Matusadona National Park and Lake Kariba

Matusadona National Park is located in northern Zimbabwe. It is a rather recent creation (1975) and a relatively small area (1,375 sqkm). Its inaccessibility has helped to preserve its extraordinary landscapes of plains, mountains and waters from the impact of tourism.

The history of the park is unique as it includes Lake Kariba, which is the largest artificial lake in the world with its 223 km length, its 40 km width and its volume of approx. 180 billion tons of water. The lake is the result of the construction of the hydroelectric dam of Kariba in 1955 to 1959. This was accompanied by the displacement of local populations and the gigantic operation “Noah“, which assured the transportation and preservation of all wildlife including big cats, elephants, rhinos, etc.

Nowadays, the park and the lake offer landscapes unique in the world and extraordinary opportunities to observe and photograph animals including birds (over 260 species), troops of elephants, herds of buffalos, huge crocodiles, lions, etc. The boat drives along the 2,000 km of shores of the lake are the best way to access the islets and approach the undisturbed wildlife.