"Cast away" in the idyllic Xigera Camp.
There's no water shortages around Xigera Camp.
Xigera Camp, pronounced Keejera (or with a funny-sounding click like the locals say it), is in the heart of the Okavango Delta’s Moremi Game Reserve, nestled in a riverine island criss-crossed by a network of deep channels. It’s a “real” water camp and the minute you land at its small airstrip, you feel pleasantly cast away from the outside world.
If you come to Xigera expecting to see prides of lions and abundant wildlife, don’t. Yes, they are out there somewhere but as it’s a water camp, you’re not going to see them as easily as at other “grassier” camps like Tubu Tree. It’s not rocket science: there is less game here as there is more water and less grass; if there’s less game, there’s less predators. But, if you’re lucky, you might see them swimming as this is the main way for the animals to “island hop” around Xigera. And, of course, being surrounded by water, means you’ll see water-lovers like elephants, hippos and crocodiles.
On the prowl. Two brothers hang out on Chief's Island.
If you’re hell bent on seeing other wildlife, the staff can arrange a trip for you to neighboring Chief’s Island which has a healthy lion population. We did a record six-hour game drive across and were treated to a pair of male lions lounging under a tree, less than 100 meters from the spot where we’d hopped out of our jeep for our coffee break under a baobab tree.
South African husband and wife team Mike and Anne Marchington have been running Xigera Camp for just over a year. They are veterans on Southern Africa having spent four years in the Delta and over 20 years traveling around Southern Africa. Mike tells us that he even used to jog in the bush, one time trekking right past a pride of lions, “I was so focused on the prints on the ground that I forgot to look out for the lions,” he laughs.
Home away from home. The cosy lounge area at Xigera.
The camp is intimate and cosy, just like in the brochures except even better in real life. It’s got ten tented rooms all kitted out with en-suite and an outdoor shower. Think camping, but upmarket camping. It’s down-to-earth enough to blend in with the nature and to satisfy those with a more outdoorsy rustic taste, but comfortable enough to keep those who don’t like roughing it happy. There is always someone to talk to in the open bar-restaurant-cum living room area which feels like being in your own living room as you can help yourself to drinks and snacks whenever you want. The service is great – attentive enough to make you feel special but not too much to make you feel stifled.
Elevated walkways lead to the camp's 10 quaint tents.
There’s also a sandpit where the “newspaper” is read every morning – that means checking the paw prints. Most of them belong to the “resident” hyena who regularly visits at night but who is very “shy”. It amuses me that everyone in Botswana considers hyenas “shy”, while in other parts of Africa they are highly feared. We spot her one evening, wallowing in the shadows less than 70 meters away, while we sit around the camp fire. I’m curious what she wants: is she enjoying our company, is she looking for a free meal, or is she just being nosy? Our two camp managers aren’t bothered at all by her, in fact quite the opposite. They almost get worried if they don’t see her for a few nights in a row. “Knowledge is power so if you know how the animals react, you will be ok,” says Mike.
So, if we happen to come face to face with this hyena on the narrow entrance into the camp, we should basically step back, treat her as a lady and let her go first. She’s alone, maybe that makes a difference. “They’re masters of chaos; once they’re in a pack, they create chaos. Hyenas are very successful hunters; they’re not just the scavengers that people think they are. And they are an important part of the ecosystem as they clean up a lot of the carcasses of animals that have died of natural causes,” explains Mike. I’m starting to feel like I know these huge scary-looking animals personally, and even beginning to admire them.
Wilderness Camps give a new meaning to the word "safari" - besides abundant wildlife, the great homemade food keeps flowing too.
Fully owned by Wilderness Safaris, which has managed (through its dedication to sustainable tourism and good reputation in Southern Africa) to buy some of the best sites and camps in the Delta, Xigera Camp is built on elevated walkways so you don’t need to walk on the ground and reduce the risk of stepping on a snake. After a week in Okavango and Zimbabwe, I haven’t yet seen a single snake. “There are plenty of snakes, but sadly we never see them. We all think a snake will bite us and kill us but we just have little knowledge about them,” says Mike. All too often, we freak out if we see a cobra but it is quite predictable despite the rumors. The black mambo is considered one of the most unpredictable and aggressive snakes in Southern Africa.
After Tubu Tree, where the cats can wander in and out of the camp, Xigera seems very tame. Mike’s comment makes me laugh: “What can an animal do to you – it won’t hop into your tent and eat you.” This seems to be the general consensus in the Delta by the chilled-out staff who live there year-round. It’s us visitors who think that we will be eaten by man-eating lions, attacked by crocodiles or trampled on by an elephant … the minute we spot one!
