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To be honest, this vacation paradise has been doomed and unused for the last five plus years. I was there in September 2004 and how quiet it was which was great for us but not for the local and Zimbabwean economy. Can you imagine being in the heart of the African wilderness, with nothing around but a vast expanse of water, mountains, and the knowledge that there really are wild animals naturally on the coast? For me, Lake Kariba is home to the “houseboat.” Since I was a teenager I had heard about these houseboats. A floating vacation on a large body of water. What I didn’t know was the size of these floating hotels and how big Lake Kariba really is. In the vast majority of our ports of call, all you can see on the horizon is water.
Landing at Harare airport is like landing at any third world airport. Not much different today than the first world, except much smaller. The trip, by convoy to Kariba, was quite exciting due to knowing the turmoil in the country and not knowing what to expect, although we had some locals with us and they assured us it would be fine. What a change, although having been to Zimbabwe seven years earlier, the degradation had taken its toll. Most gas stations are closed, fenced and locked waiting for fuel. Driving through the countryside, desolate farms, barns with only shells, the wood and roof collected to create makeshift houses (shacks). Once a prosperous agricultural country now reduced to a sinkhole producing nation. The drive to Kariba takes approximately 5 hours. Three more hours outside of Harare you enter the national park. Wow, there are no fences and the game is abundant.
Going off the main road, otherwise you end up in Zambia, it’s really amazing. Don’t drive too fast as you are now really in nature. We saw abundant elephants, giraffes and many bucks. In addition, the landscape is picturesque, winding through hills and mountain passes, flat landscapes with the famous African savannah and still knowing that you will enjoy the next ten days on a fully equipped houseboat cruise: paradise. Driving through the last mountain pass and seeing the vast expanse of Lake Kariba is magnificent. I couldn’t believe it was so big, also around the village of Kariba and towards the wall there are mountains looking towards the water. The landscape is impressive.
I expected the houseboat to be small, old, and dilapidated. What a surprise when I saw him and the crew of four, waiting with welcome drinks. It’s hot, very hot. The houseboat has one floor at water level and one above. On the ground floor are the four cabins, the kitchen (galley) and the storage rooms. Upstairs a great entertaining area comes with the dining room all under an open sided awning, the bridge where the captain steers the boat and then out front in the open air is this plunge pool. Two dinghies are towed behind this huge house on the water powered by a huge diesel engine.
Once all the luggage, food and drinks were loaded, the captain took us out of the mini port. He had often heard of Lake Kariba and the vast expanse of water, now sitting in the pool at the front of the houseboat, cooling off with an ice cold beer, he couldn’t believe the size of the lake. We went out of the port to the open sea and it was huge. The African landscape on the Zimbabwean side is picture perfect with the mountains dropping sharply down to the lake around the town of Kariba and towards the wall. South of the town of Kariba, the mountains are further from the lake, gradually descending into the African savannah that eventually reaches the coast. An hour later and still by the pool relaxing with ice cold beers not far away, we are warned to put on sunscreen against the harsh African sun and how harsh it is. We hear cries of excitement and there on the coast there are a lot of elephants. The coast on the Zimbabwe side is about a mile from us. To see them up close you need binoculars. The Zambian coast is beyond the horizon of the water. This gives you an idea of how wide this lake really is. We return to the shade of the entertainment area and relax on the many sun loungers now protected from the sun by the huge awning. This must be one of the most relaxing vacations I have ever been on. Perfect for the afternoon nap. We are sailing to our first port of call. Ports of call are remote stops on the cruise ship, either on small islands or on the mainland in the nature reserve. There are no towns or villages, only wild animals that greet you, that is, there is no civilization, do not take your cell phone.
Late in the afternoon, more than 4 hours after the cruise, we hear the slow engines and realize that we have reached our destination. The captain gradually negotiates the houseboat almost to shore and the crew moor the boat with long mooring ropes. We are now parked on the shore. The captain cuts the engines and there is a silence like you have never experienced before. Then you start listening to nature. The hippos bark and we all look, there is indeed a family of hippos. I counted six. The two dinghies are loaded with refreshments, fishing gear, and snacks. We choose a boat and we go. This is the highlight of the trip. Small bays abound along the coast, but the dinghy captains, one is the houseboat captain and the other is the head housekeeper, know these areas like the back of their hand, guiding us through the best fishing spots.
As you can imagine, the fishing is good (mostly dorado) because you’re out in the wild where not many humans venture. We keep the biggest catch for dinner and snacks. I was a bit skeptical about eating bream, I prefer saltwater fish and have never eaten freshwater bream before. The sun is now starting to set on the horizon over the water. We are told that we must return. There’s nothing like a late afternoon cruise on the water with a relaxing gin and tonic and the beautiful African sunset. On the houseboat we headed to the showers. Back on the upper deck, we are greeted with a pre-meal drink and with darkness approaching, we chat about the day’s events. Suddenly it’s dark and the crew calls us in for dinner. Man, they can cook. By eight in the evening everyone was tired and went to bed. Most of us slept on the upstairs deck on outdoor mattresses. The older ones slept in the cabins below.
At about half past four in the morning, he is awakened by movement downstairs and the rich aroma of coffee being brewed. You have twenty minutes to wash up, apply generous amounts of sunscreen, and grab coffee and biscuits before another dinghy fishing adventure. The sun is rising over the mountains now, you can feel the heat and realize that the rest of the day is going to be scorching hot. Between ten and eleven in the morning we return with our catches and wanting to eat something. They welcome us with a magnificent brunch. As we enjoy our brunch, the captain fires up the engines and the rest of the crew is untying the houseboat’s moorings. Maneuver out of the bay and back onto the vast expanse of Lake Kariba. We are on our way to our next port of call. We finish brunch and some of us take a quick dip in the pool and relax to the gentle movement of the houseboat sailing across the lake. The rest of the cruise day is divided between siestas, watching the wild animals on the coast and playing cards and board games.
We arrive at the next port of call with a totally different landscape. A larger size but we are received by a family of elephants. Now elephants are my favorite animals. Up close and in nature like this is one of the highlights of my vacation. Hippos are also there along with the wide variety of deer. The routine is the same as the day before with the auxiliary boats and the fishing. This is by no means boring as there is always something to see, a wide variety of birds with elephants appearing from the jungle, bucking everywhere and the occasional hippo in the water nearby. Crocodiles are also in abundance, but it is the hippos that you need to watch out for as they will charge your boat if you get too close to them. If they do, you will definitely end up being crocodile food. After another very successful afternoon of fishing, we have another sunset cruise back to the houseboat.
The rest of the trip is more or less the same as the first day, but as I have already said, it is always entertaining and never boring. So much wildlife, fresh air and the days fly by. Stargazing at dusk is incredible, with shooting stars and satellites moving across the sky. With so many hundreds of miles between you and the nearest city, you can imagine how many stars you can see. We didn’t see the lions, but we did hear them roar one or two nights. The day after the roar we could see the vultures hovering. Locals and crew said they were waiting for the lions to finish their “kill” so they could move on after them. They must have been within five hundred meters of us.
Unfortunately, the time had come to return to Kariba City. Some said they have had their vacation and now need to get back to their daily lives. I could have stayed longer. I would normally recommend this amazing Lake Kariba houseboat holiday to anyone, however considering the state of the country of Zimbabwe at present, unfortunately it is not possible. Who knows before long things could change for the better and this would become a very popular destination?