Activities in Kariba
Kariba has been over shadowed by Victoria Falls in terms of popularity mainly due to lack of commercial flights from Harare or a direct air link with Victoria Falls.Regardless Kariba has more to offer in terms of wildlife,game viewing,boat cruises and fishing, a favorite past time of mine.
Activities in Kariba
One can charter a Houseboat which takes as little as four people to as much as twenty people which will be ideal for a family holiday cruise.
The popular destination is Mutusadona National Park due to its abundance of wild and bird life. The houseboats come fully staffed with Captain Deck hands and in some cases a chef can be provided .The houseboats are fully equipped with all the appliances you can think of to make your floating holiday as enjoyable.Depending on the size ,the big boats comes with tender boats which gives you flexibility to go fishing and game viewing near the shoreline.
FISHING
If you are into fishing the best month will be the hot summer month from September to March.Kariba is well known for its Tiger fish a ferocious game fish that brings professional anglers from all over the world every October.Bream fish is also abundant in the lake so you will have something to take home or rather a fresh fish dinner on the house boat.
KARIBA FISHING
A visit to Kariba wont be complete without visiting the Kariba dam wall which gave rise to the Kariba dam.The dam wall itself is an engineering marvel ,built between 1955 and 1959 by Impresit of Italy.A Church was also built by workers and engineers employed by Impresit, the Italian company contracted to build the Kariba dam wall. The church is situated at Kariba heights and is dedicated to St Barbara, who is the patron saint of engineers/construction workers. On the outside walls of the church is a dedication in Latin to the memory of the construction workers killed during the building of Kariba Dam and a plaque with the names of those who lost their lives is found inside.From the heights one can have a wide view of the lake and a chance to buy African curios and artifacts from the local women.
GAME DRIVES
Game are companies that does game viewing either early in the morning or at sunset ,they take you to various spots with abundant wildlife were you can view at leisure.There is good game around Lake Kariba and Matusadona National Park ranging from herds of elephants through to crocodiles. The park also boasts the big five – buffalo frequent the area which along with a healthy population of antelope bring cats and other predatory animals to the region too. Black rhino, one of Africa’s rarer animals, can be spotted here and there are opportunities to track them along with their more widespread, but no less impressive relative, the white rhino. The bird life is exceptional due largely to the diverse habitation which supports, amongst many species, a very healthy fish-eagle population.
A Houseboat on Kariba shores
LOCAL PEOPLE
You can also visit Mahombekombe an old township were you can interact over a beer and [braai] a local term for barbecue with the locals and experience the way they live.If barbecue is your favorite they are local spots around town were you can visit and enjoy the local favorite-Sadza [ a national staple food ],char grilled Bream or Tiger fish and salads and of course a very cold Zambezi lager, a most popular beer with tourists named after the Zambezi river.Most of the locals are either employed in the hotel or fishing industries.
Kariba has been over shadowed by Victoria Falls in terms of popularity mainly due to lack of commercial flights from Harare or a direct air link with Victoria Falls.Regardless Kariba has more to offer in terms of wildlife,game viewing,boat cruises and fishing, a favorite past time of mine.
Activities in Kariba
One can charter a Houseboat which takes as little as four people to as much as twenty people which will be ideal for a family holiday cruise.
The popular destination is Mutusadona National Park due to its abundance of wild and bird life. The houseboats come fully staffed with Captain Deck hands and in some cases a chef can be provided .The houseboats are fully equipped with all the appliances you can think of to make your floating holiday as enjoyable.Depending on the size ,the big boats comes with tender boats which gives you flexibility to go fishing and game viewing near the shoreline.
FISHING
If you are into fishing the best month will be the hot summer month from September to March.Kariba is well known for its Tiger fish a ferocious game fish that brings professional anglers from all over the world every October.Bream fish is also abundant in the lake so you will have something to take home or rather a fresh fish dinner on the house boat.
KARIBA FISHING
A visit to Kariba wont be complete without visiting the Kariba dam wall which gave rise to the Kariba dam.The dam wall itself is an engineering marvel ,built between 1955 and 1959 by Impresit of Italy.A Church was also built by workers and engineers employed by Impresit, the Italian company contracted to build the Kariba dam wall. The church is situated at Kariba heights and is dedicated to St Barbara, who is the patron saint of engineers/construction workers. On the outside walls of the church is a dedication in Latin to the memory of the construction workers killed during the building of Kariba Dam and a plaque with the names of those who lost their lives is found inside.From the heights one can have a wide view of the lake and a chance to buy African curios and artifacts from the local women.
GAME DRIVES
Game are companies that does game viewing either early in the morning or at sunset ,they take you to various spots with abundant wildlife were you can view at leisure.There is good game around Lake Kariba and Matusadona National Park ranging from herds of elephants through to crocodiles. The park also boasts the big five – buffalo frequent the area which along with a healthy population of antelope bring cats and other predatory animals to the region too. Black rhino, one of Africa’s rarer animals, can be spotted here and there are opportunities to track them along with their more widespread, but no less impressive relative, the white rhino. The bird life is exceptional due largely to the diverse habitation which supports, amongst many species, a very healthy fish-eagle population.
A Houseboat on Kariba shores
LOCAL PEOPLE
You can also visit Mahombekombe an old township were you can interact over a beer and [braai] a local term for barbecue with the locals and experience the way they live.If barbecue is your favorite they are local spots around town were you can visit and enjoy the local favorite-Sadza [ a national staple food ],char grilled Bream or Tiger fish and salads and of course a very cold Zambezi lager, a most popular beer with tourists named after the Zambezi river.Most of the locals are either employed in the hotel or fishing industries.