Okavango Delta, Botswana
The story of Xigera Safari Lodge is one of renewal. Of rebirth and family legacy, and of the pioneering spirit that drives us to seek out Africa’s wild spaces. The same spirit that inspired this remarkable reimagining, perhaps a complete reinvention, of an Okavango Delta safari. This is Xigera (pronounced ‘kee-jera’), named for the Pied Kingfisher that makes its home amid the watery channels of Botswana’s Moremi Game Reserve. Every aspect is handcrafted to beguile our guests’ senses and stir their souls – from the evocative interiors to one-of-a-kind encounters. But Xigera is equally a line in the sand. A raising of the bar. A bold statement in the realm of luxury safaris in Botswana, and an Okavango Delta safari experience like no other.
With years of experience in the Okavango Delta, our team of experienced safari guides will reveal the unique views from this watery ecosystem and the hidden charms of the Delta on both mokoro excursions and motorboat safaris.
Our mekoro are pushed along by experienced polers who grew up in these unique boats. Our polers stand to navigate through the water, and because the mekoro have no motor they are essentially silent, allowing us to approach even the shyest species without disturbing them.
A combination of ancient tectonic movements and contrary hydrology have given rise to rivers that never reach the sea, but rather flow inland to create a stunning mosaic of ecosystems.
The annual flooding of the Okavango Delta is driven not by local rainfall, but by the rains that fall in the far-off highlands of Angola. These floodwaters meander more than 1000 kilometres to Botswana, flooding the Delta before soaking into the sands of the Kalahari. Along the way they create a unique habitat for a myriad aquatic species, supporting an abundant ecosystem.