Lake Kariba Travel Guide

Lake Kariba is located on Zimbabwe's northern border, 365 km from Victoria Falls, holding back the mighty Zambezi River for 280 km's of sparkling fresh water. It covers an area of 5 230 square kilometres and lies 500m above sea level. Lake island and shoreline constitute an unparalleled wilderness spectacle, home to a multitude of wildlife in a protected environment. Kariba is famed for its sport fishing, with the fighting tigerfish as the prime trophy. Lake Kariba is studded with islands and surrounded by mountains. Of the forests which fringe the shores, the most intriguing is found at the Matusadona national park

Once on dry land, these thousands of teak trees were half submerged in water as the lake slowly expanded to its present dimensions. Today, the skeletal branches of the trees jut into the sky from another world. At the downstream end by the dam, the town Kariba is equipped with sophisticated hotels, casinos and restaurants. The summit of the hill above the town offers a spectacular panorama of the lake, the dam wall and the downstream gorge. Lake Kariba dam wall was constructed in 1955/59, as a hydroelectric project.