MV Matusadona (houseboat)
Luxury motor cruiser, fully catered · Houseboat: based in Kariba town, cruises the Matusadona shore · MV Matusadona
High-end
Outside the gate
Owner not confirmed
A luxury motor cruiser with three queen cabins, all en-suite, which cannot be split into twins. Charters are exclusive and fully catered, and the boat boards at Marineland harbour in Kariba or collects guests who fly into Bumi Hills. The operator names no owner on its site.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Three en-suite queen cabins, all queen beds, no twins
- Publishes its rates, including the $60 park-fee line
- Includes meals, drinks, fuel, laundry and one land activity
- Boards at Marineland harbour or meets you at Bumi Hills
Cons
- Exclusive charter; two guests still pay the three-guest rate
- No children under 6
- Park fees and levies are extra at $60 pppn
- Minimum stay of three nights
What's here
- Swimming pool
- Wi-Fi
- Bar
- En-suite bathrooms
- Air conditioning
- Laundry
Arranged from the lodge:
- Game drives
- Boat trips
- Guided walks
- Birding
- Fishing
Read from MV Matusadona (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 MV Matusadona (houseboat)
From $999 pppn. 2026: $999 per person per night; 2027: $1,110. Exclusive charter, minimum 3 guests and 3 nights, and two guests pay the three-guest rate. Includes meals, local drinks, water activities, one land activity, fuel, VAT and laundry. Park fees and levies are extra at $60 per person per night.
All inclusive. The rate covers meals, drinks, activities and the transfers named below. Park fees are charged separately.
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 MV Matusadona (houseboat)
How much does MV Matusadona cost?
2026 rates are $999 a person a night, rising to $1,110 in 2027. Charter is exclusive, with a minimum of three guests and three nights, and two guests pay the three-guest rate. Meals, local drinks, water activities, one land activity, fuel, VAT and laundry are included; park fees and levies cost a separate $60 a person a night.
Is MV Matusadona good for families?
Not with young children: it takes no children under 6. The boat has three en-suite queen cabins that cannot be split into twins, for up to six guests on an exclusive charter, which suits a small family or group of adults better than a mixed-age party.
When is MV Matusadona open?
Sources disagree here. The booking record we hold lists it as open year-round, while the operator's own site states it runs from 1 March to 30 November. We could not confirm which is current, so check the season directly with the operator before you book.
How do you board MV Matusadona?
At Marineland harbour in Kariba, or the boat can meet guests who fly into Bumi Hills airfield instead. It cannot be booked in cabins separately, since charters are exclusive to one group at a time.