Offering cosy, yet luxurious accommodation, Nxamaseri Island Lodge, is situated on a private island. Its lodges embrace the banks of the Nxamaseri Channel that permanently flows through the Okavango Delta.

This inland delta has long been renowned for its wildlife and in particular the birds that flock there at different times of the year. But, in reality, it is so much more.

Although sparsely populated this captivating mixture of reed-lined channels and marshes is still home to three tribes, the Hambukushu, the Bayei and the Banoka. Their cattle and donkeys graze on the island and splash through the shallows. And their songs and dances are a source of entertainment for guests in the lodge.

A Curious Donkey Grazing Near Nxamaseri Island Lodge, the Okavango Delta in Botswana

Gliding through the channels of the delta in either a flat-bottomed motor boat or a pole-propelled mokoro is a wonderful way to view the wildlife here. The eco-friendly fibre glass mokoro canoes were inspired by the traditional wooden mokoro that native local inhabitants use for fishing and as a means of transport.

Visitors to this area may be surprised to learn that the Big Five have been sighted here but their presence depends on the time of year and the ebbs and flows of water. It is not unusual to see a crocodile sleeping in the reeds or a hippo lumbering through the marshes to flop into a cooling pool. But the birds are always around – African Fish Eagles perched on the tree tops and the African Jacana scuttling across the ubiquitous lily pads are a common sight

Crocodile Sleeping in the Reeds in the Okavango Delta in Botswana

Who for

Best for couples, singles, families(children six years old and over) and small groups.

Accommodation

Bedroom Nxamaseri Island Lodge, Botswana

Nxamaseri Island Lodge is the oldest lodge in the Okavango Delta and the first to achieve five stars. In 2024 it underwent a complete renovation, including refurbishing the lodges and adding new facilities.

Eight small lodges are scattered along the banks of the Nxamaseri Channel, overlooking the water. These include twin/double rooms, triple rooms and one family. Only children aged six and over are accepted.

Each lodge has a separate entrance and a private raised viewing platform. The beds are equipped with a generous mosquito net which acts as a good deterrent and the rooms have ceiling fans but no air conditioning. Toiletries are provided in the efficient shower housed in the en suite. Charging facilities for photographic equipment and a small safety deposit box are also available in the rooms. Extra luxuries include a hot water bottle slipped between the sheets while guests are dining during the chilly winter nights.

Food and Drink

Buffet-style three-course home-cooked meals are served in the outdoor dining area. Private dining can also be organised on request. Breakfast includes a continental-type buffet with cooked food on request. Lunch and afternoon tea are a daily event – sometimes the pizza oven is fired up then.

A fully stocked complementary bar is open all hours and a cooler box of drinks accompanies all outings. This is especially important on the daily sunset boat trip when it also carries nibbles to accompany a cocktail or two.

Dining Area at Nxamaseri Island Lodge, the Okavango Delta in Botswana

Facilities

The lodge has an outdoor lounge area with an open campfire to take the edge of the chilly mornings while enjoying the stunning views of the panhandle across the water. And a focus for pre-dinner drinks in the evening.

There is also a secluded swimming pool and a new spa offering treatments and massages plus its own landing jetty. In the curio shop (cash or card) guests will find a good selection of crafted souvenirs including baskets woven by the locals.

A demonstration of basket weaving is also available at the lodge. A daily inclusive laundry service is an added luxury here. Limited WiFi as available but there is no landline telephone communication  but there is a satellite phone and radio for emergencies.

Campfire at Nxamaseri Island Lodge, the Okavango Delta in Botswana

Activities

Apart from the guided motorised boat boat safaris and guided mokoro excursions mentioned above the lodge offers guided bush walks on the islands in the delta.

Mokoro Excursion Leaving Nxamaseri Island Lodge, the Okavango Delta in Botswana

Nxamaseri Island Lodge is renowned for its lure fishing between March and December and its indigenous tiger fish will enthral both experienced and novice anglers.

For guests staying more than 3 nights a unique experience is on offer – a guided tour of Tsodilo Hills, a UNESCO site featuring thousands of ancient rock paintings on hundreds of sites spread across the four hills. A local guide will introduce his visitors to the mysteries and wonders of these magical hills and the incredible display of drawings that depict life here over thousands of centuries.

Adam, the Local Guide, Discussing a Rock Painting on the Tsodilo Hills Excursion from the Okavango Delta in Botswana

How much

Nxamaseri Island Lodge is part of a portfolio managed by Desert&Delta Safaris who offer a variety of itineraries. Email them for a quote at [email protected]

What’s nearby? 

Maun airfield is nearby for arrivals by the small planes that operate across Botswana and to and from Cape Town in South Africa. There is also a grassy helipad and travel by helicopter to the Tsodilo Hills is an option available when booking this excursion. Guests can also request a visit to a nearby settlement to meet the locals.

Jetty at Nxamaseri Island Lodge in the Okavango Delta in Botswana

VERDICT: Nxamaseri Island Lodge offers a unique safari experience with added touches of luxury that ensure their guests lack for nothing and leave with happy memories.

You may also like: Review of Chobe Game Lodge, Botswana 

The post Nxamaseri Island Safari Lodge review, Okavango Delta, Botswana appeared first on The Travel Magazine.

One big advantage of today’s sophisticated post-processing software is that there are usually multiple methods and tools for accomplishing the same task. And oftentimes the technique that works best for one type of image is not the best choice for another.

The video below demonstrates eight ways to get the job done, whether your goal is to boost contrast or reduce it depending upon the specific effect you’re trying to create. This tutorial from photographer Mike Rogala comes with the warning that there’s a good chance that you’re doing it wrong.

Rogala puts it like this: “There are several ways you can change the mood or the punch of a photo, just by adding or subtracting contrast.” The obvious choice for many photographers is the Contrast slider. Unfortunately, according to this post-processing expert, the Contrast slider is rarely the best choice—even though it’s the most common tool employed by beginners.

Rogala explains why this ubiquitous approach provides very “little control over where and to what level the contrast will be applied.” That’s because it adds or subtracts contrast globally instead of limiting the enhancement to exactly where it’s needed. Worse yet, this simplistic slider modifies highlights, shadows, and midtones equally throughput the frame.

A second technique involves the use of Highlight and Shadow sliders to get the job done. Rogala demonstrates why this approach provides far more control. The use of Lightroom’s Whites and Blacks sliders is another way to increase or decrease the effect—working in much the same way as playing around with highlights and/or shadows. There is one significant difference, however, and Rogala explains what this is.

Rogala discusses the importance of paying close attention to the histogram when adjusting contrast with the four sliders mentioned above. You’ll also learn how to use them individually or in tandem to achieve the best possible results when editing different types of images

At this point there are still four remaining techniques worthy of consideration, depending upon the specific goal you have in mind. The bottom line is this: You may want to forget about the Contrast slider and use one of the seven other methods that Rogala explains in barely eight minutes.

Then head over to his instructional YouTube channel where there is much more to learn about shooting and editing techniques that deliver superior results.

And on a related note, don’t miss the earlier tutorial we featured with another accomplished pro who demonstrates how to capture sensuous high-contrast b&w boudoir photographs with simple gear by window light.

The failure to attain precise focus is a sure way to ruin an otherwise great photo, but fortunately there are post-processing methods to sharpen blurry images IF you use the right tools. Taking the wrong approach, however, will only make things worse.

We promise that  you’ll never look at sharpening the same way again after watching this eye-opening tutorial from acclaimed landscape photographer Mark Denney—especially after experimenting with the process on your own images.

Sharpening soft photos is one of the most important image-editing tasks, and there are varying opinions about the best way to proceed. Denney quickly cuts through the grease and introduces the 14-minute episode like this: “I’ll share with you a technique that’s seldom discussed, but it produces the best results in my humble opinion.”

Denney uses Lightroom to demonstrate his “foolproof” method, while noting that it’s equally effective with any software you use. The conventional approach is to open Lightroom’s Details panel and crank up the Sharpening slider, and then hold down the Option key while dragging the Masking slider over so that everything in white is where the sharpening is applied.

This may be a “decent” technique, but Denney explains why it falls short. He says that with this  method “you’re sharpening the entire scene, and that isn’t how the human eye interacts with a photograph.” His explanation goes like this: “When we see an image our eye naturally goes toward the brightest area of that scene or the area that’s the most detailed and enhanced.”

In other words, if everything within the frame is equally sharp, “the eye just wanders around” and that’s counterproductive for creating a compelling visual flow and telling a story with a photograph.

By now you’ve probably guessed that Denny’s technique involves selectively targeting and sharpening a specific element (or elements) in an image, while letting the rest of the shot recede. By employing this localized approach you’ll repair blur only where it’s distracting, thereby accentuating the key subject of a shot.

This method requires a bit more work, but it’s the only way to go if optimum results are your goal. There’s much more to see and learn on Denney’s instructional YouTube channel, so be sure to check it out.

We also recommend watching a tutorial we featured with another accomplished pro who demonstrates how the creative use of shutter speed settings enable you to up your game and capture landscape photographs with a unique look.