12-Day Botswana's Finest Highlights Safari (Premier)

Explore the wilderness on twice daily game drives, and encounter the rich wildlife of the Linyanti. The open 4x4 vehicles allow us to host four guests at a time, with each guest having a ‘window’ seat, thereby offering a more exclusive experience and dedicated time with your passionate guide. Highlights include witnessing fascinating predator interactions, and large elephant herds. Plains game, and the amazing birdlife diversity, offer fantastic sightings as well.

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Experience the thrill of a night drive using spotlights to find some of the most amazing, elusive nocturnal animals. These often include lesser bushbabies, spring hares, aardwolf, servals, large spotted genets and, if you are extremely lucky, the elusive pangolin.

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Walking in the wild with skilled, armed guides are a wonderful way of being closer to nature. Observe the smaller creatures that you may miss when travelling by vehicle.

* Seasonal and subject to the availability of a qualified walking guide.

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Explore the Linyanti River by barge, perfect for lunches, picnics, or sundowners. Glide past sleeping hippos, or find crocodiles sunning themselves on the banks of the lagoon. Water-based game viewing at its finest.

* Water levels permitting.

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Boating is another idyllic form of water wildlife viewing in the remarkable Linyanti. Search for those elusive birds so prevalent in calm channel waters.

* Water levels permitting.

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Fishing is on a catch and release basis, with camp providing a small stock of basic rods and reels, whereas all fly fishing equipment is to be supplied by guests if required.

* Note that fishing is seasonal as it is prohibited by Botswana law in January and February due to breeding purposes.

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Birding is outstanding here, from Okavango specials to mopane woodland species. The Savuti Channel is famous for its high concentration of eagles and raptors. This paradise is internationally recognised as an IBA (Important Bird Area) so do keep your binoculars close at hand!

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At the wellness centre, the fully qualified, in-house therapist team offer signature treatments using natural body care products, drawing on bespoke scents developed to capture the essence of soulful relaxation and restoration.

The range of treatments on offer complements the holistic health and wellness journey that is a Wilderness DumaTau safari – and ties guest activities back to the camp’s stated purpose. Time in the wilderness has always had the potential to revitalise the spirit, and at Wilderness DumaTau, this has been taken to the next level through meaningful layers of experiences.

This spa sanctuary is further enhanced by the reimagined menu, which draws on locally sourced ingredients to provide healthier meals that add to the wellness journey, and are in tune with both Botswana’s agricultural heritage, and the latest thinking on nutrition, authentic flavours and sustainable farming.

Nestled into the lush bush for privacy is The Osprey Retreat which includes a drinks and snack counter area, gym, and a Safari Boutique.

* All treatments at an additional cost.

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The outdoor stargazing/floating fire deck will continue to be a highlight for guests as they are almost immersed in the wondrous Linyanti River. The perfect spot for a sundowner!

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Created exclusively as part of a Xigera stay, The Delta's Ancestral Passage is an extraordinary overnight journey into the living soul of the Okavango. Travelling by mokoro through hidden waterways, guests move at the Delta's rhythm, guided by those whose families have lived alongside these waters for hundreds of years. They hear the stories carried from one generation to the next, discover the ancient wisdom that has shaped life here for centuries, and begin to understand the heartbeat of this remarkable wilderness.

Inspired by the exploration and conservation work of National Geographic Explorer Dr. Steve Boyes, The Delta's Ancestral Passage offers guests the rare privilege of experiencing this place through the people who know it most intimately, while helping ensure that its stories, wisdom and wilderness will continue to endure for generations to come.

The Delta's Ancestral Passage represents a new way of experiencing the Okavango, one where exceptional hospitality, pioneering conservation and generations of local knowledge come together in a single journey.

From May 2027, The Delta's Ancestral Passage will form part of an exclusive four-night Xigera journey, with departures limited to just six guests at a time, or available on an exclusive-use basis.

Available from May to September.

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The Delta's Ancestral Passage Credit: Xigera Safari Lodge & Charlie Summers

The Delta's Ancestral Passage Credit: Xigera Safari Lodge

The Delta's Ancestral Passage Credit: Xigera Safari Lodge & Charlie Summers

Gobonamang Kgetho Credit: The Wilderness Project | thewildernessproject.org

Move through the Delta’s living landscapes on dawn, dusk, or guest-desired game drives. Follow dusty paths across floodplains and woodlands, where elephants wade through channels, lion prides rest in golden light, and the elusive leopard moves like shadow through the trees. With Xigera’s expert guides, each drive becomes a deeper encounter, with wildlife, with land, and the stories they hold.

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Xigera Safari Lodge Credit: Xigera Safari Lodge

Xigera Safari Lodge Credit: Xigera Safari Lodge

Xigera Safari Lodge Credit: Xigera Safari Lodge

Tread with nature on guided bush walks, attuning to every sound, scent, and track under the experienced care of our guides. Walking slowly unwraps the linked pace of the wild, where wisdom is written into every track and leaf.

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Credit: Xigera Safari Lodge

Drift through the Delta’s waterways on traditional mokoros, guided by the steady hand of your poler, each push moving you silently, deeper into the bountiful landscape. Our polers grew up navigating these waters and are expert at spotting and identifying aquatic birds, fish and wildlife along the channels.

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Credit: Xigera Safari Lodge

Explore winding papyrus-fringed channels aboard our double-decker motorboats, where the water’s surface mirrors the sky. These excursions also allow for exploration of the deeper rivers and lagoons that are home to crocodile and large pods of hippo. Please note that boating is seasonal, water levels permitting.

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Credit: Xigera Safari Lodge

From the Coppery-tailed Coucal to the Western-banded Snake Eagle, Wattled Crane to Lesser Jacana, walking safaris are an ideal opportunity for enthusiastic bird-watchers to admire the over 500 species recorded in the Okavango Delta. Xigera’s exceptional location on the fringes of the Moremi Game Reserve delivers some of the best birding Botswana has to offer - including the much sought-after Pel's Fishing Owl.

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Xigera Safari Lodge Credit: Xigera Safari Lodge

Catch-and-release fishing offers a serene but exciting encounter with the Delta’s waters. Tigerfish, African Pike, and Bream await, but sustainably, mindfully and unforgettable. Please note that catch-and-release fishing is season-dependent.

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Xigera Safari Lodge Credit: Xigera Safari Lodge

Meticulously designed to frame breathtaking views of the seasonal flood plains and lush riverine forests, Xigera's spa is a sanctuary of calm. Treatments blend Tata Harper’s award-winning organic skincare with the healing power of indigenous botanicals. Signature massages, facials, and body rituals reveal the mystical healings of the Delta, restoring balance to body and spirit.

The lodge showcases a modern fitness centre – with state-of-the-art equipment from Technogym – alongside a swimming pool and relaxation deck gazing over the river.

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Xigera Safari Lodge Credit: Xigera Safari Lodge

Spend an unforgettable night 10 metres above the floodplains in our exclusive sculptural Baobab Treehouse, offering panoramic views from each of its three levels. Open to the stars, surrounded by the sounds of the Delta, it is Africa’s most extraordinary sleepout experience. Situated one kilometre away from the lodge, with a guide stationed close by, the striking steel structure is built in the evocative shape of a Baobab tree.

Inside the tree’s ‘trunk’, a winding staircase climbs nearly four metres above ground, delivering guests to the spacious bathroom on the first level. The bedroom is located on the second level, beautifully appointed with carved timber furniture. Both spaces have canvas walls that can open up to the outside environment, or be zipped closed to allow for privacy and protection from the elements.

Ascend to the top and the drama unfolds, with an open-air deck for lounging, reading and watching wildlife pass undisturbed below. A serene, hidden eyrie from which to witness the magic of the Delta at dusk or ¬– if you choose to spend the night in the open-air king-size bed – to marvel at the stars.

Please note the Baobab Treehouse is at a surcharge and cannot be pre-booked.

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Credit: Xigera Safari Lodge

Take to the skies for an aerial perspective of the Delta’s immeasurable wonder. Choose door-off flights for unmatched photographic opportunities, or pair with champagne landings on hidden palm islands.

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Credit: Xigera Safari Lodge

Take game drives and night drives in custom built 4x4s to spot the unique desert wildlife that inhabit the pans, like the elusive brown hyena or Kalahari lion. Your experienced safari guide will help you discover a desert landscape, pulsating with life. Complete with bush picnics, morning coffees and chilled drinks.

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Get up close and personal with our families of meerkats. Leaving camp as the sun begins to rise you will accompany these inquisitive members of the mongoose family as they set off in search of their breakfast. Walk amongst them (you're not allowed to touch or feed them) and if you take a seat you might be lucky enough to be mistaken for a termite mound, where you'll be used as a look out point for predators.

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Discover the secrets of the pans with the Zu/’hoasi Bushmen on a fascinating bush walk. See this ancient desert landscape through their eyes. These skilled hunter gatherers will show you how to survive, using their extraordinary tracking skills to uncover a smorgasbord of culinary delights... from bulbs, to scorpions, to berries. Spending time with them is a very rare privilege.

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Saddle up to explore this wild, unspoilt area in the same way many of the earliest explorers, hunters

and missionaries did – on horseback! You’ll embark on an adventurous outride (for all level riders). This is an exhilarating way to spot wildlife, cantering along the crusty salt flats and following the animal highways that bring life to the Makgadikgadi Pans.

*Please note that this activity is at an additional cost.

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Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection

This is pure desert adventure! Take an exhilarating quad bike across the salt-crusted pans (all pan activity is weather permitting and dependent on the dryness of the pans). You’ll feel total freedom as you trek across this vast and ancient landscape, discovering so much about the remnants of this once super lake.

Seasonal: April - October

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A visit to the Fallen Baobab - one of the three largest and oldest trees in Africa and reputedly the campsite of Livingstone and Selous.

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Witness the second largest migration in Africa. A stonking spectacle of black and white stripes

as approximately 30,000 zebra and wildebeest migrate across the Makgadikgadi Pans, followed closely by stalking predators, waiting for the rich pickings of tired hooves. This is a wildlife explosion and an experience not to be missed!

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This really is an unforgettable experience. Enjoy a helicopter flight over the Makgadikgadi Pans, doors off (or on), to take in the vastness of this desert landscape. You’ll go in search of the zebra and flamingo migrations (if timed correctly), get dropped on an island of baobabs for lunch, do a bit of sunset sky surfing as you follow the palm tree linings and tell all your friends about it all when you get home.

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Grab a fat bike and peddle around the Makgadikgadi Pans. This is a really fun activity for the whole family, and an ideal way to get some exercise. These bikes can easily cruise over the desert terrain, taking you along 4x4 tracks and around the crusty salt flats. Keep a look out for sightings of wildlife, while breathing in the beautiful scenery, alongside the desert silence.

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If you are in need of some serious time out, then one of our spa treatments is your perfect escape. Our professional therapist will put you in seventh heaven. Book a back massage overlooking the Makgadikgadi Pans or enjoy a relaxing spa treatment from the privacy of your tent. Whichever you decide, you’ll walk away feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

The Makgadikgadi Salt Pans are one of the most important breeding sites in southern Africa for

the lesser and greater flamingos. These flying flame birds, arrive in their millions during seasons of good rain, when millions of small shrimp and other crustaceans crack through the salty pan crust to spawn. The result, a pink extravaganza in the heat of the desert. You can also heli to Sua Pan to view the flamingos in Mar - Apr (scenic helicopter flight must be booked at an additional cost).

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Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection