Xigera Safari Lodge

Xigera Safari Lodge is the latest, African property to join The Red Carnation Hotel Collection, which in 2020 celebrated a century of hospitality. The management of Xigera Safari Lodge has a deep-rooted passion for protecting the land and its wildlife while empowering and uplifting local communities, which is a cornerstone of the philosophy underpinning this remarkable new safari lodge. The lodge boasts an authentic African design with unique luxury, and outstanding cuisine coupled with extraordinary wilderness experiences. The main concept at Xigera is pioneering the reinvention of the art of African safaris.

Xigera Safari Lodge is located in the Okavango Delta, a breathtaking landscape of seasonal floodplains and riverine forests, tawny grasslands and verdant papyrus wetlands. Drawing inspiration from its ancient setting, Xigera rests effortlessly within the wilderness of this World Heritage Site.

The 12 spacious suites are canopied by magnificent indigenous trees, individually designed to offer a unique experience of the Okavango. For multi-generational safari travellers, there is the impressive two-bedroom Family Suite.

With a focus on sustainability – Xigera is 95% solar-powered – the lodge is equally a unique celebration of African art, culture and creativity: a living gallery of African talent. Each suite sits on raised stilts, allowing both wildlife and the life-giving waters of the Okavango to pass beneath.

The 11 standard suites include a separate lounge, bedroom, dressing area, full bathroom and outdoor shower and feature, Wi-Fi and air-conditioning, as well as a private deck with a gazebo offering uninterrupted floodplain views.

The Xigera Family Suite consists of two complete full bedrooms each with its 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 gazebo.

The Baobab Treehouse

For a truly immersive discovery of the Okavango Delta, discover the remarkable Baobab Treehouse, located one kilometre away from the lodge, with a guide stationed close by. Here, amid the seclusion of this sculptural treehouse, you will experience Africa at its most raw, and most remarkable. This unique treehouse stands amid an array of Croton Trees, this striking steel structure, built in the evocative shape of a baobab tree ascends nearly 10 metres above the delta floodplains offering panoramic views from each of its 3 levels.

The structure’s design was inspired by an iconic painting of a solitary baobab tree by Jacobus Hendrik Pierneef, one of South Africa's master landscape artists. Inside the tree’s ‘trunk’, is a winding staircase that climbs nearly four metres above ground, delivering guests to the spacious bathroom on the first level.

A beautifully appointed bedroom is located on the second level and was designed by the brilliant minds of David Krynauw, John Vogel and Adam Birch. Both the bedroom and bathroom spaces have canvas walls that can open up entirely to the outside environment, or can be zipped closed to allow for privacy and protection from the elements. Sounds from the surrounding birdlife, animals and insects drift through the tree-like branches and screened windows into the tented structure.

Experiences at Xigera Safari Lodge

Fine Dining

Xigera is a space of creation and this flows through the cuisine as well. The talented chefs have an ‘anything, any time’ approach, allowing guests to choose what they would like to eat when they would like to enjoy it, and where they would prefer to dine. Whether it’s a bush breakfast or a picnic on the private deck, the chefs are always happy to oblige.

Private Game Drives

Drive across the wilderness on a private drive with Mike, the managing director as he shares his wonderful knowledge of the bush and spectacular wildlife. Xigera is situated in the heart of the Okavango Delta on the western edge of the Moremi Game Reserve. The whole gamut of Delta habitats is found in the surrounding area, including floodplains, waterways and lagoons. The road network has been designed to make use of the higher ground and the game drive vehicles have a raised suspension and bigger tires to allow rangers to drive to most of the area even when the flood rises.

Helicopter Safari

Enjoy a helicopter game flight that will take off right from the lodge. Guests are provided with a headset to connect directly with the pilot, offering a unique opportunity to ask questions as you soar over the bush. In 30 minutes you will get a bird’s eye view of the Okavango, which is one of the best ways to explore the delta. Helicopter safaris are a great way to view the flora, fauna and wildlife that surrounds Xigera, and allows for ample wildlife or landscape photography shots from the skies.

Water excursions
As the floodwaters of the Okavango Delta ebb and flow, discover unforgettable opportunities to experience the wilderness from an entirely new perspective.

About the Okavango Delta

The largest inland delta in the world, the Okavango Delta is the most unexpected wonder – water present in a desert. The broad Okavango River sinks into the dry sands of the Kalahari Desert, creating a lush and waterlogged oasis with crystal clear lagoons and channels, reeded islands and fertile floodplains. Dubbed “the river that never finds the sea”, this magical oasis spreads over more than 15 500 km² (almost 6 000 square miles) and yet is so fragile that, if it were denied water for even a decade, it would revert to a semi-desert.

This breath-taking environment constantly adapts and changes with the ebb and flow of the floodwaters that seasonally inundate large portions of the Delta. Although dry for two-thirds of the year, during the winter months the rising floodwaters create a maze of marshes, small wooded islands and shallow lagoons. Water lilies and other aquatic plants flourish in the shallow water, while water birds inhabit the banks of papyrus. As relatively little water can be found elsewhere during this time, the wildlife is drawn to the clear waters of the Delta.

On the edges of the Delta, where land blurs with water, breeding herds of elephant splash gently through shallow channels, the long necks of a family of giraffe materialise slowly out of the Delta skyline and graceful sitatunga antelope hide in the reeds. It is a place where you can wonder at the antics of wild dog in the morning and cast a line for tiger fish in the afternoon, wake in the dappled shade of a forest and enjoy dinner beneath the boughs of a massive baobab at full moon.

Beautiful little reed frogs cling to the water grasses and a variety of incredible bird species make their appearance, from jewelled kingfishers and bee-eaters to ponderous herons and cranes and solemn-looking owls. Red lechwe scamper through the shallows and wild cat, serval and pangolin can be spotted at night, when the moon reflects off the backs of a family of hippo coming out of the water to graze, turning them into slabs of shining silver.

Wildlife
The Okavango Delta is home to a large number of species, including some that are specially adapted to the semi-aquatic lifestyle, like the elegant red lechwe and shy sitatunga antelope. Lion prides, cheetah, leopard and African wild dog may be encountered, while hippo resides in deeper channels and lagoons. Honey badgers are observed during daylight hours. Roan and sable antelope favour taller grass in open woodlands and families of dwarf and banded mongoose occupy large termite mounds.

Graceful giraffe, with their impossibly long necks, and herds of zebra can be encountered on the floodplains. Lion, as well as other predators, can also be found in the area, particularly in the drier areas. Although predominantly nocturnal and difficult to spot, leopard occurs in the dense forest are the water’s edge. The sparkling channels teem with a variety of fish, while hundreds of bird species, frogs and insects inhabit the reeded banks.