The Park is based on the Lake which was initially dammed so as to build a hydroelectricity generation utility for the benefit of both Zimbabwe and Zambia. This meant that the local tribes of the Tonga, Korekore and Gova had to abandon their settlements and be resettled in new strange lands.
The Lake
Kariba Dam wall was completed in late 1958, having been commenced on in September 1955. It is among the 4 largest man-made lakes in the world and the second largest in Africa. The shoreline is over 2 000 kilometres long. The dam wall was designed by Andre Coyne, a Frenchman, and built by a constructor called Impresit from Italy.
The dam wall with 6 flood gates was built between 1955 and officially completed in!959. About 1,032,000 cubic metres. The maximum wall height of the dam is 128 metres. The dam wall is 128 metres high and 617 metres wide. The length of the lake is 282 kilometres long at full level and 32 kilometres across at it's widest and an average width of 19.4km, 120 metres at its deepest and covers an area of 5 180 square kilometres of what once was the Gwembe trough. At capacity, the dam holds 175km3 of water. The weight of the water totals.
177 million tons and with ail 6 flood gates opened, over 9 500 cubic metres (300 000 cubic feet) of water would fall into the River below each second! The lake receives 70% of its water from the Zambezi River, one of Africa's mightiest rivers.
There are a total of 293 islands with 190 of these on the Zimbabwean side.
86 men perished during construction of the dam and a church bas since been constructed in memorial honour of them.
Operation Noah
This is one of the great acts of mankind giving back to nature. When the 2 sluice gates that were used for the Zambezi River to flow was closed hence effectively damming the water, the water started rising. Within 24 hours the level had gone up by 6 metres and by September 1959 it had risen by 60 metres. Alarm bells started ringing when it was realised that the dam was creating numerous islands and even submerging some pieces of land thereby threatening the resident animal population that had largely been left behind in the Gwembe Trough as the local tribes were forcibly resettled.
A concerted drive was made by the National Parks and Government to rescue the animais from the fast submerging islands to the mainland. By the end of the operation.
Zimbabwean team (then Southern Rhodesia) had rescued nearly 5 000 animais while the Zambian team (then Northern Rhodesia) had rescued about 2 000.
The operation attracted a lot of international attention and it received international publicity and significant material aid from as far afield as the USA and the UK.
Nyami Nyami
The Nyami Nyami River God is a legend and major force in the society around the Zambezi Valley. The River God is believed to have supernatural powers. The Nyami Nyami is believed to be a dragon-like amphibious being that resembles in part both a fish's head and a snake's torso. It is believed that the locals would at the Nyaminyami's charitable appearances, pause for the locals to slice pieces of meat from its back before going down into the water.
Folklore has it that the Nyaminyami used to live upstream with his wife but when the dam wall was constructed it separated the Nyaminyami and his wife. This infuriated the River God, hence the collapse of part of the dam wall that killed 86 workmen.
The locals and tourists of Kariba look forward to September each year as the Nyaminyami Festivals are held to venerate the River God.
Flora and Fauna
Adapting to the initial flooding and annual fluctuation several changes have occurred around the shores of the lake. The shoreline is a rich grazing area for herbivores and hence has also attracted predatory animais that hunt the herbivores. Common species to be found around the lake are elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, hippopotamus, crocodiles and sable. It is also an important habitat for several species of water fowl and fish eating birds like fish eagles, hammerkops and a varietyofstorks,
The lake is renowned for its tiger fish but it is also home to several other 41 fish species that include nkupe, chessa, bottlenose, vundu, barbell and several types of bream.
Seasons
The area generally has hot summers averaging 38 degrees celsius and an average rainfall of 660 millimetres. The winters are usually warm with an average temperature of 25 degrees celsius.
FACILITIES
A slipway has been provided for visitors to Nyanyana to launch their boats, but when the level of the lake is very low the slipway cannot be used.
LODGES
The lodges at Nyanyana Camp are fully equipped self catering facilities. These lodges are situated at the mouth of the Nyanyana River on the Lake Kariba shore. During the night hippopotamus can often be heard grazing at the lodges area,
CAMP SITES
There are 20 camping sites available within 100 metres of the lake shore. These facilities together with the caravan sites are serviced by 2 ablution blocks comprising of showers, baths, wash basins and toilets.
There are other camps which are on seasonal basis. These are wilder with very little development and are more ideal for those yearning for a closer encounter with wild animais.
CARAVAN SITES
There are 15 caravan sites within the vicinity of the lake shore.
AMENITIES
From Nyanyana the nearest supplies, foodstuffs, fuel and other necessities are found at Kariba town, just a few minutes drive away. At Kariba, one will find most of the hôtels, shops, the main harbours and several other conveniences.
ACTIVITIES & ATTRACTIONS
• Game viewing - visitors use their own vehicles for transport.
• Fishing - visitors bring their own fishing gear and boats.
• Guided walks
• Guided horse rides
• Scenic view
• Boat clubs
• Boat emises - both day and night
• Nyami Nyami tradition
• Islands spread out on the lake - There 102 islands on the lake that include: Fothergill, Spurwing, Msambakaruma, Rhino, 126, Long Island, Redcliff, Antelope, Zebra, Kings Camp, 155, Starvation Island, Lubangwa Island, Twin Sisters, Nemambere Island, Partridge Island, Whither Island, Paradise Island, Snake Island, Bed Island, Chete Island which is the largest and several others
WHY VISIT LAKE KARIBA?
• The Park is rich in wildlife
• Beautiful well maintainedraccommodation
• The lake is one of the largest man-made lakes in Zimbabwe
• Widevarietyoffish
• The history and folklore attached to the Lake |
