Ila Safari Lodge
Eco-luxury tented lodge · Kafue River, central-south · Green Safaris
High-end
Outside the gate
Safari company
The camp that brought electric safari vehicles to Zambia, on the bank of the Kafue with an eleven-month season that makes it a rare green-season option. The operator describes it as in-park; other sources place it just outside the boundary.
Pros and cons
Pros
- No age limit, with en-suite family rooms built in
- Zambia's first electric game-drive vehicle, the e-Cruiser
- A solar-powered e-Boat for silent river cruises
- Easily reached by road from Lusaka despite the remote park
- Open eleven months a year, closed only in February
Cons
- Rate breakdown beyond fully inclusive is not published
- Wi-Fi availability is not published
- Sources disagree on whether the lodge sits inside the park
- No minimum stay or exclusive-use pricing published
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. Kafue National Park charges its own entry fee for every day you are inside. Here is what that adds up to.
- Park entryThere is no self-drive surcharge here.
- $20per person, per day
- VehicleForeign-registered vehicle under 3 tonnes.
- $15per vehicle, per day
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults sharing one vehicle pay $165 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
The full fee schedule for Kafue National ParkRates at Ila Safari Lodge
From $600 pppn. Fully inclusive; the seven-bed Ila Safari House from $720.
What the rate covers is not confirmed. We do not know yet whether meals, drinks and activities are included, so read this as the bed only.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Indicative 2026 rates from operators' own rate cards and published tariffs, gathered July 2026. Many Kafue camps quote on enquiry only. Watch two things when comparing: whether park fees are included (Mayukuyuku and Konkamoya include them, most others do not), and conservation levies of $30 to $40 a night at some camps. A caution on older guides: Lufupa River Camp, Lufupa Tented Camp, Leopard Lodge and Puku Pan all appear closed or dormant, Mukambi Plains Camp is simply the old name of Busanga Plains Camp, and the Jeffery & McKeith brand merged into Classic Zambia Safaris. We list none of them as live options.
Questions about Ila Safari Lodge
Is Ila Safari Lodge good for families?
Yes, clearly so. Green Safaris' own page states "there is no age limit at Ila Safari Lodge," with en-suite family rooms and two larger riverside family tents designed for exactly this. It is one of the few Kafue lodges to rule out an age restriction outright rather than leaving the question unanswered.
Can you self-drive to Ila Safari Lodge?
Yes. The lodge's own page says it is "easily accessed by road from Lusaka, despite sitting in one of the largest national parks in Africa," an unusual claim for a Kafue camp. An airstrip at Chunga is also available by arrangement if you prefer to fly.
What does the rate at Ila Safari Lodge include?
Rates start from $600 per person per night in a riverside couples or family tent, or $720 in the seven-bed Ila Safari House, both figures matching the operator's own current page. Green Safaris describes the rate as fully inclusive but does not break down meals, drinks or activities separately on its site.
When is Ila Safari Lodge open?
Ila runs from 1 March to 31 January, closing only in February, according to our record. That eleven-month season is unusually long for Kafue, making it one of the few camps in the park that works as a genuine green-season option alongside the usual dry-season months.
Is Ila Safari Lodge inside Kafue National Park?
It depends who you ask. Green Safaris describes Ila as in-park, while our other sources place it just outside the gazetted boundary on the Kafue River. Either way, its game drives and the e-Cruiser and e-Boat activities run inside the park itself.