Things to do

Things to do in Matusadona

Name: Matusadona National Park
Address: Zimbabwe

Matusadona is one of the few parks where the boat does as much work as the vehicle. Cruises along the drowned forest and into the Sanyati Gorge, walks with a park guide, multi-day trails in the escarpment, game drives from Tashinga and fishing under clear rules.

If you only want the answer

The core activities are boat cruises, guided walks, game drives and fishing, run by the park from Tashinga and by every lodge. For the fit, the Matusadona Trails are multi-day backpacking routes in the escarpment. Canoeing is not offered here, the park runs no night drives, and walking is only allowed with a designated official.

Boat cruises and the Sanyati Gorge

Morning and evening cruises leave from Tashinga and from every lodge, and Tracks4Africa describes them running in the Tashinga, Ume and Jenje lakeshore areas. From the water you see elephant on the shoreline, hippo and crocodile, fish eagles, the island heronry and the drowned forests: the standing dead trees left when the valley flooded between 1958 and 1963.

The Sanyati Gorge on the eastern boundary is navigable from the lake. Changa guests rate the trip up it as the place for close encounters with crocodile and hippo. In 2023 the park's fleet was two pontoon boats and four game-drive vehicles, so book activities ahead in busy months. Private boats may use Tashinga harbour.

The park publishes no 2026 activity tariff. A Kariba booking agent, Heartveld Adventures, lists $30 per person for a half-day cruise for 2025 and 2026, with a minimum of three guests; the trust's 2023 schedule said $20.

Game drives

Guided morning and afternoon drives run from Tashinga, and self-drive is allowed from sunrise to sunset. The rules are strict: no off-road driving, a 40 km/h limit and no more than three vehicles at a sighting. The escarpment roads need a safety permit for tourists.

Night drives are not offered by the park. Bumi Hills Safari Lodge advertises them on its own private concession, which lies outside the park west of the Ume River. We found no confirmation that night drives are permitted in the park itself, so do not plan on one.

Walking, and the Matusadona Trails

Guided walks of two to three hours or half a day go out with park guides, and the rule is absolute: no walking without a designated official. Heartveld lists $40 per person, subject to a professional guide being available.

The Matusadona Trails are multi-day backpacking routes in the escarpment for fit, healthy adults. The park's information pack describes about 10 km a day, two to three nights recommended and up to seven or more, a maximum of six people per guide, sleeping under the stars or in a light tent, and water from treated springs. Equipment is available from the trust and there are no resupply points. Heartveld quotes $275 per person per day for international guests and $210 for local and African residents, park fees extra, for three to six guests with a two-night minimum and no children under 12.

Fishing, and the rules that apply

Tigerfish are the prize, with breams, tilapias and catfish. You need a valid permit to fish in the park; the ZimParks gazette prices fishing into its daily fee for the Ume and Sanyati waters, at $30 for an international visitor, $24 SADC and $15 for Zimbabwe residents. We found no separate stand-alone rod licence for Matusadona.

The daily limit is five fish per person, according to both the park's information pack and its management plan. Several lodges fish catch-and-release, and the park itself markets catch-and-release excursions. Fishing worms are sold at Tashinga reception, bait can be stored there overnight, and fish may not be cleaned in camp; the Matusadona Ladies Committee offers a cleaning service for $5 a day.

The Ume and Sanyati are the key tigerfish spawning rivers. Gill-netting has been stopped in the Sanyati over the spawning period, a rule aimed at commercial netters, and a ranger base in the gorge let the spawn run free of illegal nets for the first time in over 25 years. We found no recreational closed season for rod anglers on the Zimbabwean side and no official spawning dates, so we do not state either. Ask the trust before a trip built around fishing.

A valid permit is required; no permit, no fishing.
Five fish per person per day.
No cleaning fish in camp.
Never wade or swim: the lake has a high density of crocodiles.

Houseboats

A houseboat from Kariba town is the classic way to see the Matusadona shore, and many moor along the park or in the Ume and Sanyati rivers. For safety, houseboat guests may not go ashore unless an armed guide goes with them, and the park runs activities for houseboat guests with a minimum of four. Tender boats for fishing and game viewing are crew-driven. Every boat we list is on the lodges page.

Fossils, heritage and community visits

The park markets its palaeontological sites and Tonga cultural heritage. Musango Safari Camp, outside the park on an island to the west, runs visits to dinosaur-fossil and Stone Age tool sites and keeps a small museum, and both Musango and Bumi Hills arrange visits to nearby communities.

From 1 September 2026 Bumi Hills also offers its guests a game drive, a walking safari and what African Bush Camps calls a conservation experience behind the scenes, all inside the park proper.

What is not on offer

Canoeing: not offered in Matusadona by any source we found. Canoe safaris belong to Mana Pools and the Zambezi below the dam.
Night drives in the park: not run by the park. Only Bumi Hills advertises them, on its own concession outside the boundary.
Drones and camera traps: prohibited.
Recorded animal calls, feeding wildlife and collecting firewood: prohibited. Buy firewood at reception.
Firearms: must be declared at the gate.

Sources

Where to go next

Entry Fees What each activity costs on the official tariff Wildlife What these activities are looking for Best Time To Visit Which activities run in which months