Eminently EveNB: It is strongly advised to read all the reviews on this site in their entirety to ensure that the destinations really suit all your needs & preferences.
Click on the subheadings below to jump to their contents:
Directions, road conditions & best type of vehicle to use
Arrival & experience with the staff members
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Introduction
Kariba is one unique town in Zimbabwe as there are animals like elephants which move around freely. During our stay in Kariba at Warthog Safari Camp, we would commonly see animals like zebras, waterbucks, bushbucks, hippos and elephants as it is situated on the game corridor. Despite the awesome experience with these animals we still wanted to visit Lake Kariba Recreational Park to explore further, so we did.
You can find a detailed review of Kariba, with information such as accommodation fees, activities to do in Kariba, road conditions, among others here.
Booking & contact details
From my understanding, no booking is required to visit Lake Kariba Recreational Park. However, if you have enquiries you can contact Zimparks on +263776134164 / info@zimparks.org.zw
Directions to Lake Kariba Recreational Park, road conditions & best type of vehicle to use
We decided to start our trip early on the day of our visit so that we could get to the park by 6am. Kariba is such a hot area and our visit being in October (the peak of the hot season in Zimbabwe) we had to start and finish the game drive as early as possible when it would still be cooler. This timing would also allow us to see the animals while they are grazing and drinking water. Animals behave in the same way we do in many ways. So in the peak of the heat they are resting under the shade of trees trying to keep cool. It is therefore not as easy to see them compared to when they are in the open grassland feeding.
Lake Kariba Recreational Park is located about 20 km from Kariba CBD. You drive as if you’re going back to Harare and you will find a sign post directing you to the park. You will find additional signs which will lead you right to the park’s gates. It does not look like the specific entry to the park is marked on Google Maps though so you will just have to rely on the sign posts.
Arrival & experience with the staff members
As we had planned, we managed to arrive between 6am and 6:30am. Excited to start our tour in the park, we were met by some of the most unwelcoming Zimparks personnel ever. This literally shocked me because we’ve been to several Zimparks destinations and never have we ever experienced such. Zimparks’ interaction with visitors has always been excellent. So straight away we knew something was wrong with these specific people.
There was no acknowledgement from them about our presence so we had to awkwardly ask if they were operating or not. One man responded, “yes” & we asked for the entry fees. Unbeknown to him, I already knew the fees as Zimparks shares their rates for all their parks on their website for each year in a pdf document.
At the time of publishing this article, the rates for 2024 are not yet out however, below is the link for the 2023 ones (they are less likely to be any differences for most of the places except maybe for Victoria Falls) https://www.zimparks.org.zw/parks-rates.html
The man went on to say that the entry fee was $10 per adult and another $10 for the car. We exclaimed in shock but quickly thought he must think that we are foreigners. So we clarified that we are locals and he said yes that was the fee. The next logical step we could think of was to ask him to see the rate sheet he was using and the receipt book where other people had paid that amount and that is when he said that he did not have either. Someone else was going to bring it.
In even more confusion we just went like “What?! So how were you planning on giving us the receipt after we had paid you the $30 which is actually supposed to be $15?”. There was silence from him… So we told him it was okay, we were going to wait for the person with the receipt book to come.
We waited until 7am for the person to come. While we were waiting we of course talked to the area manager, Mr Sibanda who is amazing. He clarified that the total fees we were supposed to pay was indeed $15 and not $30. He apologised and said that he would attend to that situation.
While I do not wish for the man and the other people who were in the ticket office (when this man was trying to steal from us) to lose their jobs, I think a firm warning is needed because the last thing we need as a country is to have a bad reputation over theft by officials at our national parks. Most people who visit these parks (like ourselves) are not rich. We will be working on quite a tight budget but of course we want to support their efforts in conservation through our visits. The fees are already not cheap for a regular Zimbabwean so for them to double it is just unfair.
I will reiterate though that I’ve been to so many national parks and this has never happened. We have always received the best reception from them and everything was done in a transparent manner. The only reason I’m highlighting this particular encounter we had is so that you know that you can always take steps to ensure that the right thing is done and not to cancel a whole establishment over one or a few bad apples.
Accommodation & fees
I did see some campsites but I do not think that they are in use. They were also not included on the zimparks rate sheet for all their parks so I do not think that they offer accommodation there. However, there are so many accommodation options in Kariba and you can find a detailed review, including prices of where we stayed on this link.
Activities in Lake Kariba Recreational Park & fees
The main activity in Lake Kariba Recreational Park offered by zimparks is a game drive with one’s own vehicle. There are other activities though such as the sunset cruise, parasailing, speed boat hire, sailing boat cruise, guided game drive, among others which are offered by private service providers. I shared all the details on who to contact and the fees for each activity on the link here.
Game drive experience at Lake Kariba Recreational Park
After finally making the payment at 7am, we got in and our game drive started. It’s such a good thing that no matter what is happening, nature always calms me down. So once we actually passed the boom gate, I started feeling excitement building up in anticipation of what awaited us. The little hiccup prior was already fading away from my mind.
The first animals we saw were these adorable Red-necked francolin birds which were walking on the road. It was beautiful to witness how if you respect animals you get to observe their interactions among each other and their environment. Just so beautiful and soothing to watch.
We drove a little and spotted two zebras play-fighting and stopping to graze. They looked like they had no worries whatsoever. Given that lions are not really completely absent there either, it’s mind blowing to see the plains game chilled, living each moment fully with no fear. Many times we are stuck on “what ifs” and worry about things in the future that we can not even change. So seeing these zebras’ behaviour and attitude reminded me that I need to just relax sometimes and enjoy life as is in that moment.
While watching the zebras we caught a glimpse of what looked like waterbucks from afar. We drove closer to get a better look and it was indeed a healthy herd of waterbucks. There were more zebras too in the vicinity and we stayed there for a good while, while enjoying the two species interacting with each other.
In the middle of this pleasant relaxed experience, I sensed something from the corner of my eye. I turned my head to see what it was and it was a cute mongoose couple in an upright position staring right at us.
They were watching us this whole time and it just made me wonder which other species were watching us and we would never get to see them. Everything in the bush is so observant and situationally aware. Another skill that we have lost as humans but certainly need to regain in order to keep ourselves safe from mugging, smash & grab and other related crimes when we are travelling.
The mongooses started playing around while still keeping an eye on us. It was surprising though for us to see just these two because mongooses usually move in groups. It wasn’t long though before we saw several other ones nearby so it seems like these two had just left the group for some privacy. At some point they were mating.
We left this side of the park and drove in the opposite direction to explore further. Just as we got to one junction and were discussing which direction to take, we saw this pumped up herd of bachelor impalas. This was actually our first time to see impalas since we got to Kariba. These male impalas were jumping around seemingly practising and probably showing off to each other their best jumps.
Being able to jump the furthest is quite crucial among antelopes, especially small ones like impalas which are the main target for most big predators. Their ability to survive an attack by even a cheetah (the fastest animal on land) is their ability to jump and do quick sudden turns during the chase. The longer they can keep up with that the more they drain the predator until it gives up.
The display and practice by these males is not only to avoid predators though but to also get their own breeding herds. Not every male impala will manage to mate and breed though. It’s only the strongest and fastest in the group that will fight the current sitting male and take over or at least split up his female herd.
We drove around further and continued seeing more and more impalas. Eventually we got to one side of the lake that was so quiet. There was no sign of other humans at all, just animals and the lake. This is because no commercial fishing is allowed here so everything is just so peaceful. We took our snack break there and enjoyed the pure sounds of mother nature through birds and other animals.
We walked around the periphery of the lake (keeping a safe distance of course) and we saw about four crocodiles. Just as I would get ready to photograph them though they would rush quickly into the water. It’s really impressive how strong their senses are because obviously they would have been watching us for a long time but just as they pick up that we have noticed them and our attention is now on them, only then will they decide to swim away. They rely on camouflage too so if they know that they haven’t been spotted, it serves them better to keep still than to move.
We saw so many aquatic bird species. It was an all round beautiful and calming experience. We left after about 2 hours to 3 hours as the heat was starting to pick up. We left in all smiles as this ended up being a pretty fulfilling morning
Conclusion
If you are in Kariba and especially staying anywhere which is not along the game corridor then you certainly want to visit Lake Kariba Recreational Park. Elephants are amazing for sure however they are not the only animals Kariba has to offer. The first time I visited Kariba we stayed at the Kariba Heights and we only saw elephants and zebras. I left with the impression that those were the only animals there because I did not know that there was a section of the recreational park where you could actually pay an entry fee and explore. So I hope that when you are next in Kariba you do visit. If you want a guided game drive you can check out this link with activities, fees and contact details for enquiries and/or booking.
When you visit, do share your experience with me here or on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn :)… Remember to have a little intimacy in your life & as always I’m talking about Intimacy With Nature
