Day 5 - Kariba Floods

Its time for reflection which is a good excuse to do just nothing
but sit and watch.

Looking out over the Kariba floodplains there are quite a few
pods of hippos.
I wonder if these pods live in perfect harmony or do they
get terribly territorial and have hippo-big arguments.

Scanning the skies two large groups of vultures came into view.
Difficult to identify who was who in the vulture zoo but
easily identifiable were the marabou storks - circling high
above the vultures.

When birds of prey start descending then you can be pretty sure
there is a carcass on the ground.

In synchronised aerial ballet the vultures circled and circled
until out of sight and heading for Zambia.

Back to the pods.
As the day warmed up so did hippo tempers.
Nothing too serious just a few noisy neighbourly clashes.

Crocodiles lazed along the banks while buffaloes wandered
across the plains and elephants swam from island to island.

Peaceful scenes in paradise but its now time to move on.

Day 4 - Gone Fishin'

Kariba is houseboat country with hundreds of boats moored at the
numerous harbours.

Boats come in all sizes and shapes from cruisers - sails - pontoons to
paddle steamers.

Houseboat cruises on the lake can vary from 2 nights up to
5 or 6 - depending on where you want to go and how big the budget is.

If cruising during the summer months then airconditioning would
be a top priority.
Alternatively sleep on the top deck under the stars and enjoy
nature's own airconditioning.

Bring the fishing gear, the first aid box (alias the big cooler
box for keeping the dark liquids cold), binoculars, sunhat and
suncream.

Cruising is meant for sheer relaxation and idyllic : game view or fishing during the
cool early mornings or late afternoon, laze around the pool during the
heat of the day.

Cruising is also ideal for conferences and product launches.
A houseboat destination for weddings and honeymoons are also becoming
more and more popular.

DAY 3 - CHARARA -LAKE KARIBA

Fish Tales and Lake Tigers:
We reluctantly bid au revoir to the island paradise and our next
port of call was Charara - also in Kariba's eastern basin.

From near and far they come in their hundreds drawn by the lure
(forgive the pun) of catching the famously fighting Tigerfish.

This is none other than the annual Tiger Fishing Competition held
in October.

You don't have to be a champion fisherman or woman to fish these
waters teeming with tiger,bream and vundu.

As most travellers know - elephants have right of way.
You can understand why - their sheer size and numbers makes it difficult to
argue the case.
I also think hippos should have right of way - especially when they
are out of water and on terra firma.

It is a myth to think hippos only venture out at night in search
of food.
In South Africa and Zimbabwe we have seen these big fellas out and about -
generally munching away and quite far from water.

Around the NAUZ a number of dustbins had been upended.
The locals are trying to identify who the culprit is.

Their list of suspects is:
a) a young elephant
b) an old hippo
c) monkeys or baboons
d) none of the above

The answer is actually ( a ) and the culprit is still at large.

The approach of breeding time (muskth) and the bull elephant only has
one thing on his mind and that's the cute females he has been
eyeing on the other side of the bank.