Big Daddy (houseboat)
Houseboat charter · Houseboat: based in Kariba town, cruises the Matusadona shore · Big Daddy Reservations, Harare
A drawing, because nobody has sent us a photograph of Big Daddy (houseboat) yet. Send five and this page changes the same week.
Budget
Outside the gate
Owner not confirmed
A group houseboat booked through a reservations office in Harare. VisitKariba lists five cabins and a price from $850 a night for the boat, excluding diesel, food and drinks. The listing gives 20 as the maximum in one place and 26 in another. No website of its own.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Priced per boat, not per person, which suits a big group
- Five cabins aboard
- Booked directly through a Harare reservations office
Cons
- From $850 a night, excluding diesel, food and drinks
- Capacity figures differ: 20 in one listing, 26 in another
- No website of its own
- Park fees are extra
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. Matusadona National Park charges its own entry fee for every day you are inside. Here is what that adds up to.
- Park entryThe trust's conservation levy for an international adult.
- $30per person, per day
- VehicleForeign-registered car or 4x4, per day.
- $5per vehicle, per day
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults sharing one vehicle pay $195 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
The ZimParks 2026 gazette gives $24 for an international adult, not $30. We use the trust's levy because that is what operators pass on in 2026. Confirm with reservations.matusadona@africanparks.org.
The full fee schedule for Matusadona National ParkRates at Big Daddy (houseboat)
From $850 per boat per night. From $850 per night for the boat, excluding diesel, food and drinks (VisitKariba listing, read 24 September 2026). Park fees are extra.
What the rate covers is not confirmed. We do not know yet whether meals, drinks and activities are included, so read this as the bed only.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Indicative rates read in September 2026 from each property's own website or rate sheet, and where noted from an agent or the VisitKariba directory. Watch the basis: lodges quote per person per night, houseboats per boat per night, and several Kariba town places per room or per unit. Park fees are extra almost everywhere, at $30 per international adult per day on the trust's levy, and houseboats add their own park and lake charges.
Questions about Big Daddy (houseboat)
How much does Big Daddy cost?
From $850 a night for the boat, excluding diesel, food and drinks, according to its VisitKariba listing. That price is per boat rather than per person, so it is worth comparing against your group size before you book. Park fees are charged separately.
How many people does Big Daddy sleep?
Sources differ: the listing gives 20 as the maximum in one place and 26 in another, across five cabins. Confirm the exact number with the Harare reservations office before you commit to a group size.
How do you book Big Daddy?
Through Big Daddy Reservations in Harare, by email at bigdaddykariba@gmail.com. There is no website of its own, so get everything you need, including the cabin count and group capacity, confirmed in writing before you pay.