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Ask us for rates and dates The Safari company we use have become the world’s first recipient of the newly introduced World Legacy Awards, in the Nature Travel Category, as created by National Geographic Traveler and Conservation International. This unique award system is set to recognize and profile leading examples of sustainable tourism and nature conservation efforts around the world, where environmentally and socially responsible tourism practices are helping protect and nurture our planet’s precious natural and cultural resource-base.
There is no better way to experience the Okavango than to travel through it by mokoro, walk and camp out on its remote islands. Xigera is set right in the heart of the Okavango Delta and the trail starts soon after you land at the airstrip (arrivals should be no later than 12h00) and meet up with your BaYei guides. After a short drive to the starting point and a safety talk, we board the mokoro's and set off into the wilderness. The group is always accompanied by a senior guide and the trips run every three days from mid May to the end of October to fit in with the rise and fall of the annual flood. We stop along the way during the day to walk and explore. The tents are specially designed with the top made out of netting so one does not lose the feeling of sleeping out under the stars but is still safe and secure tucked up for the night in comfortable bedrolls.
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We stop for a picnic lunch on the first day and find an island on which to make camp by mid afternoon. The paddlers set up the camp and all meals are cooked on the campfire. There are bucket showers and a "long drop" toilet. The tents are specially designed with the top made out of netting so one does not lose the feeling of sleeping out under the stars but are still safe and secure tucked up for the night in comfortable bedrolls with duvets and pillows.
After an early breakfast and walk while the paddlers break camp and load the mokoro’s we set off for another island, enjoying the Delta and its wildlife whilst relaxing in the dugouts. Stops along the way to walk and explore for any reason are the norm and the rhythm and pace depend on what is happening at that moment. On the last morning we pack up our personal luggage and head back to the airstrip (arriving around 13h00) for the flight transfer out.
Contact us for rates This can be added onto other Safari packages
Story Time
This mokoro trail was something of a renaissance. Twenty years ago, a few days camping in the heart of the Okavango, and travelling purely by mokoro was standard fare for most tourists who weren’t into hunting safaris. Many of Botswana’s top professional guides cut their teeth doing these sorts of trips. However, visitors to the Okavango these days spend almost all their time in up-market lodges and camps, where they hardly even feel the earth beneath their feet, let alone get their toes wet. These lodges offer an amazing experience, however for the most part, intimacy is no longer on the menu.
Hennie and Angie Rawlinson are the owners of Xigera camp. Located on the southwestern edge of Moremi Game Reserve, and right in the heart of the permanent water of the Okavango, it is perfectly situated for an amazing water experience in the Delta. Hennie was one of the Okavango’s top guides in the early ‘80’s, and was best known for his camping trips in the Delta. When he and Angie won the lease for the Xigera concession in the late 90’s, they soon decided that aside from a beautiful, up-market camp, they were going to run mokoro trails as well. Hennie and Angie met at Xigera, and having spent much time being intimate in the Delta, they now wish to revive intimacy with the Delta for their guests
Ishmael Setlabosha is one of the more amazing people that resides in the Delta. He was born and raised on an island just north of Xigera lagoon and an incredible knowledge of the Okavango and its many inhabitants – both plant and animal – is now thoroughly ingrained. His knowledge is not from textbooks but from life. It is an intimate knowledge and those who have walked with him on the islands of the Okavango will not soon forget the experience.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND REQUIREMENTS FOR THE
XIGERA MOKORO AND WALKING TRAIL WITH WILDERNESS SAFARIS IN BOTSWANA
GROUP SIZE
Our Xigera Mokoro and Walking Trails are run on a scheduled departure basis with a maximum group size of eight guests in six tents. A minimum of two guests is required to confirm a departure. If you would like to do this safari on a private basis, please contact us for assistance. A pro guide, mokoro polers and a cook/camp hand will accompany each fully serviced trip.
AGE LIMIT
We have a minimum age of 12 on our Xigera Mokoro and Walking Trail. For groups with children under 12, we would be happy to quote a private safari. ACCOMMODATION/CAMPING EQUIPMENT
Accommodation is in 2-man tents with enough headroom to allow guests to stand (maximum of two guests per tent). Tents will be lit with battery lamps and furnished with comfortable bedrolls on the floor, as well as duvets and pillows. All meals will be cooked on an open fire and served at a table. Ablutions will consist of a shared hot bucket shower with shower tent, and a shared pit latrine toilet with seat and toilet tent. JOINING THE SAFARI
Guests must arrive at the Xigera airstrip no later than 12h00 on Day 1, if not staying at Xigera the night before, as it can take up to 5 hours to travel in a mokoro from the airstrip to the overnight campsite. The Xigera Mokoro and Walking Trail will arrive back at Xigera airstrip at about 13h00 on Day 3. TRAVELLING COMPANIONS
On the scheduled Xigera Mokoro and Walking Trail, participants will be travelling with a small number of people, possibly from a range of age groups and usually from several different areas of the world. To get the most out of the safari experience, co-operation and harmony with fellow passengers is essential. If you are a naturally grumpy person and do not enjoy the company of others, please do not book this safari. Should any member of the group behave in such a way that it affects either the enjoyment or safety of others in the group, that member will be warned, and eventually taken off the safari. Our safaris are all conducted in English, and it is therefore required that all participants on the safari have an excellent knowledge of English and be able to communicate in that language. This is due to safety factors, as well as compatibility with others VIDEO
Charging facilities for video cameras are not available on the safari. Please bring plenty of spare batteries WALKING
One of the highlights of this safari is the walking and game tracking that will be possible. Walking can, however, lead to encounters with WILD ANIMALS which are potentially dangerous. Walking is, therefore, at your own risk. Please note, however, that walking at all times will be in the company of a licensed guide. LAUNDRY
Due to the nature of the Xigera Mokoro and Walking Trail, there is no laundry service available for the duration of the trip.
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