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Kanana
Kanana
Kanana
Kanana
Kanana

Reviews of Kanana

Wildlife sightings and reviews

75 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Kanana and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa

Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in Aug-2018, 13 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at Kanana.
Lion

100% success

Leopard

92% success

Cheetah

17% success

Wild dog

36% success

Elephant

100% success

Hippo

100% success

Zebra

100% success

Giraffe

92% success

Buffalo

90% success

Wildebeest

67% success

Spotted Hyena

55% success

Sitatunga

27% success

White Rhino

27% success

Roan antelope

9% success

Sable antelope

9% success

Aardvark

0% success

Black Rhino

0% success

Pangolin

0% success

Showing 11-20 of 75
Duration
Arrival date
Mr & Mrs R
Northum

"Great location"

2 nights Arrived 22 Oct 2018
"We stayed here for two nights following our private mobile safari. The plane collected us from Moremi and we ended up going to Pom Pom camp because there had been rain the night before and Kanana Lodge runway was closed. From Pom Pom camp we thought we would be driven to Kanana but there was a helicopter waiting for us, so we felt very special. One of the staff met us at the Kanana runway and took us to the lodge. On arrival we were met by the rest of the staff with a welcome song. We entered the main building and one of the managers showed us around and told us what was on offer. We then had lunch, which was very tasty and three courses to choose from. Following that we went to our room, which was very spacious and comfortable. It had a lovely veranda with a view across the marsh, where there was an elephant munching at the greenery in the distance. There was a bit of a smell in the room and bathroom but once reported they soon sorted it out.

On our first night we had a private table, which was very romantic, although the other people staying there were good company at the other meal times. There is a turn down service which is usually done while you are out on your afternoon activity when they leave a decanter with sherry for you to enjoy before dinner. Prior to dinner everyone assembles around the fire pit and has drinks. We found this made it nice and sociable.

Our mobile safari guide in Moremi (Andrew) had managed this lodge previously and had told us to ask to get out on the water if we could, as that would be a good contrast to the land based stuff we had done with him. We therefore did both the mokoro and motor boat trip up to the Heronry. The very proficient mokoro poler (I have forgotten his name ? Chester) has been there for many years and he was very informative and always cheerful. The day we went to the Heronry the water was particularly low and the two guys had to get out and push the boats to get them through. One of the guys who was new got a bit scared as he spotted a baby croc on a rock ahead of him when he was in the water. Chester just laughed saying it wouldn’t hurt and its mother would not be around as she will have gone to deeper water until it got dark. Chester also pointed out the sitatunga antelope in the distance, then we saw one right next to us on the way back. I know these are quite elusive so we were lucky to see two.The heronry is amazing with so many birds there all nesting in the same trees and bushes, pelicans, marabou storks, herons, ibis and egrets. It was quite deafening with the young squawking to be fed. We also enjoyed the mokoro ride, which is very peaceful making it easier to get close to both birds and animals.

Bonolo our guide was very knowledgeable about both birds and animals. We saw a Pel’s fishing owl as well as a giant eagle owl. We also followed a pride of lions with cubs. On the second day we saw them stalking a red lechwe but it managed to escape when the male lion spooked it. We were lucky enough to have Bonolo to ourselves so we were able to concentrate on our interests. We also saw a white rhino too. While we were there we witnessed a sun halo, something that none of the staff had seen before. Pretty amazing.

We really enjoyed our stay at Kanana and I would definitely recommend it." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia; 5n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Buffalo

2 sightings

Elephant

6 sightings

Giraffe

3 sightings

Hippo

3 sightings

Lion

2 sightings

Sitatunga

2 sightings

White Rhino

1 sighting

Wildebeest

3 sightings

Zebra

2 sightings

Mrs & Mr N
Australia

"Kanana Gives a Warm Welcome"

4 nights Arrived 27 Sep 2018
"Loved our 4 nights at this camp. Beautiful view from the lounge area over the lily filled channel. Exploring by Mokoro was such a peaceful way to enjoy this and gave a different perspective than from the higher boats. T man was a great boat guide & fishing companion for my husband. On the game drives we went out with Owner who was a very knowledgable and catered to guests particular interests. A leopard was number 1 on our list. Happily Owner found 1 on our last afternoon game drive. She was sleeping on a very visible branch. We & the other couple in the jeep wanted to hang around to see whether she would wake up. Owner happily obliged and we had our sundowners sitting below in the jeep. The leopard woke about half an hour in, came down & walked right past our jeep before stalking a nearby goose. A perfect encounter with no other cars around. We also enjoy birds and Owner was always helpful in spotting & naming them. There is such a good variety of activities & game at Kanana. As well as leopard, we saw lion, elephant, hippo, rhino, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, many antelope including Red Lechwe and many birds. The heronry is unique and the walking safari fun. Being a private reserve there were only 2 or 3 vehicles at major game sightings. Often it was just 1.

Tent was spacious & comfortable with an old school safari feel. Lovely outlook over the water from the front verandah. No shortage of hot water. Housekeeping did a great job.

Staff at Kanana were warm & attentive. They really did seem to enjoy welcoming guests with song. There was a wonderful sense of camaradarie among them. This atmosphere made dining at the shared table even more convivial. Independence Day happened while we were there which was another occasion for dancing & singing & a cake bake off. Food was good & plentiful. Included wines were of a good standard.

A couple of things to note:
There is 1 computer in the lounge that guests can use. Speed and connection was adequate. There isn't WiFi or any mobile phone connectivity. So a local SIM is of no use. I mention this because like us, there are probably many potential guests who need to attend to some work while away. If that is the case you need to know the extent of internet availability. The computer served our purpose well and it wasn't heavily used.

If you are wanting imported wine or champagne for a special occasion, you will need to order & pay for this in advance. I misunderstood and thought that there was a (small) stock of premium wine & champagne which we could order & purchase onsite if the mood took us. This wan't a big deal for us but it might be for others with a special celebration happening.

We thoroughly enjoyed our Kanana stay. It was as we imagined the Okavango delta to be. Highly recommended." See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Hippo

Multiple sightings

Leopard

1 sighting

Lion

1 sighting

Sitatunga

Multiple sightings

White Rhino

1 sighting

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Wendy
Melbourne

"Safari at Kanana"

2 nights Arrived 11 Aug 2018
"The guide we had was fantastic - so knowledgeable and engaging. Having been in the industry for a long time showed. He set a standard for the rest of the trip.

We arrived at Kanana at the time that the afternoon game rides started, so there was a somewhat hurried welcome and then off we went. We got back at dinner time so there was no time to change or shower." See all these reviews: 26n in Namibia; 7n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

4 sightings

Hippo

5 sightings

Leopard

1 sighting

Lion

7 sightings

Sitatunga

1 sighting

White Rhino

1 sighting

Zebra

10 sightings

Mossy 1940
UK

"Kanana review"

3 nights Arrived 6 Apr 2018
"Whilst Kanana was pleasant, it did not measure up to Machaba. The staff were good but not nearly as good as Machaba. It just seemed to be trying to be 'up-market' on the cheap. Our guide was 'Owner' who was very good." See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana; 4n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Prof V & Mr T
Oxford

"Beautiful camp"

3 nights Arrived 29 Mar 2018
"We had a lovely time here, and really enjoyed the opportunity to do some walking. Every day we saw Perl's Fishing Owl - just fantastic.

The tents are amazing; almost Tardis-like, in the sense of looking normal-sized from the outside, but feeling enormous once you are inside. The range of animals was perhaps not as great here as in other camps on our trip, but there is still masses to see.

The camp felt a little bit bigger and busier than the other ones on our trip, with lots of people coming and going. That was fine and we talked to lots of interesting people." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Ms V
USA

"Kanana review"

3 nights Arrived 21 Mar 2018
"Most comfortable jeep of our trip! Only 2 rows of seats, each with padded arm rests that raise and lower and can be used as camera rests, and lots of leg room.

Very good guide, and welcoming friendly staff.

All meals are family style at fixed times, which requires the guide to be very mindful of how long it takes to return, regardless of the viewing opportunities. I would prefer to have flexibillity in dining times, particularly dinner (8pm is a bit late for us)." See all these reviews: 14n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Stefan
Memphis

"Kanana review"

2 nights Arrived 20 Nov 2017
"the highlight was the mokoro trip to the heronry..unbelievable
once again great service, very attentive" See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana; 5n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mrs CL
Alberta

"Outstanding Property, Guides and activities"

3 nights Arrived 23 Oct 2017
"This place really touched our hearts.

Our guide "Doctor" was responsible for a truly exceptional safari experience. He is extremely knowledgeable, always has a smile and wants to ensure you have a memorable trip. We are already talking about returning in two years. An absolute "must do" is the heronry. We are not bird people but after visiting this special place you feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to view first-hand.

Food here is delicious and varied.

Accommodation is lovely." See all these reviews: 5n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs R
Hants

"Mokoro heaven plus lions in the camp"

3 nights Arrived 1 Jun 2017
"We loved Kanana. The location gives a fantastic experience of the permanent water and flooded landscape, and so much more too. This was our favourite camp of the trip, although in part this could be down to the European couple we shared a vehicle with.

Although it isn't the smallest of camps it had a wonderful atmosphere with a lot of laughter and all of the staff know the guests by name. The staff were enormously friendly and relaxed and nothing was too much trouble, even dealing with more awkward guests. Coffee served with wake-up call. Singing before dinner one evening seemed spontaneous and fun with more and more of the staff, including guides, joining in.

The water-based activities were excellent. We took a motor boat to reach the mokoros, stopping en route to watch an elephant slowly crossing the deep channel with only the top half of his head and the tip of his trunk above the water. All around were malachite and pied kingfishers,African fish eagles and coucals. The trip in the mokoro was incredibly peaceful with thousands of water lilies all around and reeds decorated with jewel-like Angolan reed frogs. This was followed by a walk on a large island with plenty of game to watch before returning by mokoro and motor boat. We also had a longer motor boat trip to enjoy the sunset on the water after visiting a large heronry and also seeing the elusive sitatunga.

We were pleasantly surprised at the amount there was to see on game drives. There were plenty of wonderfully relaxed elephants, reed bucks, red lechwe, greater kudu, zebras and giraffes, also great views of a leopard and late in the afternoon a group of lions. The next morning the lions were in camp watching from a distance as we met for breakfast. Our guide patiently waited for them to start to move so we were able to follow in the vehicle as the three sub adults played on fallen trees in the morning light.

The tent was comfortable with a nice deck over-looking the reeds...a great spot to bird watch. Our guide was excellent and joined the guests for breakfast, lunch and dinner. On two out of the three nights we missed sundowners as we were too busy watching wildlife...in my opinion the correct priority!" See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Excellent
Bertie
UK

"Amazing"

3 nights Arrived 11 May 2017
"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." See all these reviews: 11n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Showing 11-20 of 75
95%
75 reviews of Kanana by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
56
18
1
0
0
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