Jao Camp

Stayed at Jao for a couple of nights .Gift was an exceptional guide, loved the game drive and viewing with lions being our best. We loved the food a lot and i must say the food was exceptional for such a premier camp. Chef Emile catered lovely lunch and dinner menus with different meals not having any off our meals repeated. The Beef Ossa Buco being my favorite not to forget the Tuna Salad was very refreshing and out of this world . Everything which was produced was off "Michellin " standard. Ram was brilliant in the service department and his cocktails was out off this world . Mac Donald was a superb Butler towards us. The rooms was nice and big, with lots off space, just the way we like. Spotless cleaning from the House keeping department. For us who have stayed in top safari establishments throughout Africa Jao Camp is on top. We saw lots of game Elephants, Lions , Giraffe, Hippos with a Lion sighting top on the list. Will definitely come back .

Jao is a spectacular safari lodge, set in beautiful surroundings, with plentiful wildlife, diverse activities, the best food we've ever had on safari (and in many city restaurants), and a terrific guide. The rooms are large and spacious, with fabulous bathrooms (3 sinks--2 in the main area and a second in a powder room-- 2 showers--one indoor and one outdoor, 2 toilet areas), expansive living space (counter seating at the kitchenette, a full sized dining table, a separate seating area inside, and a comfortable bed with a most glorious view of the the elegant red lechwe (antelope unique to this area of the Delta), buffalos, wildebeests, elephants, etc., and that's just the view from the room. We saw 2 leopards, lots of hippos, elephants, giraffes, lions, hyennas , cocodiles, a water monitor, and even wild dogs on our drives. I liked that not all drives were in vehicles, as a favorite was when we got in a motor boat right from the dock at Jao and toured the Delta by water, visiting a hippo pond, and the closest island, where the game viewing was excellent. Our guide, Paul, was terrific at animal sightings and spotted the two leopards for us, which was amazing as one was walking through tall grasses and was only visible by the white ball on the end of its tail, and the other was leaping across the water in the Delta. The sundowners were elegantly executed with perfect timing, in the most unique locations (next to the hippos, etc.). The dining was uniquely good and impressive--the lunch and dinner menu changed daily, and always offered high-end restaurant quality options (--I don't go on safari for the food, but this was truly Foodie level standout dining). The dinner at the beautiful Boma, which they do twice per week, was a wonderful change and it was lovely to experience the local food. The spa services by Leddy and Bubbles were amazing and impressively executed, well beyond my expectations (they were so good I got a massage one day and a facial the next day--highly recommended). Having stayed at some of the best safari camps in South Africa, Zambia, Kenya and Tanzania, I must say Jao Camp is right there in the top.

The most luxurious bush camp I have experienced. Exceptional team led by manager PK. Brilliant food from Chef Emil and his team. The suites are enormous, spacious and well appointed. I lived in the private pool enjoying drinks from our constantly refreshed mini-bar.||Special mention to hospitality manager Ram. He conducted himself as if he was our personal butler, satisfying all wishes.||Our guide Meshack was one of the best I have encountered in many years of visiting lodges. Exceptional detailed knowledge of birds and the bush. His passion for his job and his environment was infectious. No drive was too early or temperatures too hot for us to be out in the bush sharing in his enthusiasm. ||Jao was truly memorable!

This was our second visit to Jao. We went last May. It was even better. Our guide, Mesh, was that great combination of knowledgeable and lots of fun. Highly recommend him. The Chef, Emile, deserves Michelin stars for his food. Every dish was creative, fresh and need I say delicious. Thank you, Emile. A shout out to Isaac, our server. Just a delightful guy who figured out our needs almost before we did. Finally, our best compliments to Tumi who manages Jao to perfection. Everything is over the top and yet there is a feeling of warmth and joy that is pervasive throughout the staff. He gets credit for that. Thank you all.

Traveled to Jao camp in May. What a delight of a camp it was. It was our last stop before heading home. Gift was our guide . He really did a great job showing us some of the wild. Although roads were bumpy it was part of our African Adventure and wouldn’t have changed it for the world. One thing which stood out for us at Jao camp was the amazing food that Chef Emile and his team prepared for us! Without a doubt the best food on our entire trip.From the smoked tomato Risotto up until the game drive snacks we could see the attention to detail and it was mind blowing!!! Fine dinning next level . Could compare to 1 Michelin star establishment. Furthermore Chef Emile come to the table after every meal being served which we thoroughly enjoyed . In the spa Thelma spoiled us which was great. A true gem of a camp in the Delta and would highly recommend it for any traveller. Joanna and Tupi made us feel like we’re in our own house great GM couple.

The best place to visit the Okavanga Delta with amazing service /staff, the best room with large space to share including two toilets, hot tub, wifi and pool. The food is incredible. We were lucky to see many activities with different animals. We had Mesh as our guide who was fun, very sensitive to our needs and extremely careful to provide the best time to us. The best of Jao and Wilderness is how they care of the enviroment, their staff and their awareness about sustaintability. Unforgettable.

Wonderful staff. TH took us fishing a few times- good catch of catfish- a trip highlight. Also fun to take a boat to an island where you follow up with a game drive. All managers really warm and hands on and we enjoyed the Monday night bbq and choir performance. Shout out to Poppy, a manager as well as a great masseur. Food was especially good for a camp- staff was excellent including Sixpense, Jason and Charlie. Always a hot choice and many course selections everyday. Loved those afternoon tea smoothies and continental breakfast 3 tier stand. Gorgeous huge bungalow with a fabulous swing and plunge pool on the porch. Room had small kitchen area, 1 1/2 baths, great outdoor shower, a/c and fireplace. Truly felt like a relaxing vacation for the our time between activities. Camp also has a fitness center with a wonderful view of the water and marsh. Very relaxing to have water activities and not just game drives. My husband's favorite camp.

Jao was a bit of a disappointment. We visited during November 2022 and were excited to experience the camp due to the unique architecture and reviews we had seen. The camp was definitely unique and interesting in terms of architecture and layout, but the rooms were not well kept and the safari vehicle was in very bad shape. Staff were friendly but we often had to make requests 3-4 times before achieving the desired result (e.g. requesting certain refreshments for the minifridge, obtaining bug spray and sunscreen, asking for the plunge pool to be skimmed). The food was good overall. We saw a variety of wildlife on game drives but, in contrast to other safari camps we've stayed at, our guide often told us we could not go off road which mean that we were viewing wildlife from a distance. For us, the cost of the camp was not in line with the overall quality of the experience. Nothing was "bad" but it wasn't the high end experience we have had at similarly priced safari camps in Botswana and South Africa.