Lake Kariba

We crossed the border from Moz to Zim near Mutare and stocked up on supplies, including beef fillets from a local butcher at US$ 7 per kilo! We drove through to Harare, which looked a bit like downtown Durban but  wilder and rougher around the edges. To camp safely in Zim, you need to know where to go and the recommendation for camping around Harare is at the Jacana Yacht Club. Of course, driving directions and signboards are limited, so once we found the place it was way after dark! The next day we headed off to Kariba to meet up with Tommy, Mandy and Colette.Roads can be hazardous at times; national highways are single lane with no hard shoulder and crowded with trucks bringing almost everything up from SA for Zim, Zam and Moz. Our houseboat, the Royal Game and 2 crew, were waiting for us at Marineland marina. It had been 14 years since our last lake Kariba adventure and once again it turned out to be one of our best African experiences. Four nights is a good length of stay for a houseboat; you can't help but relax - no matter how stressed you are when you climb on board.We started each day with sunrise coffee and biscuits, followed by a fishing or game viewing trip on the tender boat; returning to a full English breakfast and later tea and home baked biscuits, lunch,another fishing trip, sunset snacks and drinks, dinner and bed. Neil and I chose to sleep on deck and we had a wonderful bed under a mozzie net made up for us each evening.It's great to watch the stars while lying in bed! We caught a lot of Bream ( very tasty )but only a small Tigerfish, as it was the wrong season. The weather in Northern Zimbabwe is just fantastic in late April and early May, with wonderful, warm, dry days but it's cool enough at night for just a thin jacket and a good night's sleep.