Lake Kariba

The second largest man-made lake in Africa, Lake Kariba is a beautiful body of water 220km long and 40km wide, covering approximately 5500km² of what was once the Zambezi valley. The lake is studded with islands and flanked by the Matusadona Mountain range.

The small town of Kariba was established to house workers who were employed in the construction of Kariba Dam. Building work started in 1955 and by the time the dam was completed in 1960 it was the largest man-made dam ever built. Sadly it cost the lives of 86 workers, a handful of whom were tragically buried in wet concrete.

Lake Kariba was created by damming the Zambezi River and flooding the land behind the dam but before the project could start 50,000 Batonga people and their villages had to be uprooted and relocated and not unexpectedly this caused enormous unhappiness and resentment. To this day it is widely believed by the Tonga people that the river god Nyaminyami was responsible for the deaths of the workers who perished due to his disgruntlement with the halting of his river. On a more positive front Operation Noah, a massive wildlife rescue operation,that took place in 1960 gained worldwide publicity as over 6000 animals that were threatened by the lakes rising waters were capture and removed to safety.

Fifteen years agothere were a number of wonderful safari lodges offering a fantastic Kariba experience. Sadly over the intervening years Kariba has become a backwater with a mere trickle of visitors. In the expectation and hope that Kariba will once again become a feature on the safari circuit iconic Bumi Hills Safari Lodge has undergone a complete refurbishment and the smaller, more rustic owner run Musango Safari Camp is still ticking along.

Although the game is not as prolific as it once was there is no doubt that spending time in the watery wonderland of Kariba is a blissful experience. Safari activities are many and varied and include game viewing by boat, tiger fishing (one of the best freshwater game fish in the world), game drives, canoeing and bush walks in nearby Matusadona National Park, with its black rhino populations. Spectacular sunsets over a crimson lake with its forests of sunken trees that make excellent perches for fish eagles, cormorants and other water birds are still a distinctive feature of Lake Kariba.