About Nxamaseri Island Lodge
Island Lodge is an exclusive, luxury lodge secluded on an island in the Northern Okavango Delta. Nxamaseri is a birdwatcher’s paradise and the premier fly-fishing destination in Botswana.
The lodge's close proximity to the sacred Tsodilo Hills makes Nxamaseri truly unique, offering an unrivalled African cultural experience while relaxing and unwinding in one of the most beautiful settings in the world. Enjoy a unique island experience in the permanent waters of the spectacular Okavango Delta.
About Nxamaseri Island Lodge and the Community
The lodge is designed to showcase the area's breathtaking scenery. With decor handcrafted by local artisans and original Botswana artwork, its rustic natural charm is enhanced by the warm hospitality of our hosts. Owner-run and focusing on personalised attention, Nxamaseri offers an intimate way to experience the peaceful beauty of the Okavango Delta.
The Nxamaseri area has strong traditional links to the San people of Botswana. In fact, "Nxamaseri" is the San word used to describe the sound the wind makes when it blows through the reeds.
The ancient course of the Nxamaseri channel flowed past the mystical Tsodilo Hills, a site sacred to the San people. As a result, the Nxamaseri community has a marked San influence in its culture and appearance. Nxamaseri Island Lodge has a curio shop selling handcrafts and artefacts made by the local communities, with proceeds going to community development projects.
Accommodation at Nxamaseri Island Lodge
Nxamaseri Island Lodge prides itself on providing a personal touch. Highly exclusive, the lodge features just seven double en-suite chalets and a charming tree house, maintaining an intimate atmosphere for those seeking true relaxation.
Each secluded room is surrounded by indigenous forest and has a private deck overlooking the waters of the Okavango Delta. Teak walkways link the chalets to the lodge's main area, providing an opportunity to witness up close the remarkable birdlife that inhabits the tree canopy above.
Activities
Fly Fishing
Nxamaseri Island Lodge is renowned for its incredible year-round lure fishing. Our location is well known for its sheer volume of Tiger Fish, one of the world's most dramatic freshwater game fish. Various other species, including some magnificent bream and catfish, can also be caught, ensuring an eventful and memorable fishing trip.
Birdlife
Nxamaseri boasts one of the densest concentrations of Fish Eagles in Southern Africa. Water birds are prolific here, and Nxamaseri provides unrivalled water bird viewing, with a large variety of kingfishers, herons, storks, and other waterfowl.
The area also has an impressive list of woodland and riverine forest species that inhabit the islands and the seasonal floodplains beyond the lodge.
Tsodilo Hills
A national treasure and the highest point in Botswana, the Tsodilo Hills rise 1,400 metres from the flat desert landscape of the Kalahari. Sacred to the San people of Northern Botswana, a visit to these hills delivers, however briefly, the essence of an ancient culture: fragile and increasingly threatened in the face of pressure from the Western world. Tsodilo is a place you will never forget.
Where is Nxamaseri Island Lodge?
Nxamaseri Island Lodge was established in the early 1980s by PJ Bestelink, an avid fisherman who pioneered fly-fishing in Botswana. He found the secluded island at the heart of the Okavango Delta panhandle to be the perfect location, and the lodge is now the Okavango Delta's premier fly-fishing destination.