Camp Xakanaxa

Camp Xakanaxa, pronounced Ka-ka-na-ka is set on a prime location on the banks of the Khwai River resting on the Xakanaxa Lagoon. Perfectly situated in the heart of the Moremi Game Reserve, making it one of the very few safari camps that offer guests an authentic, year-round Okavango Delta land and water safari experience.

With 11 spacious tents and a two-bedroom family tent, the camp accommodates up to 24 guests. These classic Meru-style luxury safari tents boast en suite showers, hand basins and toilet facilities. Each tent is perched along the fringe of the lagoon and features a private viewing deck with comfortable loungers.

Personalised service and a friendly atmosphere come together to create a relaxing environment for guests to take in the wonder that is the delta. All staff at the camp ensure that you never miss home with their perfect hospitality. The stylish main buildings extend over the Khwai River and are set on raised platforms to maximise the views over the surrounding lagoons and islands. Take a seat in the elegant lounge or dining room, built of local timber, reed and thatch and relax before taking off on your adventure. The main area also features a small library, expansive sundeck, plunge pool and sala with day bed. The fire deck extends over the Khwai River and creates an enchanting environment in which to relax after dinner. There is also a larger pool with an elevated sun deck on the expansive grounds.

The ancient riverine forests, open savannah, serpentine channels and seasonal floodplains that surround the camp make for a varied habitat of exceptional fauna and flora. Explore the delta in open 4×4 safari vehicles or powerboats. The diverse habitat ensures prolific sightings of Elephant, Buffalo, Hyena, Giraffe, Hippo, Wildebeest, Kudu, Lechwe, Lion and Leopard, among many others. Birding is spectacular, especially in the spring and summer months when the migrants are breeding.

Safari activities are conducted by licensed guides eager to share their in-depth knowledge and impart the treasured secrets of this great wilderness.

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.