Kariba Bush Club /media/reviews/photos/thumbnail/256x256s/22/71/3b/5537-Restaurant-and-zebra-640x483-48-1420810631.jpg New

Should one find themselves travelling down the narrow, winding road that leaves behind the bustling Livingstone-Lusaka freeway from the small little town called Batoka in Zambia – a stop-over abundant with local Zambian women wrapped in colourful chitenge material all scrambling to sell their daily harvest of fresh fruit and vegetables – one will soon find themselves subconsciously easing their foot off the accelerator, not so much to avoid smacking one of the many potholes that one shall surely encounter, but more so to appreciate the sheer beauty and magnificence of the rugged, majestic Gwembe Valley lying sprawled out in all her glory in front of you.

The Valley, once home to a great abundance of wildlife including the elusive and sacred Black Rhino, herds of thousands of elephants, the Big Five and many species of African antelope, has sadly seen the disappearance of all of these animals due to many years of mismanagement and poaching within these hidden, largely inaccessible escarpments and rolling hills of what inevitably forms part of the greater Zambezi Rift Valley.

Driving the meandering road from Batoka to Siansowa, which falls within the beautiful district of Sinazongwe; though no wildlife will surprise you here other than the occasional scurrying baboon; the valley will slowly unravel in front of your eyes, offering but a handful of fleeting glimpses of Lake Kariba’s shimmering expanse of water below only to those who are discerning enough to catch them on the way down, before suddenly opening up to the flat, rugged basin that forms the bottom of the Valley. The change in landscape is abrupt; from lush, green slopes and narrow, meandering streams to unforgiving, arid land obscured by thorny acacia, ancient old Baobab’s and wider, sandy riverbeds. Here the true culture and way of life of the proud Batonka tribe will welcome you with smiling faces, their children with over-exaggerated squeals of delight at the sheer sight of you; their small, hutted villages blending into the surrounding landscape; scrawny cattle, arrogant goats, scatters of paltry maize plantations and ever-shady mango trees always present nearby.

At the very end of this road, only 110km from Batoka but seemingly much, much farther away, one will happen across a small, welcoming lodge called Kariba Bush Club. Unassumingly tucked away along a ridge located on the shores of the beautiful Lake, we offer our guests comfortable accommodation, great food and exceptional service. Overlooking a vast expanse of glistening water; the very same rolling hills of the Gwembe Valley that you just travelled through to reach us forever regal and impending on the horizon; we invite you to stay a while and explore this scenic, enigmatic land and all its hidden charms with us.
Together with Zongwe Farming, a Nile crocodile farm located close by and The School Club Zambia, a non-profit organization working with local, underprivileged community schools in the area; Kariba Bush Club is working towards preserving and protecting the beauty of this natural landscape and the people who live amongst it. We have over the years brought back some of the wildlife that used to, a long time ago, live and flourish within this valley. The lodge and its surroundings are home to trusting resident impala, zebra, bushbuck, warthog, kudu and inquisitive vervet monkeys who have warmed to friendly, visiting humans.
Entrusted in our care are two beautiful islands on Lake Kariba: Maaze and Mashape Island. With almost 350 hectares between the two, the islands are home to many species of wildlife including reedbuck, defasa waterbuck, eland, kudu, zebra, wildebeest, resident crocodiles, hippo, wandering elephants and many birds. The islands, wildlife and surrounding waters are protected and offer a great place to unwind and take in the surrounding beauty, exercise your photography skills, stretch your legs with an unique island safari walk, or try your hand at catching the elusive, sought-after predatory Tiger Fish that Kariba is famous for. These activities can be undertaken by boat from the mainland or from our tented safari camp on Maaze Island; built using locally sourced materials, the camp blends naturally into its surroundings offering guests comfortable safari style accommodation on the island; before returning to camp for a hearty meal prepared over a roaring fire, all under the cover of the brilliant stars that speckle the dark, African night sky overhead.

Back on the mainland, the crocodile farm located close by has something special to share with all who visit; a crocodile conservancy like no other.
Boasting the highest gene pool of Nile crocodile in Zambia, the conservancy is spread over ten hectares of water in the form of predominantly natural earth dams surrounded by thousands of indigenous trees and home to over 2,000 adult Nile Crocodiles. These crocodiles are kept for breeding purposes only and live a life of leisure within the conservancy. What makes this conservancy most unique is the sheer number of birds that seek refuge here on a daily basis. Thousands of birds flock each day from all directions to roost within these dams; so much so that latecomers find themselves in the unfortunate situation of having to squabble and squawk at others in the hope of being offered a small opening for landing. Here one can get close to nesting herons, egrets, weavers and ibises without alarming them; close enough to see clutches of pastel blue egrets eggs delicately sheltered within their nests and noisy, featherless sacred ibis chicks screeching in exasperation for their mother’s return with food. Watch them teetering precariously on a branch above the water, slowly building their strength and gaining their balance before finally learning to fly. The haven of birdlife always present also includes one of the highest concentrations of African Fish Eagle within Southern Africa that nest atop the tallest trees and feed on the fish that are plentiful within these dams. It is possible to see a dozen or more Fish Eagle in one tree alone here. Other prominent residents include various species of vulture, ibis, kingfisher, heron, egret, stork, cormorant, plover, thick-knee, weaver and bishop, to name some. Further seasonal activities to see within the conservancy include the mating and laying seasons of the prehistoric beasts, where one can get up close to mating crocodiles and observe indolent females laying their eggs into carefully dug nests – some holding as many as one hundred large, oval eggs – before being lifted and relocated for incubation. The hatching season also permits guests to play the motherly role of “assisting” the little monsters, who are exact replicas of their parents only thousands of times smaller, from their eggs and out into the world.
For this, and many more reasons not mentioned in the paragraphs before, we welcome you to visit this hidden region of Zambia, a forgotten gem rich in history and culture and home to the legendary Zambezi river-god, Nyami-Nyami.
We at Kariba Bush Club shall endeavour to offer you an experience like no other, leaving you in awe of the beauty that surrounds us here in the valley each day, and with memories that we hope shall last a lifetime.