Camp Xakanaxa was first built in the 1960s on Xakanaxa Lagoon, where the Khwai River widens in central Moremi Game Reserve, and it is one of the oldest camps in the reserve. It is a camp where motorboats and open 4x4s both leave camp in every month of the year.
Hippos haul out to graze by the tents, near enough to hear every bite.
The camp still keeps the canvas-and-thatch habits of that era. Twelve Meru-style tents are raised on decks along the lagoon fringe, under tall riverine trees. Hippos haul out to graze by the tents, near enough to hear every bite. The canvas lets the whole night in.
The boats are hard-bottom aluminium craft, built for deep, open water, and they push out across Xakanaxa Lagoon into the deeper channels. Red lechwe splash through the shallows as they pass, and elephants feed along the reed line. The boats run in every month of the year, which few camps in Moremi can offer.
The heronries fill as the migrants arrive to breed.
The lagoon is at its busiest in spring and summer, which in Botswana means September to January. The heronries fill as the migrants arrive to breed. The African fish eagle is a regular along this stretch of river. The reserve as a whole has recorded more than 400 bird species. Guided birding runs on land and water alike, always with a camp guide, and the evening ends on the fire decks over the Khwai, one of them beneath a huge jackalberry.
Moremi Game Reserve was proclaimed in 1963 and named after Chief Moremi III of the Batawana, the people who set it aside on their own land. Vehicles keep to the reserve’s own network of tracks, and the open 4x4s go out early in the morning and again in the late afternoon, crossing riverine forest, mopane woodland and seasonal floodplain within a single outing. Leopards turn up often, sometimes within a few metres of the open vehicle. Lion and buffalo are part of the picture, as are elephant and wild dog, with cheetah and spotted hyena besides.
The shared buildings are timber and reed under thatch, raised over the river on stilts. Inside are a lounge furnished with pieces collected from around Africa and a small library, and at the bar guests pour their own drinks. Two fire decks reach out over the Khwai, one beneath a huge jackalberry, and the evening gin and tonic is taken there while hyenas whoop somewhere across the floodplain. Then drums call the camp to dinner in the open-sided dining room, usually at one long table, with bread baked in camp and the table lit by candles.
Leopards turn up often, sometimes within a few metres of the open vehicle.
The guides know this stretch of the Khwai channel by channel. The day begins before sunrise with a cheerful call at each tent, then coffee before the morning drive and brunch on the return. The hours between belong to the swimming pool on its elevated deck, or to the smaller plunge pool with a shaded sala and daybed, until high tea comes round before the afternoon outing.
Light aircraft land at the Xakanaxa airstrip, and the short drive into camp often turns into the first game drive. Comfort is the canvas kind, whether in a standard tent or in the two-bedroom tent that families can take for themselves, with children welcome from the age of six. A fan stirs the air, and the mesh windows stay open to the lagoon breeze. The walls are thin enough for the night to come straight through, and once the camp falls quiet, the Okavango Delta does the talking.
accommodation
Eleven Meru-style canvas tents and one two-bedroom family tent are raised on decks along the lagoon, each with loungers on its private deck. Beds are twin or double, with a kettle for tea and coffee and a fan. En-suite bathrooms have flush toilets and hot indoor showers.
activities
Morning and afternoon game drives in open 4x4s follow Moremi Game Reserve's tracks through riverine forest, mopane and floodplain. Motorboat trips on hard-bottom aluminium boats explore Xakanaxa Lagoon and the deeper channels in every month, and guided birding runs on land and water. Every outing is led by a camp guide.
conservation
Moremi was set aside by the Batawana on their own land, and the reserve still carries their chief's name. At Camp Xakanaxa the tents are canvas on raised decks and the shared buildings are timber, reed and thatch. After dark the camp is lit by lamps and candles, and it is looked after by a team of guides and camp staff.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
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By light aircraft from Maun to the Xakanaxa airstrip in the middle of Moremi Game Reserve, then a short drive to camp that often turns into the first game drive. The scheduled flights are small bush aircraft such as the Cessna Caravan, and the same network links the camp with other Delta camps and with Kasane, so it fits a longer route as easily as a return from Maun.
If you would rather set your own timings, we can arrange a private charter, typically a Cessna Caravan or a Pilatus PC-12, straight into the Xakanaxa airstrip. Pack in a soft bag with no wheels or frame, because the luggage rides in a pod under the aircraft, and keep it light; we confirm the weight allowance with your flights.
Yes. TravelHealthPro, the UK's official travel health service, rates northern of Botswana, including the Okavango Delta, as high risk for malaria from October to May, when it recommends antimalarial tablets, and as low risk from June to September, when it advises awareness and bite avoidance. Low risk is not no risk. The American CDC lists the Ngamiland and Okavango districts among the areas where it recommends prescription medicine.
We are travel planners, not medical professionals, so we do not make medical recommendations: whether to take tablets, and which, is a decision for you and your doctor or a travel clinic, with your travel dates in front of you. Whatever the month, cover arms and legs from dusk and keep repellent to hand for evenings by the water.
They are neighbours on the same lagoon, less than a kilometre apart, with the same game drives and boat trips, but they feel different. Camp Xakanaxa is the older of the two, first built in the 1960s, and it keeps the classic look: Meru-style canvas tents on raised decks, thatched timber main buildings and two fire decks built out over the Khwai River.
Camp Moremi was rebuilt from the ground up in 2018 as a more modern lodge, with a sunken bar built around a termite mound and a pool on its own deck. Both have a two-bedroom family tent and take children from six. We suggest Camp Xakanaxa to guests who want a traditional tented camp, and Camp Moremi to those who want a little more polish.
The camp's boats are aluminium motorboats with a folding canvas roof and life jackets on board, heading out through the deeper channels and lagoons around the camp. They run in every month of the year, which is why Camp Xakanaxa is one of the few camps in the Delta offering safaris by land and by water all year round. Elephant, hippo and lechwe are regulars along the water's edge.
Birding is the other reason to go out on the water. Spring and summer are the best of it, from about September into the rains, when the migrant birds arrive and breed, and the storks and herons nesting in the heronries of the surrounding lagoons are at their busiest from August to October. Each day is built around a morning and an afternoon outing, by vehicle or by boat.
Yes, for children aged six and over. The family tent has two en-suite bedrooms, so parents and children each have their own room, and the pool on its raised deck fills the hot middle of the day between the morning and afternoon outings. Game drives and boat trips suit children who are happy to sit, watch and wait for the animals to come to them.
Moremi is an open game reserve and its animals move freely through it, so younger children need a parent with them at all times, in camp as well as out on the water. Tell us their ages when you enquire and we will shape the days around them, including how long each outing runs.
June to October, when the Kalahari around the Delta dries out and the game gathers on Moremi's permanent water, with July to September the standout months, when the flood from Angola is high and the boating is at its best. October is the most dramatic month, but its days can pass 40 degrees. April, May and November are the in-between months either side of it.
The green season, December to March, has a real case: it is the best time for birds, the antelope drop their young from November with the predators close behind, the camps are quiet, and photographers get superb light after the storms. Pack warm layers for winter mornings, which can fall to a few degrees in June, light clothes for October, a rain jacket from November, all in a soft bag.
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our approach
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
