Water-based activities and animal spotting are a big part of the Jacuna experience.

It’s a small camp located on a heart-shaped tropical palm island that’s surrounded by the beautiful blue wet stuff.

You’ll arrive by boat which really gives you a taste of the seclusion the island offers and has led many to dub the location ‘Robinson Crusoe Island,’ which must have extra relevance if you happen to arrive on a Friday.

The camp, situated on the 60,000 hectare Jao Concession in the northwest of the Okavango Delta, was rebuilt in 2019, resulting in a sustainability focused location that’s 100% solar powered. If you visited here before the refurb, you’ll hardly recognise the place. Plenty has changed or been upgraded, with new decor throughout, and a new fire deck on the water, plus a plunge pool and jetty added to the camp’s facilities.

The activities

Fishing is popular around the island as you might expect, with the chance of catching a tiger fish luring anglers to cast their lines. Cruises in mokoros and more conventional boats are possible during the high water months of June to August, so too walking trips and game safaris on dry land when the waters recede between September and May. That’s when you’ve the best chance of seeing elephant and lion, leopard and buffalo. Whatever time of year you visit, you can expect to see hippo and hear their contented grunts as they wallow in the waters around the camp. Plenty of birdlife is on show, including the small waders that give Jacana its name.

The accommodation

You’ll stay in a Meru-style tent, which is canvas stretched over an A-frame, giving your suite an open plan, rectangular shape. All tents are raised off the ground and reached by a wooden walkway from the main lodge. There are just five, one of which is designated as the family tent. It means there will only ever be a maximum of ten guests in camp at any one time, which we think qualifies Jacana to call itself exclusive.

Your comfortable bed is separated from the rest of the tent by a sliding door, and it all connects to a private balcony with chairs that give you somewhere to sit and soak up the views of the floodplains. Freshening up in water yourself can happen in the inside shower room (which also features two wash basins and a flushing toilet), or in the outside bath and shower. Your tent also features a sofa/two armchairs and a writing desk.

The main lodge

An open-sided dining room and seating area are the main features of the upper floor of the two level communal lodge. Below, there’s a mezzanine level bar and an open plan lounge area that connects to a viewing deck and the other new features we mentioned above (fire deck, pool and jetty). The floating fire deck is popular of course, with chairs giving all guests somewhere to relax with a drink after eating.