Ila Safari Lodge offers a wide variety of activities, to make sure you’ll get to experience the pristine wilderness of the Kafue National Park at its best and learn about the conservation programmes. Activities include Game drives in Kafue National Park and boat cruises down the river.

The Game Drives and River Cruises are excellent ways to see the abundant local wildlife, and you will have a good chance of seeing lions, leopards, elephants, hippos, and a range of other species.

Ila Lodge takes great pride in their Eco-Lodge. Some of the vehicles at Ila Lodge are Eco friendly and run on electricity! This vehicle allows you to experience all the sights and sounds of the bush in near silence and with a sense of environmental care. The eLandy is kept close to camp and operates in the Game Management Area for short drives or the relatively common ‘dinner table dash’ to investigate what that sound in the night was or how close those lion calls are!

The eLandy aside they have three top of the range game viewers which reside on the park side of the river. It’s a quick float in a boat over to them which is always a nice way to start the morning! The guides are all masters of their craft, spend a morning or afternoon exploring the park with them and see what you can find. Regular sightings include lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, a wide range of antelopes including roan, sable and zebra, hippo, crocodile, warthog, genet, jackal, mongoose, every entertaining baboons and monkeys and a myriad of species of bird. The rarer species are also on the cards including wild dog, cheetah, honey badger, civet, serval, bushpig, porcupine and bushbaby.

Besides the game drives, you can enjoy a boat cruise at either dawn or dusk along the Kafue River or a waling safari with on the specialist walking guides. The walking safari will take you on an exiting walk using footprints and spoor tracks to find the animals. Other activities include fishing, a visit to Ila Community and star gazing.

The Ra-Ikane is a small luxury cruise boat that is out-fitted to suggest, in exquisite detail, an ambiance of a bygone era. This cruise boat is exclusive (14 guests only) and personalised – period decor, historic memorabilia, fine cuisine and refreshments offer a level of comfort and grace unsurpassed on the Zambezi. As afternoon fades into twilight, animals come down to the river to drink as you go by.

As you approach the Falls and hear the water pounding and witness the vapour rising, you quickly understand why local tribesman called the Falls “Mosi-oa-Tunya” (the smoke that thunders) and why the explorer David Livingstone exclaimed that a scene “so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight”. The great columns of spray rising from the tumultuous falls can be seen from 80 kilometres away on a clear day. If you are lucky enough to be there at full moon, a “moonbow” can be seen in the spray instead of the usual daylight rainbow. Because the Victoria Falls fall into a chasm, rather than falling down an escarpment, it is possible to walk along the opposite side of the chasm, at the same height as the top of the Falls. From the unique walking trails the magnificence and glory of the Falls are head on and only about 60 metres (200 feet) away. The spray falls on the trails like soft rain, feeding the lush vegetation.

Victoria Falls is the unchallenged adventure capital of Africa with more than 50 activities available. Here is our selection of the best:

Tiger fishing:
Spend a half day on the Zambezi River fishing for one of the great freshwater game fish – The Tigerfish. These powerful, swift predators are truly thrilling to catch.

Canoeing:
Paddle slowly down the Zambezi River in a canoe with some of the best wildlife guides in Africa and enjoy the beauty, peace and wildlife of this unique place. Explore islands and waterways and learn about the birds and animals you come across along the route.

Flight of Angels Helicopter Flip over the Falls:
At ground level you can feel the enormous power of the Victoria Falls as tremendous volumes of water pound into the chasm below. But it is only when you take to the air that you can take in the whole panorama and enormity of this mighty spectacle.

Bungi Jumping:
Bungi jump off the 111 metre high railway bridge into the Zambezi gorge, stopping just metres from the rushing water of the Zambezi River. This is a wild jump! There are two bungi options: A single jump on your own or a tandem jump with a partner.

White Water Rafting:
White Water Rafting on the Zambezi River is acclaimed as the best one day white water rafting trip available in the world. There are different options for rafting depending on the time of year and the level of water in the river.

Jet Boat Extreme:
Speedboats powered by huge jet engines shoot down the rapids below the Victoria Falls at 100 km an hour. Enjoy a thrilling half hour spent “flying” over the water.