The Xugana Lagoon is widely accepted as being the most spectacular permanent water site in the entire Okavango Delta, which in the midst of the Kalahari sands, is Africa`s largest and most awe-inspiring oasis. The Okavango River, rises in the highlands of Angola and never reaches the sea; instead its immense waters empty over the sands of the Kalahari.
The Xugana Lagoon is widely accepted as being the most spectacular permanent water site in the entire Okavango Delta, which in the midst of the Kalahari sands, is Africa`s largest and most awe-inspiring oasis. The Okavango River, rises in the highlands of Angola and never reaches the sea; instead its immense waters empty over the sands of the Kalahari. Here the great desert thirst is quenched in a wilderness of fresh water lagoons, channels and islands. It is in the heart of this inland delta that one will find the remote Xugana Island on the edge of the beautiful Xugana Lagoon, assuring a year-round water wilderness experience to our visitors. Xugana Island Lodge is situated on a private concession and takes full advantage of this magnificent site. The views from the front of the lodge or one of the lodge’s eight elevated rooms allow for the immediate realization that one has arrived in the heart of the Okavango Delta. Prepare for the cacophony of bird calls, the distant grunt of hippopotamus and the sweet smell of the well irrigated African bush. The exploration of this part of the Okavango Delta is as exclusive as the base from which one departs to do so, Xugana Island Lodge. Experiencing the sunset across the Xugana lagoon, as viewed from the front of the lodge or from a boat adrift the lagoon will leave memories which will be etched in your mind forever. Daily activities exploring the serpentine waterways, expansive floodplains and wild island networks by boat, mokoro and on foot keep the visitor to Xugana enthralled and entertained. Welcome to the true Okavango!

Xugana Island Lodge was built in 1975 by Harry Selby who owned Kerr Downey and Selby Safaris Botswana. This was a hunting company that had been in Maun since 1964, but Harry foresaw that there were big opportunities for photo tourism in Botswana. They went on to build Khwai River Lodge in 1976. Harry had a great eye for good sites – Xugana and Khwai are the 2 finest lodge sites in the Delta. Harry sold KDS Safaris to another hunting company, Safari South, owned by a wealthy Texan, in 1978. Safari South kept the name Kerr and Downey (but took out Selby) and that company was their photographic safari wing. They set up the first camp at Savuti. They later sold Khwai and Savuti to Gametrackers, but kept Xugana because it was their base for Sitatunga hunting. David Hartley bought Xugana from them in 1982.

Harry built the bar and dining area, and 2 guest ablution blocks from brick and thatch and accommodation was in Meru tents. We are still using all the original buildings! The bar and inside dining/curio shop, the one ablution block is the guest loo behind the bar and the other block David Hartley converted into pilot/guides accommodation. David kept the tents until 1990 when complaints about no ensuite facilities became too frequent, and he built the “masasa” bandas that we use today. David also bought Tsaro lodge, near Khwai, in 1988. This had been built by Wolfgang Burre and Mike Gunn.

During David’s time Xugana hosted the BBC crew and scientists when they made the “Jewel of the Kalahari” documentary. The lodge was also the base for a team of scientists from Wits University led by Prof McCarthy who were doing a comprehensive study of the Delta lasting several years. Hartley sold Xugana and Tsaro to a wealthy German industrialist in 1996. He soon realized that he could not run lodges properly while sitting in Germany. He put them on the market in 1999, and Chobe Holdings bought them both. We closed Tsaro down when the lease expired at the end of 2001. We have recently, again, hosted scientists from the UK, working with Prof McCarthy doing studies on the underground sediments in the Jere Jere area as part of a larger study on global warming. Today Xugana Island Lodge is a proud member of the Desert and Delta Safari Lodges and plays an important role in ensuring a complete Okavango Delta destination to many our safari travelers.