
PROPERTY HIGHLIGHTS:
- Xugana Island Lodge is ideally situated on the edge of the spectacular Xugana Lagoon. This beautiful lodge offers eight elevated rooms featuring Livingston décor, romantic beds veiled by fine viridian lace, spacious ensuite bathrooms and private viewing decks.
- Guests can relax in the boma and savour sumptuous meals in the outdoor dining area, which overlooks the still lagoon. Unwind in the comfortable sitting room or splash around in the inviting swimming pool, perfect for resting weary limbs after a rewarding day of game viewing.
- Guests can explore the many channels and floodplains of the Okavango Delta by mokoro (traditional dugout canoe) or motorboat, as well as discover some of the surrounding islands on a guided nature walk.
- Avian enthusiasts will be delighted with the variety of species in the area, while keen fishermen can battle it out with bream or the formidable tiger fish.
EXCLUSIVE LUXE VOYAGER VIP BENEFITS & BEST PRICE
We negotiate rates & benefits for our clients directly with the hotels’ senior management. Our rates match or in many cases are lower than the best online rate for the property. Our clients also enjoy a suite of extra VIP privileges and recognition while staying at a partner hotel.
- Complimentary room upgrade on arrival.
- Daily complimentary buffet breakfast for two.
- Up to $100 dining or spa credit per stay, and or in-house dining / spa discounts.
- Welcome amenities (wine/chocolates/fruit) and card from the GM.
- Complimentary private airport transfers.
- Complimentary roll-away bed if required.
- Early check-in and late check-out.
- Complimentary Wi-Fi.
- Enhanced recognition through VIP status at all touch points in the guest experience.
A complete or partial suite of VIP benefits will be offered, subject to the property T&C, including availability, category of room & length of stay.
ACTIVITIES:
Elephants feature largely on any activity at Sanctuary Chobe Chilwero, as the largest population left in Africa occupies this northern corner between Botswana, Zambia, Namibia and Zimbabwe. Game drives in open-sided 4 x 4 vehicles bring these grey giants into easy reach as they drink and frolic at the water’s edge in their boisterous herds. Thrilling game drives lead by our qualified professional guides bring you close to hippos, buffalos, puku and other animals that gather on the banks of the Chobe River. The puku, a small rusty-brown antelope, alongside impala, kudu and red lechwe, are only a few of the common antelope found here. Naturally, lion and leopard are also found in the area.
The best way to end a day of safari here is sipping on a cocktail while watching an African sunset over the still waters of the Chobe River from the comfort of one of our specially designed riverboats. Sundowner cruises are also a great way of seeing buffalo up close as they come out of the shade to graze in the cooler evenings and elephants as they wade in the river. Chobe is renowned for its abundance of dramatic sable and roan antelopes with their impressive horns. Sitatungas – antelope with splayed feet to help them run in swamps – are often seen here, as are the wild dog and lion that prey upon them.
Our new safari boat available from Sanctuary Chobe Chilwero can seat up to 18 guests and has a lower and upper deck, both featuring 360 degree swivel seats. The upper deck offers a great vantage point of the Chobe River and wildlife while the lower deck boasts a bar area and the perfect spot to relax and enjoy a scrumptious river breakfast or lunch. The boat offers a great exclusive and intimate alternative to enjoying the Chobe area especially for photographic enthusiasts.
Sanctuary Chobe Chilwero welcomes children of all ages and is the ideal choice for a family safari. A fence surrounds the lodge’s perimeter and a whole host of children’s programs and activities are available to keep the young ones busy. Our kids program includes guided walking safaris within the grounds of the lodge to collect pods, leaves and seeds and learn about tree identification, a “Safari hunt” with clues hidden away, kiddies croquet on the lawn, make your own pizza with the Chef and shortened game drives.
Guests will meet up with their guide at reception and drive through to the jetty for their fishing activity. The best time for fishing in the Chobe area is in winter, May, June, July and August. Type of fish guests can expect to catch is Bream and Tiger Fish. All fishing is done on a catch and release basis. Rates include: Use of the boat for maximum of 3 hours and fishing equipment. Maximum 3 people per boat and subject to availability.
Only an hour and a half’s drive from the spectacular Victoria Falls, Sanctuary Chobe Chilwero is a great base from which to explore this great wonder of the world. The transfer time is approximately 1 ½ hours depending on border formalities. From here, the guide will escort guests around the Falls sharing some facts & history along the way. Sanctuary Retreats will supply raincoats during high water months when guests are likely to get wet from the spray of the Falls. The walk is approximately 1½ hours in duration (3km), through the rainforest, stopping at the various viewing points. Guests will also have the opportunity to do some curio shopping in the adjacent open-air markets before returning to Chobe Chilwero.This activity is at an additional cost. Please enquire for rates.
Immerse in the local community and visit the Dipetsana Women’s Bike Shop. Set up through Sanctuary Retreats Philanthropy, the shop employs five women, providing them with a much-needed income to care for their families. Through donations of used bikes, the Initiative not only supports the women, but offers the local community access to a vital means of transport. The women relish in the chance to give visitors a tour of their shop, and offer them the opportunity to partake in a scenic bike ride around Kasane. Guests then have the option to continue the tour to the neighbouring women’s basketry shop to meet the employees and learn about their craft. Follow this with a stop at the local CARCAL animal rescue centre ($5 entrance fee), which takes in injured animals and birds, with the core aim to rehabilitate and release them back into the wild.

Xugana Island Lodge is a luxury safari lodge in a private concession in the heart of the Okavango Delta in Botswana. As part of the Desert & Delta Safaris circuit, Xugana Island Lodge offers a host of safari activities including game drives, guided bush walks, motorboat safaris and mokoro. Xugana Lagoon is widely recognised as the most spectacular permanent water site in the entire Okavango Delta, which itself is Africa’s largest and most awe-inspiring oasis. The Okavango River rises in the highlands of Angola yet never reaches the sea; instead its immense waters empty over the sands of the Kalahari, where the great thirst of the desert is quenched in a wilderness of freshwater lagoons, channels and islands.
Chobe under Canvas accommodates guests in comfortable mobile safari tents with ensuite bathrooms at secluded campsites in the game rich chobe national park to offer up close and personal encounters with Botswana wildlife.

Luxury Safari Lodge
Sanctuary Chobe Chilwero is a luxurious riverside retreat in the heart of the bush, with all of the facilities of a larger resort. The main area commands fabulous views over the Chobe River which borders Chobe National Park to the north. As well as the elephants for which the park is famous for. Guests can relax in the split-level swimming pool, unwind with a pampering session in the spa or enjoy the gourmet food that the lodge has become known for. Three of the new suites feature an extra bedroom – perfect for families.

Luxury Suites
Each of the 14 thatched suites has two showers, one inside and one outside. The en-suite bathroom also has a large free-standing bath. After a day of game viewing, what better way to relax than in your own private garden with a cocktail? Or if the fancy takes you, why not have your gourmet dinner served right here under the African sky. Coffee stations are now available for guest use in the rooms.


Pool Suite
Our new Pool Suite at Sanctuary Chobe Chilwero features a private plunge pool and private deck area where guests will be able to relax with cocktail enjoy private dinners for two under the stars (weather permitting). Coffee stations are now available for guest use in the rooms.
Meals at Sanctuary Chobe Chilwero are all freshly prepared. The lodge prides itself on its personalised service and this includes your culinary preferences and needs.From the lodge’s hilltop position, enjoy far reaching panoramic views over the Chobe River and floodplain below while indulging in fine dining and exquisite cuisine.

Bush Dining
A hearty full English and continental breakfast is prepared by Chef Phinias and served before departing for your morning game viewing activity. After experiencing the magnificent Chobe National Park you will be taken back to the lodge for lunch where you could make your own pizza or enjoy a delicious three course plated meal. Later in the afternoon the friendly staff serve afternoon tea with the Chobe River as a back drop before departing again for your afternoon game viewing activity. During your afternoon game drive or sundowner cruises you might stop for classic sundowner drinks and canapés – the only way to celebrate yet another beautiful African sunset! Enjoy pre-dinner drinks on the terrace of the lodge before sitting down for a three course dinner. Please let us know if you are celebrating a special occasion? We could arrange a special romantic private dinner right under the African sky.

Executive Chef
Botswana is well known for its mouth-watering beef so it is no surprise that Executive Chef Phinias’s signature dish would be a Botswana beef fillet served with seasonal vegetables. Other dishes that have proved to be amongst guest favourites is grilled impala with port wine and chocolate sauce on roast sweet potatoes. Follow your meal with wine from our small air conditioned wine cellar which houses a variety of South African wines – the perfect complement to a delicious meal. A variety of vegetarian dishes are also available. Like most chef’s, Phinias is passionate about his food and it’s preparation, always taking the time to greet guests and find out more about their dietary requirements. His personal touch in this regard is much appreciated and he is regularly asked for his recipes by guest.

Private Dining
Other facilities include a library, curio shop, split-level swimming pool and a full spa, complete with treetop treatment room.

Spa
Inspired by the abundance of nature that surrounds the lodge, the spa has drawn from that beauty to develop a range of treatments and rituals of the highest quality to relax, restore and revitalise guests. Authentic African design has been integrated with the natural elements surrounding this luxury lodge and the spa only uses products, treatment methods and practices that are environmentally friendly. Luxurious facilities include an indoor spa bath, Vichy showers, hydrotherapy, plunge pool, relaxation area and private treatment rooms, one of which is elevated in the treetops. Choose from treatments such as African Goddess Anti-Aging Facial, Soul of Africa Conditioning Body Massage, an African Milk Bath Ritual, African Potato Anti-Aging Body Experience, manicures and pedicures. With a range of treatments and rituals of the highest quality using products from both the Africology and Thalgo lines, how can you resist.

Pool
Area & Location
Area, Country
Chobe National Park, Botswana
Nearest Airport
OR Tambo Johannesburg International Airport, Johannesburg
Local Currency
Botswana Pula (BWP)
Time Change
GMT +2
Language
English
Best time to go
May to September
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