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Panashe Chikonyora Business Reporter
ZAMBEZI Cruise and Safaris says construction of its magnificent and would-be Zimbabwe’s largest houseboat has started and the adventure watercraft is expected to be launched later this year.

The vessel, MV Zambezi Adventurer, will be the fourth addition to Zambezi Cruise and Safaris’ fleet of three houseboats. It is a 26 cabin vessel with two pools, two reception areas and numerous outdoor decks.

According to Zambezi Cruise and Safaris, the adventurer boat will be the largest vessel on Lake Kariba with capacity for 76 passengers on three levels, including sleeping accommodation facilities.

The leisure touring company said the first (lower) deck will comprise 10 standard twin-bedded cabins with two additional Pullman Bunks, thereby enabling each cabin to accommodate up to four passengers.
The second (mid) deck will house a total of 14 premier cabins with either twin bed or double options.

While for master cabins will make up the third (upper) deck, each with its own private balcony. The bottom deck will have capacity for overland and sedan vehicles. Both the Standard and Premiere cabins measure 13,6 square meters (146,5 square feet).

“With 75 percent of the components having arrived on Lake Kariba, the construction of the MV Zambezi Adventurer, the newest addition to Zambezi Cruise and Safaris fleet, is now well under way with the pontoons and initial structure assembled,” says Zambezi Cruise and Safaris on its website.

Zambezi Cruise and Safaris says the MV Zambezi Adventurer’s qualities will promote tourism in the country by making it easy for foreign visitors to explore the country’s main tourist attraction places, while enjoying their vacations. The boat will traverse Lake Kariba, cruising between Binga and Kariba and alternating directions regularly during the peak of the safari season, April – October inclusive, and weekly from November to March.

The cruiser will dock either in Binga or Kariba on the fourth morning — allowing time for connections to onward flight or road transfers to/from Mana Pools, Hwange, Chobe, Lusaka, Victoria Falls, Livingstone etc, the perfect way to link travel through Zimbabwe and open up accessibility to all the major tourist destinations. The houseboat will have unique features such as design that will equip it to also be able to carry vehicles on board.

It will also have facilities for guided tender boat-based activities, game viewing, fishing, sundowners cruises, fishing village tours, all wildlife and Lake Kariba history talks and documentaries All meals, all filtered water, teas-coffees, all tourism taxes and levies.

A 3-night cruise, for example, will include a minimum of 3 tender-boat based activities, 1 talk and 1 documentary film.

However, Zambezi Cruise and Safaris said although the new houseboat is going to be “launched at the latter end of 2020, bookings being available for 2021”.