Kelvin Kachingwe
14 October 2008
THE feeling among the business community in Siavonga is that they have not had a fair share of tourism promotion over the years.
Livingstone, home to the Mosi-oa-Tunya, according to them, has always had an edge over them. While they agree that there might not be a lot particularly wrong with that approach since Livingstone is the tourist capital of the country, they believe they should also be receiving a reasonably fair share in promotions as a tourist destination.
Agreed, they may not boast of a tourist attraction that is at the level of the Victoria Falls, but they certainly believe that they have enough attractions. So, for a start, they want to put themselves more firmly on the map.
With that, businesses and industry have come together to start a website called www.siavonga-zambia.com, a community website intended to inform visitors and prospective investors about the town of Siavonga, tourist facilities and activities available, industry/commerce and business opportunities, local authorities and procedures, the chiefdoms and places of interest to visitors. The website is primarily sponsored by the business community, third party advertising and donations.
Situated on the north shore of Lake Kariba, Siavonga is the second largest tourist destination in Southern Province. The town is only two-and-a-half hours from Lusaka, and within easy reach of the border crossings at Chirundu and Kariba. The main attraction is Lake Kariba and Siavonga is becoming widely known as the "Riviera of Zambia".
This writer recently spent a weekend in Siavonga and justifiably so, would agree that a visit to these parts would not be complete without a call to the magnificent Kariba dam wall, towering 118 metres above the Zambezi River across the Kariba Gorge.
At the time of construction in the 1950's, the Kariba Dam was known as one of the engineering wonders of the world and was once the largest man-made lake in the world.
If indeed the dam wall was considered one of the "engineering wonders" of the world, the lake itself can then be considered as one of the "engineered wonders" of nature. Sadly, much of the "big game" on the Zambian side of the lake has disappeared, although this can still be found west of the Kota Kota peninsula.
However, the lake is host to a wide variety of fish species including the mighty Zambezi tiger, various species of tilapia and nembwe, and of course the colossal vundu and barbel. Birdlife is also prolific with Zambia's national bird the fish eagle in abundance. Hippopotamus and the Nile crocodile are also frequently seen and occasionally small animals are evident.
As the lake was flooded, the forest land in the valley was inundated with water. Much of the forest can still be seen rising above the vast waters of the lake and after being 50 years submerged, the trees still stand as monuments to the history of what once was the Zambezi valley.
At sunset, these monuments create some of the most breathtaking scenery on the African continent. The lake, coupled with some of Africa's unrivalled landscapes make an incredible canvas for the artist and photographer alike.
What Lake Kariba lacks in wildlife, it certainly makes up in its scenic beauty, birdlife, lake activities, and affordable accommodation. There are several comfortable hotels and lodges in Siavonga catering for a variety of needs and there are also a number of guesthouses available to cater for a range of budgets.
Most of the larger hotels focus mainly on the conference market in addition to tourism, but the smaller hotels, lodges and resorts focus specifically on tourism and provide a wide variety of tours and activities including boating, fishing, sunset cruises, canoeing, water sports, bird watching, cultural village tours, visits to the dam wall and power station.
Also available are one, two or three day canoe safaris and/or river rafting on the lower Zambezi River. The main industry in Siavonga which is closely tied to the lake is Kapenta fishing. There are several commercial Kapenta fishing companies in the town producing one of Zambia's high protein food.
But that is not the only thing that the website is likely to promote.
On events and news, it will also promote activities like the annual Siavonga Canoe Race.
This year's is the second and meant to raise funds for charity, will take place next month. This year's beneficiary will be the Wildlife and Environmental Conservation Society of Zambia.
The funds raised will be used to create an official website for the society. The purpose of this website will be to provide WECSZ with an international platform to highlight conservation and environmental realities in Zambia and what is being done about these realities.
WECSZ wants the site to be self-sustaining through advertising - a scenario only feasible once the site has been extensively promoted, appropriately linked and effectively managed thus attracting frequent traffic and interaction. All sponsors for the canoe race will be given free advertising on the web-site for one year.
The event will have up to 20 sponsored teams of three canoeists who will race from the Nyaminyami Adventure Trust (opposite Banana Island) to Eagles Rest (close to the dam wall), a distance of approximately four kilometres by water.
Enroute, they will call in at each lakeshore hotel, Kariba Inns, Lake Safari Lodge, Leisure Bay Hotel, Manchinchi Bay Hotel and Eagles Rest Resort where they will be required to find a certain location or point of interest (the "hidden treasure") from clues given to them before the race.
The teams will be given a specific time limit in which to complete the race and at each location the "hidden treasure" will be awarded a points value determined by how difficult the "hidden treasure" is to find.
This race will no doubt give more exposure to the several comfortable hotels and lodges in Siavonga.
Among these facilities are the likes of Eagles Rest Resort, which is nestled in a secluded wooded area on the shores of the lake with beach front and magnificent views across the lake to the Matusodona Mountains. The focal point of Eagles Rest is the thatched beach bar where one can relax with a beer or two, supervise the kids and enjoy spectacular views across the lake.
Eagles Rest also has a camp-site situated among the trees complete with hot and cold showers and toilets. For activities, there is sunset cruises and day cruises on the lake, fishing, boating and one two and three day canoe safaris from the dam wall through magnificent Kariba Gorge on the Zambezi river, visits to the dam wall and the power station, Croc Farm visits, and much more.
Eagles Rest is also the home of the Houseboat Bateleur, a 20-metre pontoon houseboat sleeping up to 12 passengers plus four crew members. The lower deck consists of three cabins, two public toilets/showers, lounge, kitchen, and a fully operational Jacuzzi with sun deck.
The upper deck consists of a spacious lounge and the captain's bar. Day seats convert to comfortable beds at night, which are fully covered by mosquito nets (sleeping an additional six passengers).
Added to that is Lake Kariba Inns hotel, which is on a hillside overlooking Lake Kariba, with its spectacular views. This is a hotel that has been around for more than 25 years and under the care and attention of the Townsend family, it continues to prosper and grow.
This hotel offers breathtaking views of the lake and the blue hills of Zimbabwe. The hotel owns a variety of boats and guests can hire them for trips.
When it comes to house-boating, one of its pride is Matusadona, named after the Matusadona Mountain range. The Matusadona can sleep up to ten in absolute comfort with all amenities. Full and stylish catering coupled with a well-stocked bar ensure complete guest satisfaction while a splash pool offers safe and welcome relief from the heat.
There is also the recently refurbished Leisure Bay Lodge, which is part of the Garden Group of Companies. While here, one can enjoy freshy caught Kariba breams in an open-air dining area with an excellent view of the panorama of one of the world's largest man-made lake.
Additionally, canoeing excursions can be arranged from the lodge and paddling leisurely around the rocky bays of Lake Kariba can also be a perfect way to appreciate the lake.
Simply put, Siavonga is a must-go for any tourist, whether local or foreign.
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I totally agree with your comments on Siavonga - it is such a beautiful place, yet underestimated amongst business and tourism. I have had the good fortune to have been there, working as a volunteer with the women in the local villages. I had such a huge welcome, for which i am always grateful and will remember for a long time! My only comment would be to ensure that tourism has a positive effect on the villages as well the businesses there and that tourism does not spoil the natural beauty and innocence of the place and its people. See facebook site Siavonga Support Network to see what we are doing to support woem and children in the area!