Bumi Hills Safari Lodge
P erched high on the hills overlooking Lake Kariba, the views from Bumi Hills Safari Lodge are captivating. Coming through the doors on arrival, and out into the main area of the lodge, we find ourselves standing beside a magnificent infinity pool that seems to merge with the endless, shimmering blue waters of the lake stretching out far below. We are at eye-level with soaring vultures and have uninterrupted views of the elephant families on the shore. Lake Kariba, the world’s largest artificial lake by volume, is on the Zambezi River. One could be excused for thinking they are gazing out to sea as the lake measures over 220km long, has a width of 40km in places, and has a surface area of over 5 500km². Rich and nutritious grasses flourish on its banks, providing a myriad of herbivores with plentiful grazing, and away from the floodplains, the thick mopane and Combretum woodlands of the Zambezi Valley floor conceal the park’s browsers. Only the ghostly tips of a drowned forest of trees serve as a reminder of the lake’s history while providing the perfect backdrop for some dramatic photography. On the southern shores of Lake Kariba, sandwiched between the Sanyati Gorge and the Une River, is the Matusadona National Park in northern Zimbabwe. Approximately one month before the Italian contractors building the dam wall completed their project in 1958; the park was proclaimed a non-hunting area. In
PARADISE RESTORED DISCOVERING LAKE KARIBA AND MATUSADONA’S CHARMS The mother elephants and their babies play, bob, and wrestle in the shallows, using their trunks like built-in snorkels. There is something wonderful about witnessing wild animals do something purely for enjoyment, writes Sarah Kingdom about a recent trip to Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba and the surrounding Matusadona National Park.
Bumi Hills Safari Lodge
Credit: Bad Rabbit Studio
Credit: Kelly Landray
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