Reviews of Kanana
(95%) From 63 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Kanana Review
Really lovely camp with lovely communal areas. Lots of inexperienced managers which showed in the service. Service staff were good.
The managers were really annoying and never left you alone. We didn't like the fact that they tried to make you sit in certain places for pre dinner drinks and tea. They didn't make best use of the great communal spaces and always had one big dining table in the back of the lodge for all meals.
Our room (no.7) was right by a generator which was switched on at 4.30am waking u as it was quite noisy. They should consider solar panels.
We were assigned to Chacjos as a guide but only actually had him for one activity. We didn't think he was very good. He didn't inspire any confidence that he knew the best areas for wildlife and he didn't explain anything eg when he was looking at tracks so it made us feel that he was just driving around randomly.
Wildlife viewing was terrible compared to the other camps but this was what we were expecting so wasn't an issue. The scenery is lovely and the boat and mokoro trips very relaxing. The boat and mokoro trips and really good and heronry is excellent.
When we asked for certain things (a private dinner and an early start taking breakfast to the heronry) the staff were excellent and accommodated everything we wanted to do.
Little things let the camp down e.g guides forgetting the keys for the boat two days running so we had to go back to camp for them and our driver taking us to the airstrip turning up 20 minutes late so that we were in a massive rush and had to take our own baggage from the rooms.
Kanana Review
The best aspect of this camp was its location - being in the middle of the Delta it had the best combination of water based and land based activities of all the camps we visited. The cruise to the Heronry and the Makoro trip were particularly memorable. On the land based side we had an excellent leopard siting.
The rooms, food and general facilities were all good.
I've marked them down slightly on service due to an unimpressive response when my wife stepped on a scorpion. Although the camp manager stayed calm (unlike my wife) they were totally unprepared for this, had to phone a doctor in Maun for advice on what to do and had no suitable medication on-hand. Fortunately, the sting was non-venomous. A further negative on the service was that the organisation of getting us and the other couple we were sharing the game vehicle with to the airstrip on the day we left was quite poor.
We were there for 2 nights, as advised by Expert Africa, and I think this was just about enough time for us to experience most of what they had to offer.
Expert Africa comments
We are very sorry that you were stung by a scorpion and for the pain this caused whilst staying at Kanana. Ker & Downey’s management team have explained that when medical incidents occur it is standard procedure for their camp managers to contact their company doctor. All their camp managers have first aid training but they aren’t medical professionals, so Ker & Downey feel it’s always better to be safe rather than sorry and to contact their doctor for advice. Fortunately, scorpion stings aren’t a common occurrence, but when they do occur unfortunately there is little one can do except administer antihistamine cream and pain medication, which are stocked at the camps and were offered in this case.
Kanana review
We were extremely pleased with the Kanana lodge and it's associated activities. Simon, our guide, was very good.
The highlight of the visit for us were the two visits to the heronry.
Absolutely fantastic camp
We loved our stay at Kanana, and having had 2 nights, wished we'd booked for slightly longer. Friendly family atmosphere with stunning chalets and shared areas. Very good food - particularly the salads! Staff were a particular highlight. Camp staff were highly accommodating, friendly and seemed to want to do everything possible to make our stay. Guides were knowledgeable and tailored activities to suit our interests.
Whilst it is correct to say that big game is less dense in this region, we still saw all the main draws (except leopard!) in addition to a very wide range of birdlife. We enjoyed the variety of game drives and water based activities, and sundowners on the water were magical. The walking safari following different tracks and identifying the smaller fauna and flora was also a highlight.
Lovely Lodge and staff
Lovely lodge. Really good staff.
Owner guide could have said more but was very brave where he took us.
Food was OK.
Saw lion male eating catch and one day baby elephant. Loved it.
Beautiful vista of impalas in the mist.
Kanana review
whilst nothing to complain about the camp was a bit too contrived / too 'corporate' / not traditional enough for our liking. that said, we were well looked after and there was nothing to fault.
the most disappointing aspect was the low water levels that made the water-based activities less 'special' than they might have been
Pangolin Island !!!!
Kanana is a water-based camp inside the Okavango delta with 8 comfortable and spacious tented chalets. Management and staff were very friendly and helpful, the food was good. There are many activities like boat cruises, mokoro, walking safaris but also night game drives day and night.
The day we arrived at Kanana was Day of Independence in Botswana (Sept. 30th): the whole staff was celebrating this and we were lucky to participate this party with finally having dinner outside the camp in the bush!!!
The water activities were amazing: during the boat cruises (we made it twice!) we saw lot of different birds, hippos, water crossing elephants, lechwe antelopes and (unfortunately far away) sitatunga!! But the highlight was the visit of a herony with probably thousands of marabou and yellow billed storks, pelicans, ibises and ....!
Mokoro is a great experience and if you come to the delta you have to do it!!!
We also made 2 walking safaris looking for the small things you usually miss on a game drive: not really spectacular but very informative (Thanks to Simon!).
Although Kanana is a water-based camp the game drives on the island (and the one close-by) offer more game than expected: of course elephants (also in the camp), giraffes, varied antelopes (especially lechwe) and our excellent guide Simon tracked a leopard (almost) perfect hidden in high grass! But he(!!) and we were most excited when we saw a pangolin - very very rarely seen even by local people!!!!
Great Experience in the Okavango Delta
We were greeted with singing and dancing on arrival at Kanana, and the emphasis on service never diminished during our stay. The meals were excellent and, on a couple of occasions, served remotely under the stars.
The tented chalets, set on elevated wooden platforms, are spacious and very comfortable. Views out across the water from the front veranda of our chalet are superb. The reception/dining area, built around a strangler fig, is open and inviting. And sunsets are postcard perfect.
Kanana staff set up a sleeping platform overlooking a seasonal marsh where we were fortunate enough to be able to spend one night, with only mosquito netting separating us from the stars. This much adventure may not be for everyone, but for our family it was delightful.
Activities at Kanana were varied and the guiding was exceptional. Our game drives were very good, observing elephant, giraffe, lechwe, tsessebe, impala, chacma baboon, vervet monkey, African hawk eagle, wattled crane... and most memorable, a lioness suckling two cubs! In addition to game drives, we enjoyed a combination mokoro and walking safari, a morning walking safari (honey badger!), boating safaris through the grass and reed waterways out to a pelican rookery (elephant, hippos, crocodile, otters!, pelicans, storks, kingfishers, African jacana...), and an afternoon of fishing (bream, tilapia, catfish, and African pike highlighted by an African fish eagle making a catch near our boat).
We enjoyed ourselves immensely at Kanana and give it our highest recommendation.
Excellent water camp
Great water based camp. Lots of activities! Friendliest staff at any camp we stayed at and went out of their way to make us feel at home. It was our anniversary here and they sang to us and made us a cake plus a private dinner (all a surprise to us!)
Read more about the whole safariKanana review
Excellent service,friendly staff. Views from the chalets somewhat restricted but no real problem.
Good and aware guides. Food fine.
