Blogs from Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe, Africa

As the kitten stalks the hippo, the dog chases the elephant while the stuffed lion looks over the bar. Guests get drunk while the hyena looks angry and the wild animal circus begins. With no fences or national park boundaries wild animals are free to wonder through the campsite. Elephants and hippos are a common sight while crocodiles eyeball you for dinner. Pitching your tent between hippo footprints and elephant dunn on the wildlife highway is an unnerving experience. Sitting back and relaxing at Warthogs bush camp overlooking lake Kariba truly is in a class of its own After an exhausting 7 hour chicken bus journey North West from Harare I found myself well and truly off the backpacker trail. With only a handful of travelers passing through, you are quickly welcomed into the local community. ... read more

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 ... read more

Nkwazi Safaris is a small company that operates 2 large house boats out of Lake Kariba. My wife and I have the distinct pleasure of riding on both of these beautiful boats over the course of a week during our trip to Kariba. The two boats - each sleeping 8 people (not including the crew) with a max capacity for 16 people - are in the process of being remodeled this year. Their names are the Lady May, and Salon Prive. Lady May just went through an extensive power plant upgrade and Salon Prive will be getting some new bathrooms shortly. Each boat has a master suite in the back down stairs - all cabins are in the lower deck - and each has its own bath room. The middle deck houses lounges and dinning rooms, ... read more