Beautiful Lake Kariba in Zambia
Lake Kariba…home to the beautiful Kariba Bush Club
Lake Kariba is an artificial inland lake that covers 282km2 and it is Africa’s third largest dam after Aswan in Egypt and Cahora Bassa on the same river but in Mozambique.
The dam was originally built to produce hydroelectricity for Zimbabwe and bordering Zambia.
The area is a commercial fishing centre and the dam attracts vast quantities of game, both big and small. Huge Nile crocodiles inhabit the lake as do many hippos. You can also expect to stumble into a herd of elephants while walking through the bush or they could be on the lakeshore.
Lake Kariba is now a very popular resort lake with Kariba Bush Club being a popular destination. If you are looking for accommodation in Zambia then the Kariba Bush Club lodge has something to offer for everyone – whether on a tight budget or not. And of course there are the many activities for all to enjoy, as well as various facilities that the lodge has to offer guests.
These facilities include a swimming pool, volleyball court, bar, restaurant and much more. Wildlife to be seen around the lodge includes bushbuck, puku, impala, duiker, zebra, bush-pig, warthog, ostrich and the ever-so-inquisitive monkeys, to name some.
The weather at Lake Kariba and Kariba Bush Club
Summers are very hot and humid. The winter months of June to August, however, are quite pleasant. The weather at Lake Kariba is generally hot, the so-called suicide month is and that is when the rainy season starts, October, up to about April, the days can be sweltering hot with thunder storms in the early afternoon and in the evening. The month of May to July are cooler and without the rain storms, the sun still shines and can be a very pleasant time around the lake. The months of August and September are the windy months and the lake can be very rough at times, although the weather is still sunny and enjoyable.
The best way to see Lake Kariba is on a houseboat and Kariba Bush Club has two different houseboats on offer.
Eva Houseboat is small and cozy, sleeping 4 – 6 people. The boat is made up of two private cabins, a lounge, kitchen and open air upper-deck dining area. All the interior floors are carpeted and the boat is elegantly decorated, an African theme subtly showing through on scatter cushions, picture frames hanging from the walls and hand-painted crockery. Card and board games like Monopoly and Scrabble are available on the boat. What better way to play one of these – your closest friends around you, while sitting on a shaded top deck of a houseboat, cold drink in hand, the never-ending beauty of Lake Kariba and the surrounding valley sprawled around you in every direction you may choose to look.
Kholisa Houseboat is a large boat; 19 metres long and 3 storeys high, able to accommodate up to 30 people. The boat is made up of 13 cabins, most of which are en-suite and air-conditioned. There is also a large kitchen, spacious dining and entertainment area as well as a bar, along with a splash pool and an upper sun deck with loungers. The boat is self contained for groups who wish to self-cater and there is a large gas BBQ on board, but for those who prefer their food to be cooked on an open fire, a traditional BBQ and charcoal can be supplied. The bar has an MP3 compatible CD player with surround sound and there is plenty of fridge and freezer space. Fishing rods and tackle can also be supplied for those who wish to try their luck; fish by day for bream and Tiger, by night for barble and Vundu. Cards and various board games like Monopoly and Scrabble are available for your entertainment. Kholisa Houseboat is the perfect choice for large groups of friends and family, for get-togethers, parties, business meetings and workshops or simply for anyone who would like to appreciate Lake Kariba’s beauty to its fullest.
