At the heart of Footsteps is our freshwater eco-pool. The lodge was designed around it and it is a favourite with not only our guests but also with the wildlife that visit each day!
What is an Eco-Pool?
For those who have never bathed in a freshwater eco-pool, it’s an experience not to be missed. Our guests have described it as ¨bathing in energy¨ and they wouldn’t be wrong. This is because, unlike a chlorinated pool, which relies on chemicals to kill bacteria and remove any oxygen from the water. A freshwater pool is alive and filled with oxygen.
What makes it work?
Instead of using harmful chemicals, the water is filtered first through reed beds planted with water hyacinth and then through a Blackstone filter. We achieve this by pumping the water 3 metres down to the bottom of the filter, meaning it has to rise through the filter medium before arriving full circle back to where it started. This is of course a simplified explanation of what is a fairly complex procedure.
How is it powered?
The pump that pushes the water around is powered by solar. It runs 24/7, 365 days a year, which is necessary to keep the filter healthy and alive.
Who is responsible for its maintenance?
Anyone who has visited Footsteps will know Karamo. He is one of our best-loved team members and has been working with us since we built the lodge back in 2000.
As I’ve already mentioned, the eco-pool is a living pool. It has a metaphorical heart, and it needs care and love daily.
Karamo has been taking care of our pool for 25 years and the simplest way to explain how we know it’s happy is if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be clean.
Algal bloom would occur which is to say a rapid growth of green scum in the water. The overgrowth of algae consumes oxygen and in a short space of time, the water is not safe to be in.
Why have a Freshwater Eco-Pool?
I think a better question would be, “Why Chlorinate water that you intend to swim in”. I don’t think we could call ourselves an eco-lodge if we resorted to using such harmful chemicals. Did you know that new mothers should not take their babies in a chlorinated pool?
Recent studies suggest that infants who bathe in chlorinated pools may increase their risk of lower respiratory tract infections.
Our feathered friends and more!
The biggest benefit of a natural pool is that it’s a thing of incredible beauty, made even better by the wildlife it attracts.
So, what do we have visiting our pool each day?
We have Agama lizards, Frogs and Toads, Chameleons, Dragonflies, Bees, Bats and Squirrels.
Also numerous birds such as The Pygmy Kingfisher, African Paradise Flycatcher, Firefinch, Little Bee-eater, Red-cheeked Cordon-Bleu, Wire-tailed Swallow, and plenty more!
We often say that our Eco-pool is where the birds like to come for a holiday and the further we get into our season, the more they come as the pool is an important and abundant source of clean fresh drinking water😃.
