Kigelia Adventure Lodge

Where Kigelia Adventure Lodge sits

Kigelia Adventure Lodge lies south of Shakawe on the Okavango Panhandle, close to the Okavango River where the channel is wide and fringed with reeds. The Panhandle holds permanent water year-round, so the river here does not depend on the annual flood arriving.

The sausage tree

The lodge takes its name from the huge sausage tree, Kigelia africana, that shades the main public area. The wooden deck beneath it looks out over the water and a series of papyrus islands.

The tents

There are fifteen spacious en-suite tents, taking a maximum of thirty guests. Unusually for a Panhandle camp, the tents have air conditioning, which makes a real difference in the hot months.

Electricity and wifi

The lodge has mains electricity and wifi, which the operator presents as a step up in comfort from its more rustic properties. On the Panhandle, where many camps run on limited solar, that is a meaningful distinction.

The swimming pool

There is a swimming pool on the property, used through the heat of the day between water activities.

Boats on site

Boats are kept at the lodge, so trips onto the Okavango can be run directly from the property rather than arranged elsewhere. The Panhandle’s permanent channels make boating viable across the year.

Self-catering with a guide

The lodge operates on a self-catering basis, with meals prepared by the guide. That is an unusual arrangement and worth understanding before booking: it keeps costs down while removing the work of cooking.

Fishing and birding on the Panhandle

The Panhandle is the strongest fishing water in the Okavango system and one of the best birding reaches in Botswana, with riverine forest, reedbed and sandbank habitats close together. Botswana closes the Okavango to angling in January and February.

Who it suits

Travellers who want the Panhandle’s water and birdlife with air conditioning, electricity and a pool rather than a bare-bones bush camp, and self-drive parties happy with a self-catering arrangement where the guide does the cooking.