Lake Kariba Houseboat Trip.

Getting Organised.

Heading off to Lake Kariba on the Zambezi River, for a houseboat trip, is always cause for huge excitement in our home. Loads of preparation is required, as we need to take all our food, fishing tackle and diesel for the car, as well as petrol for the speed boat. Currently fuel is hard to find in Zimbabwe, so we need to take all we require for the car and speed boat.

Our great friends, the Havercrofts, were joining us for the trip, which added to the excitement. Thankfully lovely rains arrived on the farm a few days before our trip, so Douglas was able to relax, as the crops had been looking rather thirsty.

Traveling to Kariba.

Our speed boat stays up in Kariba, so we do the trip in our double cab vehicle, which pulls our camping trailer. We usually head off early in the morning, to avoid the big transporting trucks headed for Zimbawe’s northern border. As Zimbabwean driving can be horrendous, we always travel slowly and cautiously… With all the rain around, the trip was cooler for this time of year and we managed the five hour trip quite safely.

Loading the Houseboat in Harbor.

Lake Kariba’s water level is currently extremely low, so it proved difficult to load the small boats within the harbour. We always need to do several trips in our speed boats, to and from the loading ramp, in order to load the houseboat -and it usually takes us a few hours to get organised and ready. Once on board the houseboat, which has three staff to take good care of us, we are only then able to relax and enjoy the surroundings.

Crossing the Lake to Elephant Point.

Soon we were cruising across the lake, which takes a few hours, relaxing and sleeping along the way. During the journey Douglas and the children find time to set up the fishing rods, which is a new skill Paula Joy and Murray John have learnt and are now becoming proficient at… The fishing began once the houseboat was moored for the night against the shore at Elephant Point.

Kariba sunsets are a sight to see and we were soon rewarded with an awesome sunset, followed by a full moon. Sleeping on the top deck of the houseboat is another highlight for us, as we all just love sleeping under the stars. Thankfully there is usually a lovely breeze to keep any mosquitoes away.

Kariba dawn arrives around 4.30 am, so everyone was awake early, with the children very eager to start fishing. Murray John even began fishing straight off the houseboat! The speed boats headed out around 6 am, to try to catch some bream, but returned with a few squeakers and one small tiger fish instead! -Oops, not a great start!

Heading off to the Umi River.

After a late breakfast we headed off to the Umi River, which takes about three hours of travelling. The houseboat is always a lively place, especially when filled with children and the excitement of the day was a noisy swim in the deep waters of the lake, where there are no lurking crocodiles.

Everyone got a chance to jump off the houseboat and cool off. During the rest of the travelling time games are played, books are ready and gym exercises done to keep the children busy. The adults tend to sit, chat, read and simply chill out. These are indeed special bonding times for everyone.

Mooring in the Gubu River.

The peace and tranquillity of the Umi River always amazes me. Such a beautiful place, away from WiFi and other boats. The Gubu River is a tributary which runs into the Umi River and is always one of the first places we go to. The river has dried up a great deal so we had to moor closer to the main river

The Fishing Trials and Tribulations.

The fishing continued to be poor, due to the muddy waters. However, on day three, Murray John managed to catch two bream fish for his supper. Fresh bream is a wonderful treat and reward for hours of hopeful fishing. ,

Each day we move the houseboat to another scenic spot and this time we had to go closer to the main lake, where the water was clearer, as fishing in muddy water never seems to be successful. It’s the first houseboat trip in years where the fishing has been so challenging and a real test of patience. We always look for semi sheltered places where we can still get a good breeze, whilst the boat is protected from sudden storms.

Day four started with determination to catch the elusive bream. The day before Douglas had baited an area with a game block, which is a compressed block of stock feed and molasses. The block was dropped into plus/minus two meters of water, near a dead tree stump. Twelve hours later we headed back to the place to fish for bream, hoping that the bream had come to feed on the game block.

However, we only managed to catch a few squeaker fish, which was rather disappointing. After a few hours of trying, we gave up and headed off to see what game we could find in the next bay. The bird life is very wonderful on the lake so this day we ended up watching two pairs of fish eagles, which is always a beautiful sight.

Following a late breakfast one day the children went scorpion hunting with Tony, who is a professional guide. Always an adventure to be found when surrounded by unspoiled nature! Once the hunt was over, the children ended up having fun, catching some small bream in a little pond. Well done the young, for catching some dinner snacks!

One afternoon Murray John decided to try float fishing, so he spent a great deal of time working out how each type of float worked, until he found the right one for the job. He then proceeded to float fish off the bank till after sunset, catching one or two little fish.

Children’s Speedboat Driving.

Each day our children take turns to drive the speed boat. They prepare the boat to head out fishing, by organizing the cold box, the snacks, rods, worms and fishing box. Thankfully, they only managed to forget the fishing box on one occasion.

Speed boat driving on the lake is not an easy exercise, as there are many tree stumps to avoid, as well as pods of hippos, which means that driver has to stay very focused.

This challenge the children took on and thrived, resulting in them not being entirely sure whether they enjoyed the fishing or speed boat diving the most!

Mooring in the Shenga River.

The Shenga River is another tributary which runs into the Umi River. For me it’s the most scenic part on the lake and there are always a herd of elephant in this area. The Shenga location also gives one an awesome view across the bay and flood plains.

Moving the houseboat to the Shenga caused great excitement for the children . They got to move the speed boats and drive them alongside the houseboat, or out in front, looking for submerged tree stumps. Watching how the boat captains manage to navigate the houseboat safely through the semi submerged trees is rather impressive.

Fishing in the Shenga bay is beautiful, -such an idyllic spot, full of hippos, birdlife, crocodiles and the occasional elephant. We had a lovely afternoon fishing in the shallows for bream. With the rainy season upon us there were clouds around, preventing the excessive heat Lake Kariba is known for. Finally, on the next day, the bream were biting, where Douglas had placed a game block the night before. This caused great excitement and both speed boats returned for a late breakfast with a keep net full of fish. The men and children immediately headed out after breakfast, to keep fishing through the heat of the day.

We certainly got to see who the avid fishermen were! Paula Joy was especially excited when she caught a “Cornish Jack” fish to add to her collection of squeakers, bream and baby tigers, which she had already landed.

Paula Joy managed to catch a variety of fish from (left) Cornish Jack, (middle) Bream and (right) Squeaker.

By lunch time a storm arose in the distance, behind the Matusadona hills. It’s such a spectacle to watch the lightning in the distance, which thankfully brings the wind to cool us all off. By the late afternoon I thought that I had better have a go at fishing, as everyone else was hauling in the fish. Would I be successful? -Fishing is not one of my strengths, however I enjoy it when the fish are on the bite. Once I had caught my bream I was happy to return to my book or to writing this post.

Finally, after four days of fishing, we had plenty of fish to enjoy our first fish and chips supper. Fresh bream is always delicious and the children were so proud of their fishing achievements.

On the last day in the Umi River, one of the speed boats would not start, so the boys were ‘all hands on deck’ trying to solve the problem. After an hour they decided that it was best to tow the speed boat out to the fishing spot, as they felt that they were losing valuable fishing time. The problem was finally resolved whilst fishing and a fun time of jesting and comparing one another’s boats erupted on the way back!

Moving to Gordon’s Bay for the Last Night.

We have to move closer to harbour for our last night. We decided to try Gordon’s Bay, as it tends to have more game on the foreshore. With the rains having arrived inland the game was tending to move away from the lake foreshore, resulting in us having only seen a few elephants and impala antelope.

The wind picked up during our last night, giving us all a lovely reprieve from the heat. However, at three am, a large crocodile decided to eat one of the houseboat fenders, resulting in a great deal of banging against the boat and a fender full or holes!

Our Final Day.

The dawn on our final morning was spectacular. The houseboat guys were up at first light, untying the houseboat ropes and firing up the boat engines, ready for the four hour trip across the lake to the harbour. The sunrise was a sight to behold and a memory which we will never forget. What a wonderful way to end an awesome houseboat trip… One can only marvel at God’s perfect creation and I always feel closer to God, having spent quality time in His presence.

I find it sad to leave the houseboat and return to normal life. However, we are now rested and have our batteries recharged to take on the real world and it’s many challenges. Happily we all know that Lake Kariba and the houseboats will be there, waiting for us to return, to enjoy another adventure.

I suggest you add Kariba to your bucket list!

“I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful.” Psalm 139 vs 14.

• Our Homeschooling Adventures and Activities for March-April 2024.
• Developing Life Skills through a Houseboat Adventure.
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• Our Fun and Fantastic Cape Town Experience.

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