About this hotel
General information
Eagle Island Lodge is Belmond’s lodge on Xaxaba Island in the heart of the Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Channels, lagoons and grassy floodplains surround the island, which can be reached only by air. The lodge is small: twelve tented rooms, set well apart among the trees for privacy, each with its own plunge pool.
The shared spaces open onto the landscape: a restaurant with a covered terrace, a thatched bar above the floodplain, a library, a TV lounge and a boutique. Four meals a day, all drinks including selected branded spirits and wines, daily laundry, at least two guided activities a day and flights from Maun or Kasane are included. Children are welcome from the age of six.
Location
The lodge stands on Xaxaba Island in the central Okavango Delta and has its own airstrip and helipad. Light aircraft reach it in about 20 minutes from Maun airport and in about an hour from Kasane airport, and both flights are included. A Belmond representative meets guests at Maun airport, and a guide meets them at the airstrip for the drive to the lodge.
Spa
The Wellness Pod is an intimate two-bed treatment room working with local natural ingredients. The menu runs from the 90-minute signature Spirit of Adventure Escape to body exfoliation, body cocoons, the Safari Glow treatment and the Ultimate Hand Ritual, with a gentle fun facial for children. For those who would rather unwind without a treatment, there are creative sessions such as sketching outdoors.
Sports & leisure
At least two guided activities a day are included, and the choice follows the season and the water levels:
- game drives with a guide in search of giraffe, zebra, lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and wild dog, plus night drives by spotlight followed by a talk on the night sky;
- guided nature walks that train the eye on the small details of the bush, from insects and termite mounds to tracks, and dedicated spoor-tracking sessions;
- mokoro outings by traditional dugout canoe through shallow channels of water lilies and papyrus, when the delta is flooded, normally from June to September;
- powerboat trips to hidden lagoons and sunset cruises with a drink in hand, also in the flood season;
- catch-and-release fishing for African pike, tilapia and catfish at high water;
- birdwatching in a delta with more than 400 species, among them the African fish eagle;
- a visit to the neighbouring village on the same island, with its mud-and-reed huts, basket weaving, market, bakery and a meeting with the elders, reached by boat or mokoro in the wet months and by vehicle in the dry ones;
- at extra cost: a dawn helicopter flight combined with a horseback ride across the floodplains, a helicopter trip to Elephant Havens, a non-profit that hand-rears orphaned baby elephants, and an hour’s helicopter flight to the Tsodilo Hills in the Kalahari, a UNESCO site with more than 4,500 rock paintings and a sacred place for the San people.
Exercise equipment and yoga mats are available for guests’ own workouts.
For children
For children aged six and over, experienced guides lead age-appropriate activities: baking with the chefs, safari storytelling, fishing, bush skills and learning to identify local plants. The spa has a gentle fun facial for young guests.
Restaurants & bars
The kitchen blends international and local dishes with a particular focus on Setswana cooking; there are four meals a day, and dinner is a three-course à la carte menu. Meals move between several settings:
- Lodge Restaurant — the main restaurant, with tables in the sun or on a covered terrace; lunch is timed to fit in before the afternoon drive;
- Fish-Eagle Bar — a thatched, open-sided bar overlooking the floodplain, where elephants can sometimes be seen;
- bush lunches beneath a giant baobab;
- candlelit dinners on a barge in the delta channels at sunset;
- Lanterns & Fire — dinner by lantern and firelight on an open terrace;
- champagne picnics and private dinners on the guest’s own veranda.
Swimming
Every room has its own plunge pool on the deck, looking out over the floodplain.
Rooms
Twelve tented rooms in a single category stand on raised platforms, spaced apart among the trees for seclusion. Interiors bring together oversized beds with hand-crafted copper headboards and understated elegance.
Each room has a private plunge pool, a shaded furnished deck, an en-suite bathroom with a bath and indoor shower, a walled outdoor shower with delta views, air conditioning, a desk, a fully stocked minibar, a mosquito net and complimentary Wi-Fi.
Deluxe Tented Room
A tented room with one king or two twin beds, savannah and river views and a raised furnished deck with a private plunge pool and a walled outdoor shower. Sleeps two adults and one child aged 8–15 on the sofa bed.
Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Actual room layout, furnishings, décor, views and amenities may differ from those shown and may vary between rooms of the same category. Hotel and room descriptions are based on information provided by the property and are believed to be accurate at the time of publication, but are not guaranteed. The hotel may renovate or change its rooms, facilities, restaurants and services at any time without notice. The final details of your stay are confirmed at the time of booking. See our Terms of Use.