Zimbabwe has become a tourist paradise with host of activities to keep even the most energetic fully occupied. Some of the most beautiful destinations are set on the banks of the Zambezi River and the shores of Lake Kariba and offer tourists affordable and spectacular holidays, especially the 4X4 enthusiast who are prepared to wander of the beaten track.
Adventure Films, the producers of well known tourist guides on video “The Botswana Adventure” & “Discover Mozambique” now offers their new production “The Zimbabwe Adventure – Kariba & The Zambezi” for potential visitors to this beautiful country.
The adventure starts at the Town of Kariba, better known as Zimbabwe’s Riviera, where we explore the lake, accommodation and campsites on offer, in and around the town. We then headed north-east to The Zambezi valley and Mana Pools National Park, set in one of the most untamed areas in the country where tourists are still allowed to explore the park on foot.
We return to Kariba from where we charter a ferry to our next destination, Matusadona National Park. This unique reserve is set on the shores of Lake Kariba with beautiful camping sites and chalets and has been declared an intensive protection zone for the dwindling numbers of black rhino. Matusadona can either be reached by ferry / boat or car.
To reach our next destination we had to travel south, over the Matusadona Mountains and high onto the escarpment where Chizarira National Park is situated. A remote area of wilderness country with magnificent gorges, plateau and floodplains, this park is unique and in a class of its own.
We end this part of our adventure in the town of Binga, on the shores of Lake Kariba, where beautiful lodges and camping sites can be found. An ideal place to wash down the dust and relax after an exciting adventure.
The video is not a wildlife film. The purpose of the production is to inform potential visitors to Zimbabwe about relative aspects that could assist them in planning their 4X4 adventure. Topics featured are National Parks, relevant towns, hotels & lodges, camping sites, road conditions and useful tips regarding your adventure.
When
build Lake Kariba was the largest man-made lake in the world. The lake formed,
by the dam wall – 281 km long, 32 km across at its widest point, and covering
5000 square km – is now one of Zimbabwe’s major tourist attractions.
Tourism,
however, was far from the minds of those who, in 1950 pointed out that the
growing demands for coal by existing thermal power stations in central Africa
could not be met after 1960 by the railway system. A source of hydro-electric
power would have to be found.
The
largest river in central Africa, the Zambezi, seemed the obvious source of
water and the Kariba Gorge met all the criteria for a dam wall.
The
Gorge had been discovered by David Livingstone and its position as a bottleneck
at end of the wide Zambezi Valley that lies downstream of Batoka Gorge was
ideal.
In
1954 work started on the dam wall. During the construction period over 70
people gave their lives for the project as floods washed away bridges. In early
1958 the river rose 35 meters above its winter level.
In
December 1958 the dam was completed and the lake started to fill up over a
period of 5 years. During this time, small islands were formed by the rising
water, trapping more than 6000 wild animals of all sizes.
The
Game Department set out to rescue these animals and Operation Noah was set in
motion. This proved a mammoth task and by the end of 1959 over 6000 animals,
elephant, buck, rhino, lion, leopard, zebra, snakes and numerous smaller
animals and birds had been rescued.
The
local Batonka tribe, who also had to be re-settled, believes their river god,
Nyaminyami, half-serpent, half-fish, would one day revenge the damming of the
mighty Zambezi.
