OB Joyful (houseboat)
Dry-boat houseboat charter · Houseboat: based in Kariba town, cruises the Matusadona shore · Not confirmed
A drawing, because nobody has sent us a photograph of OB Joyful (houseboat) yet. Send five and this page changes the same week.
Budget
Outside the gate
Owner not confirmed
A dry-boat houseboat for twelve in four twin cabins, listed on VisitKariba. The website that listing names does not resolve, and the contact is in South Africa. Owner not stated.
Pros and cons
Pros
- A jacuzzi on board
- Four twin cabins for 12 guests
- Lower dry-boat rate, from $380 a night in low season
Cons
- Dry-boat hire: bring your own food and drinks
- Its listed website does not resolve
- No confirmed owner; contact is based in South Africa
- 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 OB Joyful (houseboat)
From $380 per boat per night. $380 per night in low season, dry boat hire: you bring your own 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 OB Joyful (houseboat)
How much does OB Joyful cost?
From $380 a night in low season, for a dry boat: you bring your own food and drinks, according to its VisitKariba listing. Park fees are charged separately, and the website that listing names no longer resolves, so book through the email contact instead.
What does OB Joyful offer on board?
Four twin cabins for 12 guests and a jacuzzi on board, as a dry-boat charter where you cater for yourselves. It cruises the Matusadona shore from a base in Kariba town, with no website of its own.
How do you book OB Joyful?
By email at kerry@azurecruises.co.za; the contact is based in South Africa rather than at the boat itself. No website of its own works, and no owner is stated, so confirm details in writing before paying.