Lake Kariba

Lake Kariba is a reservoir on the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe, stretching 280 kilometers in length and reaching depths of 97 meters. Its surface covers 5,580 square kilometers, forming one of the largest artificial bodies of water on the African continent.

The construction of Kariba Dam between 1955 and 1959 created this reservoir and required relocating 57,000 Tonga people from their ancestral lands. The flooding of the valley permanently changed the landscape and formed a new border between the two countries.

Local fishermen still use dugout canoes to cast their nets for bream across the water, preserving traditional skills passed down through generations. Along the shores, they dry their catch in the sun, a method that has supplied the region with smoked kapenta for decades.

The best views come from the dam itself or from boat trips along the many bays and islands scattered across the water. Visitors should come early morning or late afternoon when elephants and other animals approach the shore to drink.

The water holds 180 cubic kilometers, making it four times larger than the reservoir behind the Three Gorges Dam in China. When the valley flooded, hundreds of small islands formed where wildlife now takes refuge, having escaped the rising water.