Cruising through Zimbabwe

---

Hyena is alive with excitement at the thought of entering our next country, about which we;ve all heard so much but know little of what to expect. Unfortunately, we’re only entering Zimbabwe briefly for a few days cruising on Lake Kariba, but as we’re the first Absolute Africa truck to enter for 18 months, we feel a bit adventurous.

We enter Zimbabwe (avoiding the hawkers on the Zambia side selling fake Zimbabwean Dollars - the hundred trillion dollar note being the favourite) over the Kariba Dam - a stunning border crossing over the high dam wall, built in the 1950s in a combined hydro-electric project by Zambia and Zimbabwe (then known as Rhodesia). The result, Lake Kariba, is Africa’s largest man-made lake. After posing for photos next to the ‘Welcome to Zimbabwe’ sign (which, comically, is sited next to a ‘Restricted Area: Keep Out’ sign), we drive to the town of Kariba, where we’re to board a houseboat. The owner tells us that business has been slow for the past few years, as foreign visitors have been deterred by the spiralling inflation and crippled economy. Things are starting to pick up, and our visit is seen as part of this new tide of business. Our next few days will be spent set ashore at different points within a national park for game cruises, fishing and, if we’re brave, a spot of cage swimming.

The most striking thing about cruising on Lake Kariba is the part-sumberged trees, the result of the lake’s man-made nature, and at sunset they create some memorable vistas. We take a small motorboat along the shore to watch elephants grazing on the water’s edge, fish eagles using the dead trees for perches and crocodiles lazing in the shallows. We don’t really get a taste for Zimbabwe, and wish we could have ventured further south into the country, but our short visit certainly whets my appetite.

---

Photos

020
Not exactly inviting, is it?

011
Elephants grazing at the water's edge

014
Our house boat

016
The submerged trees at sunset