Green Desert Expedition

Central Kalahari

DAYS 1; (1 Night) DECEPTION VALLEY LODGE - CENTRAL KALAHARI GAME RESERVE, BOTSWANA             Bushman in the Central KalahariUpon arrival in Maun we depart by road to Deception Valley Lodge. Deception Valley Lodge is located approximately 90 km (55 miles) from Deception Pan bordering the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. The lodge accommodates 16 guests in private chalets, each with a spacious lounge, en-suite Victorian-style bathroom, outdoor shower and veranda. The main area, connected to the units by elevated wooden walkways, boasts dining, lounge and bar areas. From the deck wildlife can be seen at the nearby waterhole and there is a curio shop, small library, swimming pool and boma for evening meals. A cultural highlight here is fascinating interaction, through an interpreter, with San Bushmen who will explain their traditions, hunting methods and natural medicines. Added to this is a short game drive enroute to the nature walk with an experienced Bushman guide. We also enjoy a night drive on the reserve.

Moremi | Okavango Delta

DAYS 4 - 6; (2 Nights)  XIGERA CAMP - OKAVANGO DELTA, BOTSWANA              Guests on a Xigera Mokoro Trail ssfariAfter a light breakfast we depart overland to Maun (approximately 6 hours), after which we fly by light aircraft in the afternoon to the water-filled paradise of the private Xigera area, within the Moremi Game Reserve. Xigera is the Delta personified, with serene waters flowing through innumerable channels around remote islands and a profusion of plant and animal life. Xigera Camp is a luxury tented camp situated in the heart of the Okavango Delta. It has something for everyone, in an area where there are no other camps and where year-round water allows for a variety of activities. Enjoy a true Delta experience while you sit back in a mokoro (dugout canoe) and silently glide through the tranquil Okavango waterways or watch the sunset and birds gliding home to roost from a motorboat on the Xigera Lagoon. Nestled in a soothing riverine forest, Xigera Camp consists of 10 luxuriously furnished tented rooms with en-suite facilities and outdoor shower. Each room is raised off the ground on a wooden deck offering superb views of the seasonal floodplain and waterhole. Meals and drinks are enjoyed under the thatch of the raised lounge, pub and dining area overlooking a permanently flowing channel. A traditional boma offers alternative dining under the African stars. Wooden walkways wind through the forest connecting the rooms to the main area. There is a plunge pool for cooling off and relaxation. The area has the highest density of the rare sitatunga antelope found anywhere in the Okavango Delta and wildlife is often seen on boating trips. Possibilities include spotted-necked otter, elephant, red lechwe and even leopard on occasion. Birding in the area is phenomenal, with Pel’s Fishing-Owl, Slaty Egret, Wattled Crane, Swamp Boubou, African Pygmy Goose and Chirping Cisticola some of the sought-after specials. Learn about the ecology of the Delta, find a painted reed frog – Xigera certainly offers a holistic experience of this wonderland.