Lake Kariba

Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe was formed when the Zambezi river was dammed in the late 1950’s. This has brought not only hydroelectricity, but it also created a beautiful lake with wildlife sanctuaries, mesmerizing sunsets and wraparound views. Now Lake Kariba is the largest man-made lake in the world - 200km long and 40km at its widest point. This shimmering lake, with its characteristic silhouettes of dead trees, is mezmerising. And the Matusadona Mountains offer a beautiful backdrop. A Lake Kariba safari offers a paradise for photographers, particularly at sunset.

Visitors come to Lake Kariba mainly for the wildlife of the surrounding Matusadona National Park. With the dam. the wildlife has congregated on the southern shores of Lake Kariba in the Matusadona National Park.  As before the dam build, they burnt the existing vegetation. This created a layer of fertile soil on both the lake bed and surrounding floodplains. So now the lake has a vibrant ecology with plenty of hippos and crocodiles. Plus the kapenta and tiger fish attract large numbers of fish eagles, cormorants and other birdlife.

A Matusadona safari affords superb game viewing on both land and water.

Elephant, buffalo and black rhino roam in large numbers on the flood plains. (The melodious Matusadona actually means ‘constant dripping of dung’ which refers, rather unmusically, to the huge elephant population!)