Wow what an experience!

We just wrapped up 4 days / 3 nights on the African Queen houseboat on Lake Kariba booked with Rhino Rendezvous.

The boat was so great – we had a big table / sitting area on the top deck, complete with a small chill down pool and a big cooler full of cold drinks. There were 4 rooms on the main level (2 on each side) and a bathroom/shower on each side of the boat as well. Our captain Marco and deck hand Prince treated us to all the amazing sights of the Lake; and our cook Norman spoiled our taste buds with amazing fare.

We spent our days sipping coffee at sunrise, some fishing for a couple of hours, then a big good ole English breakfast, card games and chilling on the upper deck while we sailed to a new bay, sunset cruise on the tender boat with some fishing again, some sun downer appies, more card games or reading, then an amazing dinner! Rinse and repeat!

Our nights were filled with sweat – yup you read that right. Zimbabwe is experiencing a crazy heat wave with temps in the 40s for us Celcius people or about 115 for those in Farenheit. During the day the boat was usually moving so you got a breeze (but still the wheelhouse was 35 C degrees on the thermometer) at night though the boat was docked and wow was it a scorcher. We literally had every window and door open in our rooms and laid stock still soaking the sheets. It was not surprising some of us could be found wandering the deck in the middle of the night trying to find even the smallest breeze. The mosquito nets on each bed didn’t help either – while you kinda feel like a princess in a veiled bed, they prevent both mosquitos from biting you but also any kind of breeze from cooling you down. The upside … every time you woke in the night you would be lulled back to sleep by the awesome laughing sound of hippos near by!

Here are just a couple of the views we sailed past or docked near:

Highlights of the houseboat: jumping into the Lake from the top decks of the boat to cool off (don’t worry we were in the middle of lake where the crocs and hippos don’t go so it was ‘safe’), the sounds of hippos, and catching Breame fish which Norman would cook up for our afternoon appy!

We are now in Vic Falls for the adventure portion of our trip! Shenanigan stories coming soon …

Brande