Botswana Safari

The Xigera Mokoro and Walking Trail

Moremi Game Reserve - Okavango Delta, Botswana


Return to Map of Okavango Delta Camps

View images of Xigera Camp: Xigera Images

XIGERA MOKORO AND WALKING TRAIL - MOREMI GAME RESERVE, OKAVANGO DELTA, BOTSWANA
Jump to Xigera Camp
For travellers seeking new adventures, there is no better way to experience the Okavango than to camp out on its remote islands. These safaris will operate every three days from early May to the end of October to fit in with the rise and fall of the annual flood waters.

Xigera is set right in the heart of the Okavango Delta and the Xigera Mokoro and Walking Trail starts soon after you land at the airstrip (arrivals should be no later than 12h00) and meet up with your senior guide and BaYei polers. After a short drive to the starting point and a safety talk, we climb into the mokoro's and set off into the wilderness.  Mekoros are dugout canoes propelled by a guide/poler who uses a long pole to push the craft through the Delta's shallow, winding channels.  Some of the mokoro's carry the camping equipment, drinks and food while others carry the guests and their personal luggage so the group is totally self contained and can operate at it's own pace and needs.

We stop for a picnic lunch on the first day and find an island on which to make camp by mid afternoon. The paddlers set up the camp and all meals are cooked on the campfire. There are bucket showers and a "long drop" toilet. The tents are specially designed with the top made out of netting so one does not lose the feeling of sleeping out under the stars but are still safe and secure tucked up for the night in comfortable bedrolls with duvets and pillows.

After an early breakfast and walk while the paddlers break camp and load the mokoro's we set off for another island, enjoying the Delta and its wildlife whilst relaxing in the dugouts. Stops along the way to walk and explore for any reason are the norm and the rhythm and pace depend on what is happening at that moment.  Most of the older guides at Wilderness Safaris cut their teeth taking similar mokoro trips and they love them for this reason. It's the ultimate feeling of freedom in this exquisite wilderness - unrestricted by any outside influences.
 
On the last morning we pack up our personal luggage and head back to the airstrip (arriving around 13h00) for the flight transfer out.

Accommodation
Accommodation is in 2-person tents with enough headroom to allow guests to stand (maximum of two guests per tent). Tents will be lit with battery lamps and furnished with comfortable bedrolls on the floor, as well as duvets and pillows. All meals will be cooked on an open fire and served at a table. Ablutions will consist of a shared hot bucket shower with shower tent, and a shared pit latrine toilet with seat and toilet tent.

Wildlife
Xigera has outstanding birding. Pel's Fishing Owl, Wattled Crane, African Skimmers, Slaty Egret, Rufousbellied Heron, Swamp Boubou and a host of eagles, vultures and raptors will keep the bird lover fully occupied. The rare Sitatunga antelope are at their highest density in the Okavango in the Xigera area. Stalking Sitatunga silently by mokoro is an experience never to be forgotten. The wooden foot bridge, which connects this island to the next, is often used by Lion and Leopard to move between islands. Many a guest has enjoyed Lion viewing from the dining room. When water levels permit, game drives are an attraction.

Top           Jump to Xigera Camp           Return to Map of Okavango Delta Camps

Water / Land Activity Table for Botswana camps:  Water/Land Botswana
Flying Times between Botswana camps:  Fly Times Botswana

For further information about the Okavango Delta, click More Okavango
For further information about the Moremi Game Reserve, click More Moremi
For further information about Botswana, click More Botswana