Exploring the Okavango Delta's waters at Xugana Island Lodge

Moses the giant Nile crocodile

We slept well although the hippos roared most of the night in the stream that our room overlooks. We were awake by 5:30 and were dressed before the 6 am wake-up call. We were escorted to breakfast and had porridge, dry cereal, fruit and breads. We met with travel mates, Alex and Rebecca, as well as our guide, Joe, at the boats to go for a wildlife walk which was about a 30 minute boat ride away. We were also joined by Zambo, a shooter. He and Joe were armed with H & H .375 rifles in case of danger. We saw the large crocodile, Moses, on the boat ride as well as several colorful bird species.

Zambo with a hippo skull

We got out of the boat and walked single file around the island observing elephants, red lechwe, wart hogs, baboons and many birds. Joe told us that the big predators are confused by people walking in a single file line about a meter apart. The animals may see us as a large unfamiliar animal and not be aggressive toward us. Unlike our time at Xakanaxa, we were not able to get close to the animals but observed them from 300 yards away. Zambo showed us the skull of a hippo that had been killed by six lions about 2 years ago.

After returning to the boat, we made the return back to Xugana Island Lodge where we had lunch of kofta, fish, lentils and fresh fruit. After lunch, we relaxed, did language lessons and caught up on the journal. We watched the stream behind our tent for interesting birds and were amused by the several banded mongoose playing among the tents.

Red lechwe

As usual, high tea was at 3 pm with small chicken sandwiches and semisweet brownies. Mark and I chatted with a couple from New Jersey who were a bit dissatisfied with wildlife viewing here at Xugana. Admittedly, we have not seen wildlife as we expected. However, that is not a focus of this camp. This is a water-based camp and appeals to birders and others who are looking at wildlife along the water. They do not have vehicles to seek out wildlife but choose to use dugout canoes and riverboats. Fortunately, the New Jersey family is going to Xakanaxa in a few days where they will see a lot of wildlife up close. We are sure they will enjoy their time there.

Hippo pod in the Okavango Delta

Our guide, Joe, met us at the boat dock where we traveled along the rushes, reeds and papyrus viewing birds and eventually, hippos. Joe told us that if the hippos become especially annoyed, they will charge the boat and have even capsized boats. We saw a lot of hippos of all sizes singly and in family groups. As we were warned, one aggressive hippo surfaced inches from our boat, so we moved away quickly. Joe confirmed what we had heard that hippos were among the deadliest animals in Africa.

African spoonbills

We came upon a large rookery where every imaginable local bird species was nesting. We took a lot of photos of sacred ibis, African spoonbills, storks and darters. We even watched as an African fish eagle attempted to rob nests of hatchlings but was turned away by attacking smaller birds. It was quite a sight.

Sundown in the Okavango Delta

We stopped for happy hour to watch sunset and enjoy gin and tonic or beer to watch the sun go down. Back at camp, we were greeted with scented moist towels. We had become accustomed to the towels at the end of a game drive or other outing. We had a few minutes before dinner, which we used to put away the clean clothing that arrived from the laundry service here.

Our tent at Xuganga Island Lodge

We were picked up for dinner at 7:15 and had a drink from the bar while we waited for the call to dinner. Because the family from New Jersey was very disappointed in the experiences here at Xugana. They called their travel agent and arranged to spend less time here and more at Xakanaxa where they are likely to see more wildlife. They were to leave for Xakanaxa early tomorrow morning.

Inside our tent at Xugana

As before, we were treated to traditional African songs and dances followed by an introduction of the staff and an announcement of the meal offerings. Dinner was beef ribs, grilled fish, pearl barley, glazed carrots and garden salad. Dessert was crème brûlée. Everything was very good. Some of our group had wine, but Mary had tonic water with grapefruit, and I had a local liqueur, Amarula. The liqueur reminded me a lot of the bourbon cream liqueur that we enjoy in Kentucky.

Because we were tired and had a busy day ahead tomorrow traveling to Savute Safari Lodge at Chobe National Park, we went to our tents to prepare for bed.

Leaving Camp Xakanaxa and arriving at Xugana Island Lodge

We awoke at 5:30 to the bellowing of hippos in the river near Camp Xakanaxa so we finished our packing and prepared to leave in the early afternoon. When I got dressed, I discovered the pin to my watch in my trouser pocket. When the spring-loaded pin came out of the band, it must have bounced into my pocket. I was happy to have found it and quickly put my watch back together. Our guide picked us up at 6:30 to go to breakfast and get instructions for checkout and flight to Xugana Island Lodge.

Steve, Cindy, Mark, GB, Mary, Gav & Mel

Breakfast was oatmeal, fruit and homemade breads. We got in the Land cruiser and met GB for the morning game drive. When he asked what we wanted to do, Mel wanted to see sunrise, I said that I wanted good photos of impala and lechwe. Cindy wanted to see the bushes she thought might be acacia. GB drove along a nearby camping area for sunrise then on to the Fourth Bridge of Moremi National Park where saw the impalas and lechwe, zebras and elephants. We saw a large elephant herd and witnessed elephants mating. We especially enjoyed watching a beautiful saddle-billed stork feeding in a marshy area.

Saddlebill stork

We saw lion tracks in the dirt road and followed them for some distance but lost the tracks a few times before eventually finding the lions. GB thought we might find the cheetahs that we had seen over the weekend in the same area. We drove around the area and saw a couple of jackals and knew that the cheetahs must be nearby. Jackals often lurk around cheetahs to go after the remains of a kill after the cheetahs abandon the carcass. After a search, we saw the two male cheetahs lounging in the shade of a termite mound. We took a few photos then started toward the Camp Xakanaxa. When we stopped for tea near a large baobab tree, Cindy found the shrub with long thorns and confirmed that it is an acacia.

Hammerkopf

We arrived back at Camp Xakanaxa for a lunch of chicken skewers with peanut butter sauce and a vegetable lasagna. The homemade seed bread was especially delicious.

After lunch, Gav and I went to the bar for a glass of Amarula, which is a cream liquor made from the fruit of a Botswanan tree. As we finished our drinks, camp staff picked up our bags and loaded them on the truck. We left gratuities for the staff in the tip box at the office. Our party of four along with Gav and Mel got in the truck and GB drove us to the tiny airstrip near the camps. We said our goodbyes to GB and gave him a special tip for his excellence in locating everything that we hoped to see. We flew the short distance to the Okavango region in a tiny bush plane where we were going to Xagana Island Lodge, while Gav and Mel were going to nearby Camp Okavango. We very much enjoyed our outings with Mel and Gav and promised to exchange photos of our trip.

The Xugana Island Lodge staff picked us up and took us to the camp by boat. We boated past a 15 foot Nile crocodile that the staff calls Moses. We were shown to our tents which are only a few months old following the complete renovation of the camp. We met our new trip mates, Alex and Rebecca, from near Birmingham in central England. We will travel together for the next 2.5 days while we are at this camp.

Cindy and Mark in a mokoro

Upon arrival at Xugana Island Lodge, we were taken on a mokoro ride. This replica dugout canoe was the traditional means of travel in the Okavango Delta. Alex and Rebecca, Mark and Cindy, Mary and I got in our mokoro with a guide who poled us along the shallow river where we saw a crocodiles, tiny Angola reed frogs and a variety of birds including the carmine bee-eaters, possibly the most beautiful bird we had ever seen. The calls of some of the Central African birds seem to be everywhere. One of the common ring necked doves made a call that sounded like “work harder,” “move over” or “drink lager” depending on who was describing the call. Mark and I enjoyed the crested barbet that makes a beautiful trilling whistle. Many African birds are named based on their call. For example, the call of the go-away bird says exactly that.

Traditional African songs and dances before dinner

When we arrived back at Xugana Island Lodge, we were met with gin and tonic as we awaited dinner. Before the meal we were treated with an introduction of the staff and a performance of traditional Botswanan songs and dances.  Like at Camp Xakanaxa, there appeared to be more staff at Xugana Island Lodge than there are guests.  This isn't surprising since both camps are operated by Desert and Delta Safaris, who take pains to assure that each guest's needs are met. 

Dinner was an ostrich appetizer, followed by beef stew, roast pork, butternut squash and homemade rolls. Dessert was pudding with ice cream.