This tough environment is for wild animals able to withstand extremes of heat - herbivores and predators live out the drama of their lives on the rugged mountainsides of the Zambezi Escarpment and beyond. Lake Kariba is Matusadona's southern boundary extending from Sanyati Gorge to the Ume River. It is a magnificent shoreline of cosy little bays for houseboats, wide, open plains for game viewing, and river tributaries to explore. Water birds frequent this paradise, some less wary of human activity than others. Features of the shallows are the gaunt branches of long since dead and partly submerged Mopani trees reaching out of the water.

Getting There: Only one third of the Park's 1,407 sq km is accessible by vehicle. A rough gravel road goes from Karoi to Kamativi while it is also possible to go in from Binga in the south. It is strongly recommended that only those with 4-wheel drive vehicles should venture along these roads. Alternatively, visitors may reach accommodation by boat from Kariba town. There is an airstrip for light aircraft at Tashinga.

Accommodation: Development in the area has been kept to a minimum allowing visitors to experience the atmosphere of unspoilt Africa. National Parks has two main camps, one at Tashinga where there are shelters and campsites and the other at Sanyati Gorge where there are only campsites.

The exclusive campsite Changachirere opposite Spurwing Island accommodates one party of up to ten persons. In addition there are two undeveloped bush camps Jenje, inland from the Lake on the Jenje River and Kanjedza on the mouth of the river with that name.

Should you want a little more luxury while savouring the wild, there are three National Parks self-catering lodges, Ume, Mbalabala (Bushbuck) and Muuyu (Baobab).

There are no shops, fuel outlets or vehicle repair facilities in the Park.

General Interest: The shoreline is a paradise for anglers where bream are plentiful.
A request to anglers: Leaving fishing line and hooks caught up in under water vegetation poses a real danger to water birds, waders and divers. Anglers are asked to please retrieve tangled fishing tackle if they possibly can.

Viewed from Lake Kariba the Matusadona mountains have many moods. At times their outline is barely discernable through heat haze or smoke from bush fires, at other times they tower cool shades of blue and purple. They are most dramatic at night when lightning illuminates their silhouette against cloud.