I am a seasoned traveller. I have a background in the airline, hotel, and travel industry. I changed career becoming a business owner within hospitality. I have about 500 posts on TripAdvisor. They all concern private travelling, for which I have paid.

My trip to Botswana is private. I have worked with Ms. Maruska Adye Rowe – Expert Africa on the bookings.

For this trip, I booked 3 (three) nights at each of these camps:

Camp Kalahari – Natural Selections
Linyanti Bush Camp – ABC
Selinda Explores – Great Plains
Camp Kanana – Ker & Downey – booked 22 – 25 September, left in 24-hours.

THIS REVIEW CONCERNS MY EXPERIENCE WITH CAMP KANANA

Prior to uploading on Tripadvisor and other media, the report has been sent to the management with Ker & Downey. The Sales Director has replied, mostly about what other guests think, which is completely irrelevant to me – and most likely to the users of Tripadvisor.

I found Kanana Camp run in an unappealing regimented style. As a guest you need to fit into staff routines. When staff claim, you can ask for anything, well, not true. If it does not fit the regimented time schedule, their eyes fluster.

It appeared difficult for the team to assist with any requests that were out of their very set schedules.

Arrival
I got into the vehicle at the airstrip. We drove into the shade and out comes the disclaimer form which needs to be signed right there by the airstrip! This was a first, and fortunately only time that happened! All other camps manage this procedure inside the camp. I found the procedure annoying.

It surely made me understand, I was heading towards a regimented camp – OMG.

Arrival in camp
Manager Carol greeted me. We sat down in the main area and tried to have a conversation. Carol shared information on how this camp was run. Time schedules, among others.

Well – someone should consider sending the Service Design Manager on a course. It went completely overboard. I quietly counted nine (9) staff interrupting our meeting. Every time we tried to revert to our conversation someone new came over to introduce themselves.

Do you ever revisit your actions? It is impossible to remember names and faces, when you come in such numbers, and being interrupted constantly is very unpleasant and confusing.

Lunch
It was an order: “you are having lunch now.” (13.00 hours.) I very clearly felt, my lunch was a breach of the team procedures, it was something they needed to get over with. My guide and I had lunch together, not my choice, it is how the tables are set up. There was an endless number of staff constantly interrupting again. Asking about drinks, trying dish up our food, interrupting again to check everything was ok.

No one asked if I wanted company neither at lunch nor dinnertime. I sat with a guide I just spent hours within the vehicle. We had exhausted subjects for communication. I am sure it was painful for both of us.

I noticed there were no guests in the main building and the tables are set up, so you barely see the other guests. The main area is U shaped with trees in the middle. The trees block the views between the two areas in the main camp. This made it hard to see or enjoy other guests at mealtimes.

Lunch is served at 11.00 hours, basically when you return from the morning drive. Again, the regimented style takes over. There must be staff available to welcome you back to camp, and therefore it is easy for the team to get lunch finished.

Tent No. 5 and No “0”
After lunch Carol walked me to my tent. We passed a few, and I started commenting on how far from the main area, I was going to be. I know Maruska (EA) had made notes, that I prefer not to be far from the main area. The camp was by no means full, and we passed several empty tents. When we arrived at No. 5 (feeling halfway back in my home country) Carol did say, she could move me to tent “0” next to main area. I accepted. This transpired at 14.00 hours.

The next remark takes the price for stupidity in my mind, when I heard Carol say: “you will have to wait until after your afternoon tour, the housekeepers are having their break.” Actions speaks louder than words. That remark completely encapsulates my experience; we say you can ask for anything, but we do not act it out.

While I do not want to feel entitled, I did find the above to be an issue that was not necessary. They had the notes from my agent, the mistake was entirely on the camp management in their distribution of tents. Furthermore, a price tag a little short of USD 2,000 does come with some expectations in terms of a functional camp.

I sat in tent 5 until high tea, left for my afternoon tour, returned for dinner, and only thereafter, could I unpack and settle in. FYI – no one was in the main area; the guests were somewhere else.

Black net
I assume someone decided to do something different and suggested black mosquito nets around the beds. I would like to ask the interior designer and camp owners, just how much time do you think it takes to identify black flies and mosquitoes against a black background? The net is not see through, which means you cannot enjoy the outside views from the bed. Interior design gone wrong.

The net also absorbs the little light, you find in the tents.

Poor lighting
The poor lighting in the tents makes the above-mentioned black nets even more hopeless. 5 lamps in total, all with a yellowish light bulb. I looked for a dimmer, not available. The two bedside lamps are facing towards the ceiling and cannot be moved around, hence reading in bed is not an option. The full lighting of the tents reminds me of a night club – yellowish and dimmed. A frustrating light setting.

Water in thermos in tent
One (1) thermos bottle with cold water is available in the tent – ONE! Bear in mind that early morning and after around 18.00 hours, you cannot go to the main area for refill, as you are only supposed to move around when escorted.

There is no fresh water available by the sink for brushing teeth. In this camp the tap water is copper/brown and not for drinking or brushing your teeth in. In all other camps, I have been to, we had average 4 cold water thermos available, one hot water thermos bottle, plus one by the wash basin.

No coffee & tea tray
I have never ever in any country stayed in a camp that did not offer an appealing tray with cookies, snacks, coffee and tea and a large thermos bottle with hot water. Never. Until I got to Camp Kanana. Considering the hours when you are not supposed to walk around alone, the lack of a tray is an issue.

No flashlight available
I wonder if Ker & Downey have safety and security officers? There is no flashlight available in the tents. While I fully agree with guests not going outside alone after darkness sets in, you simply must consider safety. An animal charging a tent, a fire, an unwell guest, loss of power, to name a few. To me it spells lack of security big time, and I found this very alarming.

Water bottle
This is the only camp that did not provide a private water bottle with a name tag. There are some transparent water bottles with screw lids available by the water tank in the main area. They did not look completely clean; they have stains on them. That would be ok, unless – I unscrewed the lid of a bottle and saw traces of lip sun block or something similar, and the bottle smelled very unappealing, so that is a no thank you.

I don´t find it respectful to pull out a bottle carrying another company name in a camp, but I had to in this situation.

Banging my knees against a metal rod in the vehicle
I have never seen such small safari guest vehicles. I wonder what a big man does. I’m 184 cm. I sat with my kneecaps against a metal rod. Every time the vehicle “jumped,” I banged my knees. That was painful to put it mildly.

Morning coffee
They wake you up at 05.00 hours with a cup of coffee or tea. Well, á cup literally. God forbid you would enjoy two cups.

It was a freezing cold morning and the below arrived at my tent, on a tray. I has asked for instant coffee, and I did write hot water, on the note.

There was about enough water for one cup. I bet you can imagine, how freezing cold the cup was, being walked through the camp to the tent. The water had gone lukewarm. You cannot make instant coffee with lukewarm water and in any case it was a complete let down. How can this even be, I mean, I am not the first camp guest?

Schedule
05.00 – wake up, supposedly with a hot drink
05.30 – escort to main camp - breakfast
06.00 – departure morning tour of about five hours
11.00 – LUNCH upon return to camp
16.00 – high tea
16.30 – departure afternoon tour about 3½ hours – the last 1½ hour in complete darkness
20.00 – dinner

No wildlife
I saw a leopard cub only because an adult with a cub had been found earlier in the day. When we arrived after 50 (50) minutes’ drive, the mum was not with her cub, so we looked for her for a while. On the same tour we saw two lions in a tree. Bar that a few impalas, and four elephants.

Coming from three camps in areas with wildlife in abundance, this area was a major let down. The tour felt more like a search and rescue mission than a tour in the wild. I sensed my guide’s worry about this too. He confirmed that what we saw that afternoon, would be what I should expect throughout my 3 (three) night’s stay at short of USD 2,000 per night.

I appreciate wildlife does what wildlife do, however, this was completely ridiculous. You travel in Botswana for wildlife. Hours in a vehicle just hoping is by no means a real safari.

Between them the guides did not share info on sightings. I did suggest my guide to radio the other guides when we saw two lions in a tree. That is what colleagues do in other camps.

BORROW A GUEST PONCHO … OR NOT
It was freezing cold the morning; I was at the camp.

My flight out of Scandinavia was 2 hours delayed, I had 19 minutes to get to the MRU flight, and I did. Long legs, flat shoes, and determination. However, one of my suitcases did not make it.

Hence, I was a little underdressed for the morning tour.

When I got into the vehicle, I looked for a poncho in the box, there was none. I asked the camp manager if the camp offered ponchos, he replied: “we only use ponchos if it rains, you can purchase a jacket in the shop.” While he was pointing to the jacket the guide was wearing. Again, the service delivery fails completely.

TIME TO GO
The list of issues that irritated me, coming from really appealing well run relaxed camps, are endless, as you can see. To be fair to the team and to look after myself, I called it 30 minutes into the morning drive the next day. No wildlife in 30 minutes. I struggled with the chilly water delivered to my tent, and I had to struggle at breakfast getting HOT water and a HOT cup to do a HOT coffee – I mean really? It became irritating. Everything was time consuming, and by the time they came with HOT water in a thermos bottle, well – it was time to leave.

I was offered camp Okuti and camp Shinde, an hour into the work to relocate me. When I asked about wildlife; eyes flustered, and a candid person replied, “same as here.” That means NO WILDLIFE. I therefore decided it was in my best interest to leave.

I regret having to upset people, but I saw no reason to sit the above out to please anyone. The price tag is hefty, so are the promises on their website.

MEETING IN MAUN
I met the Ker & Downey Assistant General Manager and the Inbound Markets person in Maun. The Inbound Markets person met me at the airport too.

The Inbound Market responsible person had the same behaviour as the camp team. Already in the airport AND in the 15 min. transfer, she kept asking, why I left. MADNESS!

I was just out of a camp, where I most likely upset a few people, I had been in a plane for nearly two hours – give me a break! I insisted I needed a bathroom, and fortunately the GM at my new lodge (who reads people and situations well), came to my rescue and insisted, we went to my room first.

I did address the lunch and dinner times at the meeting. The Ker & Downey Ass. General Manager highlighted the high tea served in camps at 16.00 hours. Dinner is served at 20.00 hours. Lunch at 11.00. High tea is not a meal, it is snacks, cakes etc. For most people it is a rare occasion and not a healthy meal.

To me the timings for the lunch and dinner are too far apart. NINE hours, let me write that again, there are NINE hours between lunch and dinner.

I was charged in full and have paid my two nights in the new accommodation, and I also paid short of USD 2,000 per night at the camp I left after one night.

How other guests experienced their stay, has no positive impact on my experiences, as I am sure you agree with.

There a lovely well run camps along the Selinda Spillway, the Kalahari and Okavango, go there if you want wildlife in abundance.

Stayed at Ker and Downy Kanana on our third stop on our African Safari adventure. I cannot say enough positive things about the staff, accommodations, and safaris. First, Opie, the manager was so friendly, entertaining and warm; the perfect person to welcome you to the resort. Staff was attentive and so friendly. Our guide Sue was the best!! He was very knowledgeable, fun, and entertaining. Appreciated the variety in game viewing with the walking safari and Mokoro boat. Accommodations were spacious and comfortable. Saw an amazing amount of animals and birds!! Kudos to the staff of Ker and Downy for making our stay unforgettable!!