Zambezi
The Zambezi is a massive river in Southern Africa which runs from the northern parts of Angola all the way through Zambia, along the border with Zimbabwe and through Mozambique and finally empties itself into the Indian Ocean on the east coast of Africa. The river fills two major lakes in southern Africa namely Lake Kariba and Cahorra Bassa in Mozambique, both of which provide hydro electric power to their respective countries.
River course
The course of the Zambezi river is long and winding through no more than 5 African states, starting in Angola, running into Zambia for quite a long way before just touching the border with Namibia, from there it runs along the border of Zimbabwe in an easterly fashion, until it reaches Mozambique and form here it continues east towards the Indian ocean.
Activities
The activities focused around the Zambezi are to do with nature, such as:
- Game viewing
- Game walks
- Houseboat tours
The river provides some very dangerous waters with the presence of hippopotamus and crocodiles, even though there are canoe safaris, fishing trips and general relaxing holidays.
The Victoria Falls is the adrenaline capital of Africa with activities such as:
- Bungee jumping
- White water rafting
- Gorge swings
- Elephant rides
- Walking with lions
Fishing
There are places on the Zambezi river that have had more success in terms of fishing, but due to its length and different aspects the fishing is considered very good in general. The very difficult to get to location, but very profitable catching, is the Barotse flood plains in Zambia. Lake Kariba has massive tournaments every year called the Kitfit, which produces some huge tiger fish. The lower Zambezi is also a very beautiful place with some fantastic bream and tiger fishing experiences. Mozambique also has its glory as a fantastic fishing destination.
How to get there
The major places to go for fishing are Victoria Falls, Kariba, Harare, Livingstone, and Lusaka. There are direct flights from Johannesburg to all these destinations. The lower Zambezi is below the lake Kariba wall, so if you would like to travel to the lower Zambezi you will need to go into Harare or Lusaka, depending on whether you are staying in Zimbabwe or Zambia. The upper Zambezi is above Victoria Falls, so you would take transfers from there to go north into Zambia.
