Where It All Began

Living on the edge – ethically!

 

We’re always looking for ethical alternatives to the run-of-the-mill offerings and came across Gorges Lodge today. It’s run by Imvelo Safari Lodges which is corporate but only (we feel) in a positive sense. They run a series of five medium-sized lodges in the Hwange National Park area (Zimbabwe, close to Victoria Falls), all of which operate on community owned land by concession and have, since inception (1996), been about working not only in harmony with but actually creating direct benefits for the communities that live in the park. One notable example is the water program, where ironically, despite the Zambezi actually flowing through the park, there is little other water for communities to access or for the lodges to use. As such, the boreholes that Imvelo has sunk serve their lodges and the communities’ water needs in tandem.

Gorges Lodge is not actually at Victoria Falls: it’s about 30 minutes away and as such you’ll obviously visit the Falls but won’t be staying in the town. Personally I think this works well: there’s no real need to actually stay in the town of Victoria Falls (it’s an ugly little town!) and you’ll love the location right on the edge of the Batoka Gorge.