MARK STRATTON (3)
On past safaris I have sometimes felt a disconnect between the accommodation and the natural environment I’ve come to enjoy. Are diesel generators really necessary? Should guests be receiving single-use plastic water-bottles? Do certain supplies need to be shipped in from overseas?
Hoping to understand better the principles of eco-design and sustainability in today’s lodges, I visited Ila Safari Lodge, on the banks of the Kafue River in a Game Management Area (GMA) adjacent to Zambia’s largest national park. My expectations were high. I mean, there’s few hiding places when you call your company ‘Green Safaris’. The man behind it is Dutch entrepreneur Vincent Kouwenhoven: “First and foremost, we’re driven by conservation. By developing lodges, we create jobs for people from local communities and that increases awareness about the importance of antipoaching.