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Write a User ReviewExcellent Game-Watching on Lake Kariba’s Remote and Tranquil Southern Shores
Matusadona is in a beautiful setting on Lake Kariba with numerous islands, fertile floodplains, and a majestic wall of mountains as a backdrop. Most people stay at the lakeside lodges or visit the park’s shoreline from a houseboat. These have galleys where cooks provide meals, neat cabins, and perhaps a swimming cage that is lowered into the lake. The decks provide a perfect vantage point for game viewing. I’ve peacefully watched large herds of elephant, buffalo, zebra, impala and waterbuck feed on the nutritious grasses on the shore, plenty of hippo and crocodile in the shallows, and fish eagle perched on the half-submerged trees that jut out of the lake. Sleeping while moored on the shoreline is thrilling, and is accompanied by a chorus of nighttime sounds like nightjars and owls. I’ve even heard lion padding around, seemingly just a few metres away from my cabin.
Lake, Lavish Lodges & Lions
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you on a multiday walking safari deep into the park thereby allowing you to access the wild, hilly areas where almost nobody ever sets foot. This is a true wilderness experience in Big Five country.Covered in Dung
The inland sea, Lake Kariba, forms the northern boundary of Matusadona, so you can combine your game viewing with fishing and boating trips. As lake levels rise and fall the shoreline provides excellent grazing for buffalo and antelope, so these in turn attract good populations of lion, leopard and hyena. Large herds of elephant use the lake for drinking, cooling off and recreation, while crocs and hippos can be seen along the shoreline. Matusadona’s location means this magnificent park is little visited, making it one of my favorite wilderness destinations. The sunsets on the lake with its skeleton trees in silhouette are beyond beautiful. Stay in one of the superb safari camps or on a houseboat. Preferably both!
A Wildlife Nirvana on the Shores of Lake Kariba
Matusadona is often cited as a good place to track black rhinos, and this was indeed once the case, but the last one rhino was seen here in 2016 (though plans are in place to reintroduce them in 2025). The park also hosts good populations of sable
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antelope, roan antelope and eland, but these are seldom seen on the floodplain, since they mostly stick to the densely bushed hills. The most conspicuous large carnivores are lions – we had a great sighting of a pride of around 10 individuals on the floodplain – but leopard and spotted hyena are also present, and there are plans to reintroduce cheetah.Matusadona possesses a real wilderness character. It is serviced by a handful of small camps set on the lakeshore or its islands. Most camps offer walking safaris with experienced professional guides, which greatly enhances the safari experience. Boat trips on Kariba are also very enjoyable: you should see plenty of hippos, crocodiles and waterbirds such as African fish eagle, osprey, glossy ibis, white-crowned lapwing, giant kingfisher and malachite kingfisher.
A Locals’ Secret With Spectacular Sunrises
Kariba forms the northern border of Matusadona, and I first visited, as many people do, on a houseboat. I was blown away by the beauty of the area, exploring the Eastern Basin of the lake including Gache Gache Bay, Sanyati Gorge and Spurwing Island on a tender. They’re hauntingly beautiful but there’s plenty of life here too, particularly hippos and crocs and strangely ochre-hued elephants taking their color from the orange soil. On drives, we saw plenty of antelopes, zebra, buffalo and more elephants, although the lions stayed hidden and leopards are nigh on impossible to see. It’s not