Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Lake Kariba
Beyond Victoria Falls, the Zambezi River flows through the Batoka Gorge then enters the
waters of Lake Kariba. Formed behind the massive Kariba Dam, this is one of the largest
artificial lakes in Africa. The lake is enormous and spectacular with the silhouettes of
jagged Zimbabwean peaks far across its shimmering waters. The Zambian side of Lake
Kariba is not
nearly
as developed or as popular as the southern and eastern shores in Zimb-
abwe. On the Zimbabwean side are national parks and wildlife areas, and some tourist de-
velopment, while the Zambian side remains remote and rarely reached by visitors. For
those who make it here, this remoteness is the very attraction.
The main base for activities on and around the lakeshore is Siavonga, which is a small
town with accommodation set up mainly for the business market, although tourist facilities
do exist. Sinazongwe, almost halfway between Livingstone and Siavonga, is even less set
up for tourism. Only 17km away across the water, closer to Zimbabwe (150m away) than
Zambia, is Chete (27 sq km), the largest island on the lake. It has lions, leopards, elands,
waterbucks, bushbucks, impalas and kudus, and of course hippos and crocs, an astonishing
variety of birds but no roads or accommodation at the time of writing.
History
Lake Kariba was formed in the 1960s, its waters held back by the massive Kariba Dam,
built to provide electricity for Northern and Southern Rhodesia (later Zambia and Zimbab-
we) and as a symbol of the Central African Federation in the days before independence.
Today, Kariba measures 280km long by 12km to 32km wide, with an area of over 5500 sq
km, making it one of the largest artificial lakes in the world. Underground power stations
on both sides of the dam produce over 1200 megawatts between them.
As well as being a source of power, Lake Kariba is an important commercial fishing
centre. Small sardine-like fish called
kapenta
were introduced from Lake Tanganyika, and
they thrived in the new mineral-rich waters. During the 1970s and 1980s the fishing in-
dustry flourished, with many '
kapenta
rigs' (floating pontoons) on the lake. Lights were
used to attract the fish at night; the fish were then scooped up in large square nets on
booms. In recent years, overfishing has led to a decline in catches, but some rigs still oper-
ate, and you'll often see their lights twinkling on the horizon.
The fishing industry was always part of the plan, so while the dam was being construc-
ted, vegetation in the valley was cleared by bulldozers pulling battleship chains through the
bush, tearing down everything in their path. The chains were held off the ground by huge
