andBeyond Xaranna Okavango Delta Camp — Hotel in North-West District

Wow! Where does one begin? This was THE BEST holiday I have ever had (..and I have been fortunate to have had many amazing holidays!)||In particular, the Okavango Delta has been at the top of my bucket list for as long as I can remember and not only did &Beyond Xaranna meet expectations - my dreams were knocked out of the ballpark!! I had three hopes on this trip. I have been spoiled with two safaris prior to this one and I had been so lucky previously to enjoy seeing many, many animals in the wild. However, this time I was hoping to see Wild Dogs, a Cheetah, and a Leopard (the last on my Big 5 list to tick off). &Beyond Xaranna shared those experiences with us before we even went to sleep on our first night! ||During our stay we saw four Leopards (one under spotlight), we saw the Wild Dogs on three or maybe even four occasions (the first time - on our arrival day!) we even followed them on a hunt. Exhilarating! Sadly, they lost their prey to a pack of Hyenas (who we found finishing off their steal) but we found the dogs again later on where they had caught another meal and 18 puppies (yes - we saw EIGHTEEN puppies!) and the five adults all had full tummies to sleep on. (Sadly, the impala didn't make it home that night - but to see the great Circle of Life taking place before our eyes was such an honour and privilege). ||We also had the enormous pleasure to see the puppies in daylight waiting for the adults to come home from hunting - and I was thrilled to catch some video of the excitement of the whole pack when they reunited. I could have picked up a puppy and cuddled it (well, in my mind I could have 🤣) - such a family-oriented animal...they truly are very much like domesticated dogs in many ways. One young dog came virtually right up to the Safari truck and wagged its tail and smiled (I will ignore the possibility it may just have been sizing us up - it certainly looked like it was simply looking for a pat).||Of course, we saw a plethora of other amazing animals (some of which I had never seen before - like a Civet Cat and a Genet). Honestly, I could go on and on and on. My wildlife viewing dreams were indeed fulfilled tenfold and my heart is so full.||The Mokoro was also available and I am so very glad we took the opportunity to enjoy that. It was a totally different experience and it was so tranquil paddling through the water and watching/listening to the birdlife - and seeing elephants drinking in the water.||It must also be said that every single person at Xaranna went above &Beyond (see my little pun there? 😉) to ensure our every single comfort and need was met. Our driver (King) and tracker (Atti) were absolutely fabulous!!!!! It will never cease to amaze me at their talents; Judy was our Butler and nothing was ever a problem to her - our every whim was met with a beautiful smile; whenever we returned to our beautiful tent KD had woven her magic and it was always clean, comfy and welcoming (and that bubble bath on our last night was divine 💖); Sam was checking up with us often to see that all was well; Moses kept us safe on our morning trek to brekky and every evening walking back to our lovely "home"; our chefs Tshepo and Thapelo prepared the most delicious meals for us; we had numerous visits to the shop and I enjoyed a delightful poolside massage...sadly, I cannot remember all the names of the wonderful people who cared for us - but their faces are in my memory and I will never forget their kindness.||I truly cannot speak highly enough of the whole &Beyond experience. From the ease in booking everything; to getting us through airports in very fast time; to meet and greets to ensure things were running smoothly; to the plane transfers to and from The Delta ... every single item that &Beyond were involved in made our trip run smoothly and perfectly to plan. Thank you, thank you, thank you. 🌹||Personally, I can't wait to book our next &Beyond experience - wherever that...

We’ve been back from the fabulous Xaranna Camp for a couple of weeks now, and deliberately chose to hold off writing a review to be sure of our thoughts. ||Upon arrival we were treated by the team and shown to our tented home for 4 nights. We chose to spend 5 days so we could make full use of the facilities and immerse ourselves in the Okavango bush. ||I’ll start with the tent, this was extremely comfortable, we spent time in between game drives lounging around inside and out, overlooking the watering hole and watching all of the animals come for a bathe. The rainfall in Angola had not reached the Delta yet, but we were aware of this when booking the camp. ||The food was just amazing, everything was so fresh and the preparation far exceeded our expectations. Unfortunately I had picked up a bug from Cape Town, but the team adapted the menu and were very thoughtful throughout. ||The game drives were just the absolute highlight, we were fortunate enough to be on our own with King and Johnson. We went on every drive, and when we were lounging around on the communal deck with a book we were invited to an impromptu look at some wild dogs that were in the camp. We then followed in the game vehicle for 1.5 hrs and witnessed a kill, it was so fascinating to see the wild dogs track and hunt, with King predicting their every move perfectly. ||Every game drive we were spoiled with drinks and snacks, they were perfect and a brief rest from the sightings, nothing was too much trouble, never. ||On the last evening, we were surprised with a camp lit up by fairy lights when we returned from the game drive. We had a braai all to ourselves and the service was genuine, attentive and just perfect. The team ended the evening with some local songs and the genuine hospitality was clear to see, we both had a tear in our eyes to think that this trip was coming to an end. ||Our journey out of the camp followed the presentation of a hand made Birthday cake, along with Happy Birthday song from all of the team. ||Overall, we have been on many safaris from the Okavango, South Africa and there is just something special about Xaranna that stands out from them all. The genuine hospitality, the passion for wildlife, the game drives, food, cleanliness of the camp, the location - all were spot on. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making this trip a dream come true; Ashleigh, King, Johnson, Moses, Ona and Onty you are all so very special. ||We left as we came by helicopter, we will...

Spent 3 nights at Xaranna and had a truly memorable experience. We were absolutely spoilt during our stay and cannot recommend this camp and its staff enough. The camp facilities are beautiful! The rooms, omg! this is bigger than some apartments! The bed is huge, the bathroom is huge, and the personal pool overlooking the delta is perfect to cool off after a long day. You will get bitten by mosquitos, they have bug spray, I did use it and I was still bitten which is unavoidable. Every staff member provided outstanding service and made our stay so easy fulfilling our every need. Camp managers Oriel and Daman were a constant presence ensuring every aspect went smoothly. Judy serviced our rooms and meals, she was incredible. Our guides Amos and Johnson went above and beyond. They made our time here truly spectacular, they were friendly, and so knowledgeable, both from the delta region they could provide a locals perspective having grown up in the climate. On our 2nd day, we had not yet seen a leopard and were back from our morning drive when Amos had advised a leopard was spotted and he wanted to take us back out, even though we were only shortly back. We appreciated this greatly as he could have stayed on his break but instead worked longer and took us back out to see a leopard and baby cub. They also stayed back late with us one night to see an animal kill, definitely working above and beyond and overtime to show us something special. Truly exceptional service and dedicated to us as guests. Thank you Amos and Johnson.|We were here celebrating our honeymoon and we were absolutely spoiled for our special occasion. On the day we took the speed boat out, they had set up a surprise sun downer with drinks and food so we could enjoy the sunset from a special spot on the water. Oriel and other staff came down to wish us well too. It was so wonderful!|Food here was special, it was like eating at a 5 star restaurant every day. The menu options were healthy, had a local flair and were very tasty. |I have nothing but praise for this lodge and its staff, what a special time we had here, we could not have felt more looked after as guests and left glowing from our stay here.|thank...