Lake Lodge

We spent day one of our three day holiday at Lake Safari Lodge in Siavonga.  The view of Lake Kariba was a wonderful change of scenery though the temp there was much hotter than Lusaka (40 C).  Ian and Ireen enjoyed the two swimming pools so much.  Ireen spent hours in the water and by the time she was finished she was so exhausted.  Dinner was disappointing the first night, but the breakfast next morning more than made up for that.  Somehow, Lake Kariba reminds me a little of the Caribbean.

I had hoped to get a night tour of one of the fishing rigs that stays out on the lake all night fishing for kapenta (small fish similar to sardines). Kapenta rigs are pontoon boats often with rickety engines mounted on to the back.  They are also distinctive for their hoist and round net that lower into the water.  At night the fisherman shine lights into the water to attract schools of kapenta and then after two hours that make a lift.  Zambians love kapenta as a side dish for their nshima.  Besides the fact that it is high in protein, Zambians have learned to prepare it so that it is quite tasty.  I rather like kapenta with my nshima.

Kariba Dam

We decided to take Mom and Dad Armes to Siavonga for a Christmas holiday surprise.  Siavonga is a small town approximately 3 hours drive from Lusaka, making it a very attractive destination for a family with small kids.  Siavonga sits on Lake Kariba, a large lake created by damming the Zambezi River. Taking a look at a map of Zambia, Kariba is in the southeast portion of the country.  The lake is 280km in length and around 5,200 square kilometers.  Zimbabwe and Zambia share the shores of Kariba and also the dam itself – which provides a much needed electricity supply to both countries.

The dam was a joint venture for them both and was the largest dam of its time (1959).  The pictures to the left were snaps taken on top of the crest of the dam. Inside the dam are six 100,000 kW generators that generate power from the lake water falling 400 feet through a water chute. While at the dam, we learned that during the construction of the dam, 86 workers died – including 18 who are now entombed in the concrete.  Apparently, they never stopped pouring the million cubic meters of cement during construction to help these poor souls. After the construction was finished, the lake itself took almost 5 years to fill up to its current level.

I would highly recommend a visit to the dam, because there’s a lot of interesting information about the choice and selection of the site for the dam, as well as the process of clearing the lake 5,200 square kilometers of lake-bed of trees, villages, people groups, animals etc.  The dam and lake have created much needed industry for Zambia and it really is a beautiful place.  There is also some sadness too because the Tonga people in the area had to be relocated. Some of the towns that you pass on the way to Siavonga (like Lisutu) are displaced communities.