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5.0
#1 of 33 campgrounds in Maun
Location
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Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Nokanyana is situated close to the Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park, only 120 kilometres from Maun. With seven luxury rooms and three family suites set on the banks of the Kwai River. Nokanyana offers fantastic game viewing.
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Nokanyana (Roots & Journeys) hotel receives accolades for its neat and spacious rooms, complete with unique outdoor showers set against beautiful backdrops. While some travelers mention occasional heat discomfort, the overall cleanliness and maintenance of the facilities are highly praised. The value of the hotel's paid services, including laundry and day trips, is recognized by guests as a worthwhile investment.
The hotel offers an array of amenities including game drives and mesmerizing views, and despite some airflow issues in tents, the proximity to wildlife is a highlight. The atmosphere is described as welcoming, with staff performances adding to the charm, and the lodge's riverside location is celebrated for its stunning wildlife encounters. Guests consistently commend the warm and attentive service, which, along with personalized touches, significantly enhances the wildlife experience.
Location
Picturesque
Atmosphere
Welcoming
Rooms
Spacious
Value
Satisfying
Cleanliness
Spotless
Service
Warm
Amenities
Well-appointed
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My wife and I were lucky to visit Nokanyana camp, extremely lucky. Every single detail of our stay was beyond expectations; the food was fresh, delicious, and had a wide variety; our accomodations were like a luxury hotel; the location made us feel like we were camping out in the wilderness. Except of course that we were being looked-after in the most thoughtful way. Having tea and sitting on the patio, overlooking the river with all of its ever-changing wildlife was wonderful. The wildlife itself was however, way beyond our wildest expectations. At night we could hear lions, hippos, and hyenas some distance away, and large herbivores munching quite close by. But during the day, wow. We had so many special moments it’s hard to pick which ones to mention. Lions playing with the head of their recent impala kill. Small groups of kudu each containing a male with truly massive horns. Mature male elephants spread out like statues along the Khwai river. Families of elephants coming one after another to drink at the end of the day. We did however pick our favorite: African wild dogs; we saw them twice; what luck!. As someone looking at the birds too, I hardly knew which way to turn; there were bustards and spurfowl, eagles and vultures (including lappet faced!); even the commonest species such as starlings and rollers were beautiful. Nokanyana far exceeded our expectations in every way. We’d love to go back.
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Date of stay: July 2019
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Maunbots, Owner at Nokanyana (roots & Journeys)
Responded May 12, 2020
Thank you so much for taking the time to review your stay at Nokanyana. It was a pleasure to have you with us, and hope to welcome you back again soon. We will pass on your kind comments to the team. Your Roots & Journeys Team
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My stay at Nokanyana was simply amazing. Transfer from Maun by car was possible. And the pack of wild dogs shortly before the lodge was amazing. The lodge itself in beautifully laid out in front of a river where you can often see and hear fish eagles and hippo. We also had elephants close to the lodge. Two game drives a day were very nice and I saw leopards, elephants, a lot of bildlife, wildebeest and hippos. One personal highlight was a chameleon :) The staff was friendly and the food very good. A dip in the pool is a nice cool down on a hot day. The outdoor shower is very cool, in addition to the indoor shower.
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Date of stay: August 2019
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Anna Vanderfield, Owner at Nokanyana (roots & Journeys)
Responded Nov 17, 2020
Thank you so much for taking the time to review your stay with us. We look forward to welcoming you back again soon. Your Roots & Journeys Team
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Put simply, we found Nokanyana to be one of the best safari destinations we have been to thus far judged on the game viewing experience we had there. We didn't even have to leave the camp to see elephants, buffalos, giraffes, water bucks and hippos. The sundowner by the hippo pool on our first day was enthralling. We opted for a day trip to Savute on the second day (had to fork out extra for this) which bagged us cheetah and lion sightings complete with the aftermath of a cheetah kill and watching them gorge on a kudu they had taken down. The next day brought more cheetah, leopard and wild dog sightings amongst the mix of the usual game. So 4 out of 5 of the Big 5 in 2 days rates as a highly successful safari in my books (you'd have to go elsewhere for the last member of the big 5 but we knew that already).
The camp itself was comfortable and neat. The dining / common area also affords guests the opportunity to view game as aforementioned which was nice and we spent one afternoon doing exactly that. The tented rooms are neat and spacious and a good outdoor shower such as the one we had is something that always bowls me over.
The food was decent and sufficient but don't expect to be fed like royalty. Then again, you don't go to Nokanyana for the foodie experience. There are other places that do that.
The staff ably led by Aruna were on top of things throughout our stay. G our guide was witty and knowledgeable about wild life and a whole range of other things (including stars by night). Lemu courteously attended well to our needs during meal times and high tea and kept us well watered in the heat of the day. The rest of the staff equally chipped in to make our stay pleasant.
When all is said and done, I finish as I started by saying it was one of our most memorable safari outings and thanks to Roots and Journeys for making this possible. We would gladly go back there again.
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Date of stay: September 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Try and travel in the dry season if you can
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Anna Vanderfield, Marketing at Nokanyana (roots & Journeys)
Responded Oct 24, 2023
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a wonderful review. It was a pleasure to have you with us!
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If you're after an authentic woodland savannah experience with the wonderful wildlife literally walking into the camp, this lodge is for you. It offers luxury within the confides of it's remote location as in the WiFi is patchy yes and the showers are solar powered so water temperatures can be unpredictable, but our two teenages who live on their phones survived on the limited wifi as the lodge offers a variety of different game drives, morning, evening, night and walking to keep everyone busy. The lodges are very clean and well appointed and the staff are very friendly and welcoming. Night and day the majestic wildlife walk unrestricted, no electric fencing, within feet of your lodge. We were on our lodge verrandah and we had two beautiful elephants walk by within 3 metres of where we were sitting. We heard elephants, hyennas and hippos during the night.
The variety of wildlife is incredible even on our first drive we saw so much including a beautiful young female leapord feeding.
As mentioned by other reviewers it is around 2 hours from the airstrip and yes the roads are bumpy. It wasn't an issue for us but it may be a consideration for others. The trackers/drivers are very knowledgeable and from an eco standpoint they pay back the local communities every time a game drive takes place in the two surrounding areas of Khwai and Mababe. The trackers want to give their customers the best experience but not at the expense of the animals. We went onto a more commercialised lodge in Chobe National Park and yes the facilities were better but we all felt perhaps the animal welfare was not as high a priority.
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Anna Vanderfield, Marketing at Nokanyana (roots & Journeys)
Responded Aug 21, 2023
Thank you for taking the time to write a detailed and honest review. We really appreciate all feedback and strive to improve in these areas. We hope to see you back again in the future.
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Staff was great especially the guides (Moffat and Sonny).
Food was great and accommodation was beautiful and very comfortable.
Hot water in the rooms was the only real problem we had as we only took 1 shower where we really had hot water. Even skipping the evening shower did not ensure hot water for an early morning shower.
The other thing was the noise from the village nearby but that was expected.
Game viewing was excellent and we were well looked after with making sure we are warm with fleeced ponchos and hot water bottles.
Thank you for an amazing time.
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Date of stay: June 2021Trip type: Traveled with friends
Room Tip:Â Shower in the afternoon.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Anna Vanderfield, Marketing at Nokanyana (roots & Journeys)
Responded Dec 12, 2022
Thank you for your lovely review. We hope to see you back again soon!
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Ours was the only vehicle that morning in the Khwai Game Reserve. Herds of Red Lechwe, Impala and Springbok leaped across the grassy savannah, a troop of baboons with babies clambered among the nearby trees, and a pack of rare Wild African Dogs, with their comical ears and beautiful mottled fur, studied us. In addition to a pride of lions, we also saw elephants, giraffes, zebras, hippos, wildebeest and the rare sable.
My tent was spacious and luxurious with a king-sized bed, and an ensuite with both an indoor and outdoor shower. At night I was treated to a symphony of sound: crickets, frogs, the deep-throated roar of a lion, hippos grunting, and the screech of hyenas making a kill.
The meals were excellent and plentiful: a hot buffet at breakfast and lunch, high tea with sweets and savouries in the afternoon and four course candlelit dinners in the evening. My favourite dinner, developed by a French-trained chef, was the African Chicken Marula; brined and pan fried chicken served with a cream sauce incorporating the unique tart flavour of the local Marula fruit, also a favourite of elephants.
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Date of stay: May 2019
Value
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Maunbots, Owner at Nokanyana (roots & Journeys)
Responded May 12, 2020
Thank you so much for taking the time to review your stay at Nokanyana. It was a pleasure to have you with us, and hope to welcome you back again soon. We will pass on your kind comments to the team. Your Roots & Journeys Team
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We were picked up from the airstrip by the very friendly Ludo, it was then about a 2.5 hour drive and Ludo kept us entertained by telling us about the animals and plants that we saw on the way.
The rest of the team welcome you with a song as you arrive at the lodge. The lodge is right next to the river Khwai and you can often see elephants and buffalos, and sometimes hippos too, right from the lodge, including your tent/room. The tent has a fan (no air con) so it can get a bit hot, but you can cool down during the day in the pool, and it wasn't too hot at night. The room has a big bed and an inside and outside shower.
The laundry service is good, it's a paid service but worth it, the team changed our towels and refilled our cold and hot water regularly.
The food was really good, you get a good mixture of western and Botswanan cuisine and you are definitely well fed. Thank you to Chef Lea and the bar staff, who kept our drinks refilled and checked in on us regularly.
Our guide Nono was absolutely amazing, very knowledgeable and patient with answering our questions and stopping to let us take pictures. He was very good at finding and spotting wildlife and we got to see a variety of animals and learnt a lot from him and our other guide Sia.
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Date of stay: March 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Anna Vanderfield, Marketing at Nokanyana (roots & Journeys)
Responded Apr 5, 2024
Thank you for your wonderful review. We have passed on your kind words to the team. We really hope to see you again in the future!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We spent a blissful few days at Nokanyana Lodge in March and it did not disappoint! It was a real magical experience that will leave you wanting to book up again and again. We saw so many lions we lost count! The guides are very knowledgeable and we leant so much. The lodge itself is very relaxing and immediately makes you unwind and switch off. The rooms are beautifully rustic combined with a touch of luxury. We were blown away by the standard of the food, it was incredible. The afternoon teas were our favourite! We saw many elephants passing through camp as we sat back and relaxed in the pool area, moments we will certainly not forget. Would highly recommend a visit. If anything the value of money for what you get is one of the best you'll find in the Delta.
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Date of stay: March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Maunbots, Owner at Nokanyana (roots & Journeys)
Responded May 12, 2020
Thank you so much for taking the time to review your stay at Nokanyana. It was a pleasure to have you with us, and hope to welcome you back again soon. We will pass on your kind comments to the team. Your Roots & Journeys Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
This place was amazing. Everything from sitting eating breakfast and having an elephant playing in the water 50 meters away, through to the incredible rooms. We did a couple of game drives a day, the guide was very knowledgable and he enabled us to see all of the game we had wished. Particularly memorable seeing a couple of leopards, one of which was on the hunt! The owners who had the vision to build this amazing lodge happened to be there at the same time. Their passion for the wildlife and the whole experience of the guest is central to how Nokonyana operates. Hope to be back for another stay.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Maunbots, Owner at Nokanyana (roots & Journeys)
Responded May 12, 2020
Thank you so much for taking the time to review your stay at Nokanyana. It was a pleasure to have you with us, and hope to welcome you back again soon. Your Roots & Journeys Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
My wife and I travelled to Botswana for our honeymoon with 3 nights spent at Nokanyana camp. The lodge and accommodations are absolutely beautiful, with plenty of opportunities for wildlife to come visit right up to the site at all hours of the day. The food was excellent and they were able to accommodate my wife's dietary restrictions by proving some vegetarian-friendly alternatives. While the luxury tents lacked good airflow during the hot summer months, they were very clean and comfortable to stay in.
Game drives (including night drives!) are a great experience here as well, with our guide being incredibly knowledgeable and getting us close to the wildlife while still being very respectful and mindful of their comfort and well being.
What made this camp truly standout were our hosts who were warm, welcoming, and genuinely made our stay very pleasant. A big, big thank you is due to the wonderful staff members (Monika, Scoots, Chef Natti and Caprio!) for making this a memorable experiences.
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Date of stay: November 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Bring lots of Peaceful Sleep!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Anna Vanderfield, Marketing at Nokanyana (roots & Journeys)
Responded Apr 5, 2024
Thank you for your wonderful review. We have passed on your kind words to the team. We really hope to see you again in the future!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
There are more places to choose from in the Maun area.
PRICE RANGE
₱69,351 - ₱115,415 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
BotswanaNorth-West DistrictNgamiland EastMaun
NUMBER OF ROOMS
10
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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