Malachite (houseboat)
Houseboat charter · Houseboat: Andora Harbour, Kariba · Zambezi Drift
Budget
Outside the gate
Locally owned
One of the two houseboats with which Zambezi Drift started, a business that describes itself as proudly Zimbabwean and family owned. Malachite has six air-conditioned en-suite cabins for up to sixteen guests and is moored at Andora Harbour.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Six air-conditioned en-suite cabins, comfortable for twelve
- Owned and run by a Zimbabwean family business
- Solar power and its own water filtration
- Marketed for family holidays and special occasions
Cons
- About $900 a night on average; confirm the current rate
- Rated for 16 but comfortable for 12
- Park fees are extra
- No child policy found on the operator's site
What's here
- Bar
- En-suite bathrooms
- Solar or 24h power
- Air conditioning
Arranged from the lodge:
- Boat trips
- Fishing
Read from Malachite (houseboat)'s own website in July 2026. Anything not listed we could not confirm, which is not the same as it being absent.
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 Malachite (houseboat)
About $900 per boat per night. $900 per night average for the boat (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 Malachite (houseboat)
How much does the Malachite houseboat cost?
About $900 a night on average for the boat, according to its VisitKariba listing, though you should confirm the current rate with Zambezi Drift directly. Park fees are charged separately on top of whatever rate you agree.
Is the Malachite houseboat good for families?
Zambezi Drift markets it for family holidays and special occasions, with six air-conditioned en-suite cabins rated for up to 16 guests, comfortable for 12. We found no published child policy, so ask when you book.
Who owns the Malachite houseboat?
Zambezi Drift, a business that describes itself as proudly Zimbabwean and family owned. Malachite was one of the two houseboats the company started with, and it is moored at Andora Harbour in Kariba.