Filming on Lake Kariba — Zambezi Drowned forest, open water and sunsets that need no grading

Kariba is a lake the size of a small sea, made when the Zambezi was dammed in the late 1950s. Dead trees still stand in the shallows where the valley flooded, and the light at the end of the day is the reason most people come.

From Harare5 h road, 50 min air
Best lightGolden hour from 17:20
Sound floorWater on the hull, outboards
Permit lead10 days, water access

At a glance — Lake Kariba

The short answer

Filming on Lake Kariba needs the national filming permit, licensed boat operators and ZimParks permission for Matusadona. It is one of the quicker places to permit, about ten days. The dam wall needs specific clearance.

Permission from: The filming permit, licensed boat operators, and ZimParks for Matusadona
Lead time: About 10 days
Best light: Golden hour from about 17:20
Camera platform: Houseboats with tenders
Restricted: The dam wall, a protected installation, and the Zambian half of the lake
Pairs with: Mana Pools, also in the Zambezi Valley

Last reviewed 8 October 2026. Field figures are indicative and confirmed at recce. Rules and lead times change, and I check them for every production.

Lake Kariba

The lake — A flooded valley

What makes Kariba look like Kariba

Lake Kariba runs for more than 220 kilometres along the Zambezi, with Zimbabwe on the southern shore and Zambia on the northern. When the dam closed in 1958 and the valley flooded, whole forests drowned where they stood, and their pale trunks still rise from the water along the shore. It is one of the strongest images in the country.

On the Zimbabwe side there is Kariba town and its harbours, Matusadona National Park with its wildlife and drowned forest, Bumi Hills, and the quieter bays further west towards Binga. After dark, the lamps of the kapenta fishing rigs light the lake like a scattered city.

On the water — Platforms and safety

Shooting from a houseboat

On Kariba the water is the location and the boat is the unit base. Plan the platforms first and the shots follow.

Houseboat

A floating unit base

Kariba’s houseboats sleep a crew, carry the kit and move every day. Tenders work the shallows while the main boat holds position.

Shore

Matusadona

The park on the southern shore puts elephant, buffalo and drowned forest in one frame. ZimParks permission, and a ranger for anything on foot.

Night

Kapenta rigs

Fishing rigs work under lamps after dark. Filming on board is arranged with the operators.

Safety

Nobody in the water

Crocodile and hippo are everywhere. Nobody swims, wades or stands in the shallows for a shot. Not negotiable.

Permission — More parties than you expect

Permits for filming on Kariba

Kariba is one of the faster places to permit, about ten days, but there are more parties involved than people expect. The national filming permit covers the shoot; boats must be licensed operators; Matusadona and the other parks need ZimParks; and the dam wall is a protected installation, so filming it needs specific clearance.

The international border runs down the middle of the lake. Boats and drones stay on the Zimbabwe side, and anything that drifts across becomes a matter for two governments. See the permits guide and drone filming in Zimbabwe.

Access — North from Harare

Getting to Kariba

Kariba town is about five hours from Harare on the road north through Makuti, or 50 minutes by light aircraft. Houseboats leave from the Kariba harbours. The lake sits close to Mana Pools, and the two together make a strong Zambezi Valley shoot.

Questions — Asked most often

What producers ask first

Short answers to the questions that arrive in nearly every brief. For anything specific to your production, ask me directly.

Do you need a permit to film on Lake Kariba?

Yes. You need the Zimbabwe filming permit, licensed boat operators, and ZimParks permission for Matusadona or other parks. Filming the dam wall needs specific clearance. Allow about ten days.

Can you film from a houseboat on Lake Kariba?

Yes. Houseboats make good floating unit bases and camera platforms, with tenders for work in the shallows.

Can you fly a drone on Lake Kariba?

Only with aviation clearance, staying on the Zimbabwe side of the border that runs down the lake, away from the dam wall, and with park consent over Matusadona.

How far is Kariba from Harare?

About five hours by road through Makuti, or around 50 minutes by light aircraft.

Field notes — Plan the route

Pair it with

Distances in Zimbabwe are long, so the locations you put together matter as much as the ones you pick. These sit well alongside this one.

Next — Your project

Send the brief and the dates

Tell me what you want to shoot here and when. You will get a straight answer on the permissions, the timing and the cost before you book anything.

Request a quote Filming permits guide