Reviews of Kanana
(95%) From 67 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Amazing
Kanana is a very well appointed lodge set on a lagoon with Hippos and frogs serenading at night.
The staff here are outstanding and will accommodate groups so that there is no conflict of interest amongst viewing priorities. All the guides are extremely knowledgeable and professional.
Tents are very comfortable with electricity and very nice showers. The game viewing was superb we stalked a 4 lions hunting and a leopard.
Simon, our guide, was happy to just sit and observe the animals so that we could really soak up the atmosphere. Amazing. We loved Kanana and would love to go back.
We have been to Botswana before but this lodge was far and above our favourite.
Kanana review
From our Welcoming from the singing staff to the personal goodbyes this was an exceptional unforgettable experience. The location right on the water was perfect for bird life and wandering hippos and elephants.
At Arrival we were assigned a guide, as were others, that was with us for our entire four days. These Guides, along with Management, shared our meals at the one table.
The food was served hot at the table and was varied and delicious. Three days of our four we had surprises. We had an amazing picnic, Staff entertained us with singing and dancing and we had a large group Sun Downer. Our twice daily tours both on the water and game drives were fantastic.
We were most fortunate to have Robbie as our Guide. He is exceptionally knowledgeable about African wildlife. His tracking skills were phenomenal and recognized by all. He is the epitome of a professional and caring Guide.
A brilliant first safari experience.
We loved our stay at Kanana . It was our first safari experience and lived up to all our expectations. A very special camp in a beautiful location.
We were made feel welcome from the moment we arrived by the staff. Nothing was too much trouble. The camp created a very 'family like atmosphere'. Every member of staff wanted to ensure we had a perfect stay ... and we did. We were even entertained one evening by the staff singing and dancing for us before our evening meal, - lovely! The activities we enjoyed were varied, game drives and water activities.
We also took advantage of the sleep out deck, a night under the stars is not to be missed. We heard lions calling in the night - quite close, and the sunrise in the morning was beautiful. The guides impressed us with their knowledge, we learned such a lot. At all times they showed sensitivity to the environment and wildlife as well as ensuring our safety at all times. We saw an abundance of wildlife each day.
The accommodation was great, and the food excellent. A truly wonderful experience.
We were only there 3 days, but at the end of our stay we felt we were leaving good friends.
Outstanding in all Regards
Kanana was our favorite camp.
Tents face the water and have everything you would need. The service--top to bottom--was absolutely super. The managers, servers, guide and tracker were all personable, friendly, and provided expert service.
Although the game viewing could not compare to Chitabe, the mokoro ride is not to be missed and we enjoyed the walking safaris. The food was excellent as well.
I can't say enough to convey how pleased we were with Kanana.
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
