Matusadona & Kariba

The Matusadona National Park, on the southern shore of Lake Kariba, is an exceptionally lovely and wild area, with good numbers of most local animals. It is also a Black Rhinoceros Intensive Protection Zone, and visitors have a good chance of seeing this rare and sadly endangered species. There is also an important population of cheetah, reintroduced into the Park in the early 1990s by the Zambezi Society, under tour leader Dick Pitman's supervision, in collaboration with the Parks Authority.

Roughly one-third of the Park - the northern sector - lies below the Matusadona hills, which form part of the Zambezi Escarpment, and is easily accessed by 4x4. The lakeshore areas are particularly attractive, and a network of tracks and gravel roads with numerous sandriver crossings traverses the entire Park to Sanyati West campsite on the eastern boundary close to the Matusadona hills and the Sanyati River. Fishing for both tigerfish and several bream species can be good, from bank or boat.

The mountainous area to the south is very remote, but can be accessed to some extent by tracks from the Binga-Karoi road and the main Park access road. However, there are no campsites in this area and a permit is required before entry.

How to get there
The only access road into the park is from a turnoff at 170km (approx) from Karoi on the Binga-Karoi gravel road. This can be reached in several ways, the most direct being via Karoi, on the main Harare-Chirundu road. Another option is to travel the Binga-Karoi road from the Binga end, which also enables you to visit Chizarira on the way. Matusadona can also be combined with visits to Kariba itself, or to Mana Pools and elsewhere in the Eastern Zambezi Valley.

However, be aware that both the Binga-Karoi road and the Matusadona access road are currently in bad condition. It may take you anything up to 3hrs or more to drive from the Binga-Karoi road to Tashinga.

Nearest border posts
Kariba (east); Victoria Falls, Kasane, Pandamatenga (west).

Vehicle requirements
4 x 4 is mandatory for ZIM4X4 accompanied tours, and strongly advised for those traveling on their own. There are several river crossings on the Tashinga road, as well as the sand rivers on the track network between Tashinga and Sanyati West.

Nearest fuel & provisions
East of Matusadona, fuel and provisions are available at Karoi (250km) and Kariba (400km via Karoi; 280km via Gache Gache (S16 44 18.1 E28 56 25.1). To the west, fuel may be available at Binga, but it is not advisable to rely on this. Though you may well find fuel en route, it's advisable to fill up at Hwange (400km) or the Victoria Falls (500km) and then top off as available. Vehicle range of 1200km + is advised from these centres) Similar remarks apply to provisions.

Where to stay
There is a good campsite, with basic shelters, on the Kariba lake shore at the Park's Tashinga headquarters, and other, more exclusive campsites at Changa Cheriyere and Sanyati West on the park's eastern side. Rhino Island Camp, managed by a commercial photosafari operator, is within easy reach of Tashinga and can offer fully-serviced accommodation. Self-catering facilities may be available at Rhino Island by prior arrangement.

Conservation issues
Black rhino are the hot topic here, followed closely by the environmental impacts of Lake Kariba and the implications of proposed tsetse fly clearance for wildlife and wilderness. Also, this is where a new cheetah population was introduced in 1994, and has survived and grown since. Learn about the perils, pitfalls - and joys - of cheetah relocations; and there's also a good chance of sighting one or more of these beautiful animals. Paradoxically, good rains and high lake levels reduce the area of lakeside grazing available to species such as buffalo and zebra, and these populations tend to decline if these conditions persist for more than a year or two.

When to visit
Strictly dry season only, for ZIM4x4 accompanied tours. During the rainy season flooding rivers may either prevent access, or maroon vehicles within the Park for a lengthy period.

November-March: possibly inaccessible. Wildlife spread throughout the Park. Lake Kariba falling, then stabilising.

April-August: becoming cool at night by July. Wildlife beginning to concentrate on main lakeshore viewing areas. Lake Kariba rising.

September-October: Hot to very hot, with slight chance of showers. Most species concentrated in lakeshore viewing areas. Lake Kariba stable or falling.