Lake Kariba
One of the world's largest man-made lakes, formed by damming the Zambezi, with islands, drowned trees and wildlife along the shore. Houseboats, fishing and sunset cruises are popular.
Lake Kariba
Houseboats are the best way to see this huge man-made lake, which lies on the Zambezi, for sunsets, fishing and shore wildlife.
Attractive locations
Kariba Dam
A curved concrete wall across the Zambezi gorge that created the lake, completed in the late 1950s. It carries a road between Zimbabwe and Zambia, and nearby lookouts view the wall.
Matusadona National Park
A park on the southern shore of the lake where hills, woodland and shoreline meet. Elephants, buffalo and lions roam the shore, and boat safaris are a way to see them.
Kariba Town
A lakeside town built for the dam workers, with a harbour, a viewpoint over the dam and a base for cruises and fishing trips.
Airports
Kariba Airport KAB
It is about 103 km in a straight line from Lake Kariba.
Scams and safe taxis
Taxi and scam advice for this country is on the Zimbabwe page
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan27.0 °C175 mm
- Feb26.5 °C130 mm
- Mar26.6 °C100 mm
- Apr25.9 °C28 mm
- May23.7 °C3 mm
- Jun21.4 °C1 mm
- Jul20.8 °C0 mm
- Aug23.4 °C0 mm
- Sep26.9 °C1 mm
- Oct30.1 °C9 mm
- Nov30.0 °C69 mm
- Dec27.8 °C172 mm
Driest months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep. Wettest months: Jan, Feb, Dec.
Who can help
Emergency
Police 999. Ask your hotel or operator for ambulance and fire numbers.
local government
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA)
Helps with: Zimbabwe's national tourism authority. Its contact page gives the head office in Harare, with a phone and email, and a regional office in Victoria Falls.
Who qualifies: Anyone planning or taking a trip to Zimbabwe.
Phone: +263 242 758 714
Email: info@ztazim.co.zw
Address: Tourism House, 55 Samora Machel Avenue, Harare
local government
Emergency numbers 999 and 995 (national numbering plan)
Helps with: The regulator's numbering plan lists 999 as the general fixed-line emergency number for fire, ambulance and police, and 995 for police. It lists other codes for mobile networks. The document is old.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Zimbabwe needing emergency services; mobile users should check their network's code.
Phone: 999
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Zimbabwe
Helps with: The UN migration agency, in Zimbabwe since 1985. It works on migration management and crisis response, including help with reintegration, and runs a migration health assessment centre.
Who qualifies: Migrants and migration-affected people in Zimbabwe. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: +263 867 700 9721
Address: 10 Duthie Avenue, Alexandra Park, Harare