Reviews of Kanana
Wildlife sightings and reviews
78 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
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"Kanana review"
Went to camp to see heronry specifically and it was well worth seeing. Quieter camp and a very good way to end our holiday. Staff very attentive and arranged special locations for our meals, which was a nice gesture." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana
"Kanana Camp"
The only down side was the location as at the end of the season the waterways are often too shallow to navigate and limits what they can do." See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana
"Another very well run camp at Kanana"
Our guide Kenny was great - very knowledgable and willing to find what we were interested in - including stopping a game drive to take us out on the boat to see Pels fishing owl, when it had been spotted. Water trips were very good, especially to the heronry.
We were there on Botswana independence day, so we were treated to the national anthem (twice! - second time with us singing from a sheet!), a wonderful dinner, and a moving speech by Aubrey (another guide) on his pride in his country. A good mix of game, birds, lovely camp, great people." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia
"Great water based activities at Kanana"
The land based game viewing was not so good as the wildlife was fairly scarce. As the brochure had pointed this out we were not disappointed.
The staff sang to us on two of the three nights we were there which was lovely." See all these reviews: 14n in Botswana
"Kanana - a gem in the Delta"
From the welcome choir onwards, the staff were attentive and knowledgeable and made every effort to make sure our stay was enjoyable.
The tents were large, comfortable and well spaced. The food was varied, plentiful and well presented. It was nice that the guides had dinner with the guests.
One of the sundowners was interrupted by two lionesses! Fantastic!" See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
"great safari at Kanana"
"Great time at Kanana"
The managers Mark and Georgie made us feel very welcome, as did all the rest of the staff. Again, the food was really nice and plenty of treats. The accommodation was spacious, comfortable and clean. We have fully enjoyed our activities including the trip on the mokoro during which we saw many birds( amongst which the bird eagles, different kingfishers, African darters, jacanas, herons, storkes, etc), otters and hippos, while floating amongst all the lovely water lilies and other aquatic plants. Then on the way back to the camp, on board of a small motorised boat, we came across elephants bathing themselves and eating papyrus. That was great!
We went out again on the small boat with a guide called Ono. He took us to the herons ring. Unfortunately it was a bit early for the season (they are expected later in June /July) but we could still appreciate the beauty of the place. Ono showed us a pelican colony and we got quite close to some hippos which were very funny and interesting to watch while they yawned, dived in the water and got upset with each other trying to defend their territory. The highlight of the afternoon boat trip was spotting a sitatunga (a water antelope) which apparently is very shy and quite difficult to spot. Even Ono was quite excited when we saw it.
We went out for a night drive but we only saw some impalas, one elephant and a bush baby (or rather the eyes of a bush baby watching us). We have been told that at the moment is a bit too cold for the animal (being still winter there) and they do not come out much at night. Nevertheless we still liked it. At night, from our cabin, we could hear thousand of those minuscule frogs but also hippos and elephants. It was very exciting knowing that those large animals were just outside the camp...
The morning we left we had the camp to ourselves as all the other guests had gone out. The table for breakfast was set in front of the lagoon so that we could have the amazing view all to ourselves! After that our guide Kenny walked us to the air strip and on the way he explained all about animal tracks and behaviours and we talked about the traditions of local people. When we arrived at the air strip we found another guide waiting with our bags and we were ready to jump on a plane to go to our next camp. We really had a great time in Kanana!" See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
"Kanana, close encounter city."
Kanana has lots of potential for those wishing water activities with both motor boats and mokoro available, and fishing trips a great way to spend an afternoon. The game here was a little less than other camps that we visited but we did see less spotted genet here which we saw nowhere else as well as Cape hunting dogs and hyenas and many more species as well as great birds including lots of wood hoopoes.
One night we were woken by noises outside our tent (the tents at Kanana are very spacious and comfortable) and on opening the sliding doors we found a mother elephant with her calf browsing on the foliage hanging over our deck area. We watched them for about 10 minutes before they wandered off. The next day we heard them foraging nearby during the morning and then in the afternoon during siesta time they came along to the communal lounge/BBQ area and walked straight across by the fire pit. Just to be so close to them was amazing.
A short trip by mokoro took us to an island where we were able to have a beautiful hour or so walking with Maipaa, by far the best way to see the wildlife and gain a better understanding of the flora in the area.
Definitely the lap of luxury in the most beautiful surroundings. Fully recommend." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana; 3n in Zambia
"Kanana review"
The camp is extremely comfortable, and a communal area with views over the water is a good touch. Service and food was generally very good - though we had one meal which was definitely below the normal standard.
The Kanana concession has a lot of wetland areas, so in December this was a good choice with a good mix of driving, boat trips and mokoro activities available. During the floods it might be harder to drive around the concession. Game was abundant, including large herds of elephant passing through the area, and wildcat during a night drive. The quality of the guiding was very good.
One point to note is that for some reason Kanana are using an older set of vehicles than other camps we stayed (including Shinde). These are less comfortable, give a bumpier ride, and have less visibility (because the seats are higher and the canopy more obstructive). Upgrading the vehicles would definitely improve the overall experience.
Kanana was a great choice as a complement to Shinde camp, with a very different concession, different game, but still excellent standard of accommodation and service." See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana
"Kanana at xmas"
This is a small concession but don't let that fool you, there are animals aplenty here. So many giraffe and elephants and there are cats here as well. The first afternoon drive and at the far end of the concession there are bush fires, sounds dramatic but are not dangerous and travel at what looked like an inch an hour. This is where we find our first leopard within 40 feet of the fires sitting on a log watching the world go by.
Kanana also does proper night drives, going out after the evening meal for a few hours. We managed to see a few lions and a selection of the smaller animals so well worth doing. Then your morning wakeup is accompanied with a tray of fresh coffee (or tea) before it's off on another safari drive. I also went on the boat safari which was great, very relaxing and you get close to the hippos. We saw a baby croc but it's the heronry that will amaze you. Perched on small islands of thick bushes are perched hundreds of juvenile birds from storks to herons which don't fear the boat at all. This allows you to get within 10 feet and experience an amazing sight so close.
I was there for xmas day and our evening meal was out in the bush. We drove out about 15 minutes to an area filled with kerosine lamps on the trees, a near full moon and stars I never normally see and the sounds of wild animals all around. The staff sing for us before yet another fantastic meal in the bush and a few to many red wines.
Overall a great place to stay, very friendly and lots to do and nothing was to much trouble." See all these reviews: 13n in Botswana
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