Xakanaxa Lagoon — Moremi Game Reserve Okavango Floodplain Viewpoint

Xakanaxa Lagoon sits deep inside Moremi Game Reserve, where the Okavango’s permanent channels pool into a papyrus-fringed body of water that draws serious concentrations of wildlife year-round. Hippo pods own the shallows. Nile crocs patrol the banks. Elephant herds wade in to drink and bathe, and the birdlife — including the African fish eagle, malachite kingfisher, and saddle-billed stork — is genuinely world-class. This is not a viewpoint with a railing and an interpretive sign. It’s raw floodplain Africa, and the animals remind you of that daily.

Access is from the North Gate or via the Third Bridge track network — all sand, often deep, and seasonally flooded from March through May. A 4WD with a snorkel and good clearance is the minimum. The DWNP campsite here fills fast in dry season (May–October); walk-up spots are rare. No fuel inside the reserve — fuel up in Maun before you roll.

Delta lagoon. Hippos own the shallows here.