The Xigera Safari Experience in the Okavango Delta
Xigera (pronounced kee-jera) in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, is the latest creation of hotelier extraordinaire Bea Tollman, of family-run Red Carnation Hotels. The Tollman family has long had a profound love of Africa and the bush, and as the new custodians of Xigera they are delighted to bring their renowned hospitality, personal service and unique design aesthetic to Botswana.
With conservation and sustainability at the heart of their endeavours, the lodge is solar powered, waste is recycled and most importantly the local community is empowered. Together with The TreadRight Foundation, the family has partnered with Wild Entrust Africa to manage and preserve this fragile habitat of seasonal floodplains and riverine forests for future generations.
Tucked into a canopy of magnificent indigenous trees, Xigera Safari Lodge offers 12 spacious suites; each individually designed to offer a unique experience of the Delta. For friends or multi-generational safari travellers, there is the impressive two-bedroom Family Suite. The guest suites take full advantage of the remarkable location, cocooned by the ancient indigenous forests and gazing out over seasonal floodplains filled with wildlife. Spread across two islands to retain the sense of being part of the wilderness, and to ensure privacy and peacefulness for guests, each suite sits on raised stilts, allowing both wildlife and the life-giving waters of the Delta to pass beneath. Each suite is remarkable - a living gallery of African art and design, an entirely unique celebration of the continent’s creativity, while honouring indigenous traditions.
The Baobab Treehouse promises the ultimate romantic experience. This stylized baobab tree has three levels and views from 10 metres above the floodplain. You can even spend the night under the stars on the open-air third level of your own private eyrie.
When you return to the lodge by game vehicle or silently paddled mokoro, you are about to start another safari experience - a culinary safari which blends fresh local produce in an African tradition, with the refined cuisine style that is a hallmark of The Red Carnation Hotel Collection.
Do you need any more reasons to visit this unique oasis in the African bush? This is why I went:
- Exquisite and unique suites
- Fine dining under the stars
- Superb game viewing on land and from the water in the ever-changing Moremi Game Reserve, part of the Okavango Delta
- Extensive selection of spa treatments
- Memorable sundowners on the deck
- Taste wines from around the world in the Lounge Bar
- Curate your own private lunch in the bush
- Clear skies make for exceptional stargazing
- The Baobab Treehouse is the ultimate bush break experience
- Exceptional curated African art collection and an emphasis on local design
If you’re looking for the ultimate Xigera Safari Lodge package, then this 5-star safari – valid between 01 June and 31 October 2021 – is ideal, and includes:
- Return flights from Johannesburg to Maun including airport levies
- Return airport to lodge transfer in a light aircraft
- 2 nights stay at the 5* Xigera Safari Lodge in a Luxury Suite (184sqm) with a private deck and outdoor gazebo
- All meals, all non-alcoholic and selected alcoholic beverages daily
- Accommodation taxes, applicable levies and park fees
- Daily laundry service
- In-suite Wi-Fi
- Morning and evening game drives, boating, seasonal catch-and-release fishing, glass-bottom mokoro boat excursions, walking safaris with expert guides, scheduled yoga classes
- Full use of the gym, swimming pool and air-conditioned library
Contact Thompsons for more information on Xigera Safari Lodge and opening special deals that include flights from Johannesburg.