Lake Kariba
When the dam was completed in 1960 it was the largest man-made dam
ever built.
Two hundred and twenty kilometres long and in places up to forty kilometres
wide, it provides considerable electric power to both Zambia and Zimbabwe and supports a
thriving commercial fishing industry.
The lake’s vastness creates
spectacular panoramas as the sun casts its glow across the shimmering waters
catching the distinctive half-submerged trees and islands.
The rich fertilising effect of the chemicals from the strip clearance gave a spurt to the
growth of the lake fauna. The introduction to Kariba of kapenta, tiny sardine-like fish,
has proved very successful. Shoals were airlifted from Lake Tanganyika to Lake Kariba in
1967. Kapenta are also dried for easy distribution as a high protein food supplement to
areas where fish are scarce.
It gets very hot from November to
February. Ideal times are April/ May and September to early October.
