pristine environment; it is 100% solar powered, with a dedicated focus on sustainability and eliminating single use plastics. Every spacious suite will be fully air conditioned.
Suite (11 rooms)
Xigera Safari Lodge can accommodate up to 24 guests plus 4 guides/pilots/tour leaders (subject to concession numbers and/or availability).
The 11 standard suites include a separate lounge, bedroom, dressing area, full bathroom and outdoor shower and feature DSTV, Wi-Fi and air-conditioning, as well as a private deck with a daybed offering uninterrupted floodplain views.
11 standard suites of which:
• 9 x king-size beds (which cannot be split); and
• 2 x twin beds (which can be converted into king-size beds using mattress convertors).
The Xigera Family Suite (1 room)
Xigera Safari Lodge can accommodate up to 24 guests plus 4 guides/pilots/tour leaders (subject to concession numbers and/or availability).
The Xigera Family Suite consists of two complete full bedrooms each with their own full bathroom, dressing area and outdoor shower and all the offerings found in a normal suite, joined by an interleading lounge area that opens up onto a deck with a daybed.
The Xigera Family Suite, comprising:
• Two en-suite bedrooms (one of which has a fixed king-size bed while the other has twin beds which can be converted into a king-size bed using a mattress converter), each with dressing room and outdoor shower; • interleading lounge; and • private deck with outdoor daybed.
Facilities
Wellness in the wilderness
The healing power of nature is ephemeral, yet undeniable. From the simple serenity of escaping into this untamed wilderness, to the deeply humbling nature of immersing yourself in a vast and ancient landscape, your hours at Xigera will leave you feeling revived, refreshed and rejuvenated.
Hand-in-hand with the simple restorative powers of being at one with the natural world, our spectacular spa provides a tranquil haven for travellers.
Meticulously designed to frame breathtaking views of the seasonal flood plains and lush riverine forests, in its soothing colour palette and organic textures, the spa exists in perfect harmony with the surrounding landscape.
Fittingly, architect Anton de Kock found inspiration for his design in the eternal cycles of nature, reassuringly repetitive and unyieldingly regular: “They are the perfect continuum of opposites: of life and death, of light and dark. The Sun, the Moon, the entire Universe as well as the ‘circle of life’, which is synonymous with the wilderness.”
Activities
Xigera is a true water camp: This is the land of the sitatunga antelope and Pel’s fishing-owl. Waterbirds are seen in large numbers including rufous-bellied heron and the secretive white-backed night-heron. Other special birds are greater swamp-warbler, coppery-tailed coucal, Luapula cisticola, brown firefinch and swamp boubou, Hartlaub’s babbler and western banded snake-eagle. One may be surprised by the presence of lion, leopard, hyaena and buffalo as they wade and swim between islands in search of food.
GAME VIEWING
Xigera is a water- and land-based lodge offering guests the opportunity to experience both aspects of the Okavango Delta. During the annual flood, guests can boat across floodplains and along channels to reach islands where there are regular sightings of buffalo, elephants, zebras, giraffes, lechwe and sitatunga as well as numerous other Delta species. Hippos can be spotted on mekoro and boating excursions, along with an abundance of birds.
EXPERIENCES
• Breakfast, lunch or an intimate picnic in the bush • Explorations by traditional mokoro boat with a glass-bottom and motorboats with an elevated deck for wildlife spotting • ‘Feet-in-the-water’ sundowners cocktails • Morning and afternoon game drives • Walking safaris with expert guides (outside of Moremi Game Reserve) • Seasonal catch-and-release fishing (outside of Moremi Game Reserve) • Photographic safaris • Private yoga sessions; Spa treatments; a 1-night Baobab Treehouse Sleepout for 2 adult guests at a surcharge, subject to availability and weather permitting and scenic helicopter flights (at additional cost)
ACTIVITIES
• While the emphasis at Xigera is on water activities, game drives are offered year round • No night drives due to Moremi Game Reserve National Park regulations • Day game drives in open 4×4 vehicles (four vehicles will be 4-seaters and two vehicles will be 6-seaters) • Private activities on offer (subject to vehicle availability, and need to be booked and paid for) • During colder or wetter weather, hot water bottles, blankets and lined ponchos are provided • Water-based activities; – in 2-seater glass-bottom mokoro; and – 6-seater motorboats, 2 of which have a glass-bottom and 2 have a super structure with roof seating available (seasonal water levels permitting)
