Across the border—Zimbabwe
CRUISING IN PARADISE ON LAKE KARIBA
The PerfectHoliday
Writer: Sally Wynn, Wild Zambezi Photography: Wild Zambezi
P
icture the scene: you are relaxing on the deck of one of Lake Kariba’s sleep-aboard safari cruiseboats with a drink in hand and not a care in the world. A golden sun sinks below the horizon of silken water, the massive sky grows crimson and cormorants settle in the black silhouettes of the trees. The air is warm. A fish eagle’s haunting cry pierces the silence of the creek and the lions stirring from their day-time slumbers moan deep-throatily into the spreading darkness.
You have spent the day on the wide deck of the cruiseboat, with the breeze in your hair as the captain steers the vessel expertly across Lake Kariba to the shores of the Matusadona National Park. A delicious fresh lunch was served by the staff en route. Some family members retired to their comfortable en suite cabins for a short afternoon nap while others lounged on deck, sorting fishing gear, playing card games, chatting, relaxing, unwinding... As the shoreline approached and the crew searched for a suitable mooring spot, you watched hippos wallowing, a herd of elephant drinking in shallows and huge crocodiles sliding silently off sandbanks into the water. The active members of the party embarked on the vessel’s small tender boat for an evening’s fishing and game viewing along the shoreline, leaving you to bask in peace until their return at dusk. And now...safely moored up for the night in one of the myriad secluded creeks of the national park, you have the sounds and the stars of the African night all to yourself. A delicious candelit dinner on deck awaits...a hot shower and then a warm bed and a peaceful sleep, serenaded by the grunting of hippos and the gentle lap of waves against the boat. This is the magic of Lake Kariba—truly a holiday paradise: a 280-kilometre-long ‘inland sea’ of sun-dazzled, sparkling blue fresh water, its shoreline abundant with birdlife and wild animals, its waters full of wonderful fish species including the famous fighting tigerfish of the Zambezi. It offers a heap of water-based activities to satisfy all tastes and ages. And yet, this is one of the most undersold of Zimbabwe’s tourism experiences. Why? This is largely because Lake Kariba has long been
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TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA
