4 Nights at Spurwing Island Kariba II
The second instalment on our family trip to Kariba where we spent 4 Nights at Spurwing Island. A beautiful, family oriented island surrounded by a vast body of water, overlooking the Matusadona Mountains and boasting African wildlife adventures, fishing, relaxation and delicious food.
Check out my first post on Spurwing Island Kariba if you missed it.
In the first post, I go into detail about the drive from Harare to Kariba, how you get to Spurwing Island by ferry and the accommodation. Check it out here.
In this post on our 4 Nights at Spurwing Island Kariba, let’s talk about:
- Morning fishing adventures for tiger and bream
- Afternoon game drives (safaris)
- Special occasions at Spurwing
FISHING
We opted for the morning fishing outings. You can go fishing anytime you like if you have your own boat (obviously).
If not, you can book a fishing trip the night before, someone will come round in the evenings to take your bookings for the next day.
Our very nice fishing guide was great with the kids – he even taught Antonio (my 6 year old nephew) how to drive the boat, and helped him to catch the majority of the fish each morning.
If you catch bream (which Anto managed to catch A LOT of) the chef will make your fish into bar snacks for that same evening…
Freshly caught battered bream with lemon and tartar sauce, it doesn’t get fresher or yummier than that!
GAME DRIVES
A morning game drive is an option but it’s likely you won’t get the best sightings.
Evening game drives are best.
We saw loads of buck, but LOADS, lined up along the shores, the setting sun glinting off their backs – it was a sight to see!
Had a wonderful time sitting and watching elephants go about their late afternoon activities with their babies.
Our guide spotted a few rare birds. Which my niece thought was boring, lol. But the rest of us quite enjoyed.
And on our way home we spotted several hippo right out of the water, one we drove right by and he got a little cheeky.
When you see the sheer size of a hippopotamus a mere meter from you, you’re reminded of why they’re one of the most feared and dangerous animals in Africa.
SPECAIL OCCASIONS
The last time I was at Spurwing, 10 years ago, my mom turned 60 and we held a beautiful dinner for her on the lawn in front of the bar. The staff strung fairy lights in the trees above the table and we celebrated with friends and family.
A beautiful cake was delivered for her after dinner as well as dessert. It was really special and the staff at Spurwing went the extra mile for us.
THIS trip, we celebrated my mom’s 70th birthday, as well as my niece’s 4th birthday.
On Carolina’s 4th birthday, lunch just happened to be planned for all the guests in the garden with a perfect view of the lake.
A braai was cooked outside with fish, steak and boerewors that you helped yourself to right off the grill, as well as freshly baked garlic bread and cornbread, plus an array of glorious salads.
We celebrated Carolina in a relaxed, family friendly environment, kids running around, adults laughing and hippos honking, all with the most picturesque view.
After lunch, an enormous and delicious triple chocolate cake was presented to my tiny niece, who hid her face until the singing was over. And then dug into her piece of cake with ferocity (as you do), lol.
I highly recommend planning a special occasion at Spurwing Island Kariba, it really is an idyllic little piece of our planet.
Check out the Spurwing Island website for more info.
On our final day they held a Wildlife Talk first thing in the morning for the many, many kids that were there that long weekend, which was a great idea and the children loved it.
We had a breakfast buffet on the lawn on our final day there, which was wonderful.
Have you ever seen a better breakfast view? You’d be hard pressed to beat this one I imagine.
After their talk, the kids were shepherded down to the waters edge to look for fossils.
We decided to spend the rest of the day relaxing and taking in the tranquil beauty.
Well, those with kids might not use the word tranquil 🙂
We had to be up a little earlier on our final morning to get our 9am ferry back to the mainland, and then face the long drive home.
It absolutely poured with rain when we reached Lions Den on our trip home, so we ran in, ordered hot drinks and bought some biltong, jumped back in the car and headed home.
Another memorable and very special trip to Spurwing Island Kariba to add to the books!
It never disappoints, any trip to Kariba, in my opinion, is amazing and worth repeating as many times as possible in ones life.
Thanks for reading! If you’ve read both posts and made it right to end with me, you’re a champion.
Check back soon for my post on Imire Game Farm that we visited the weekend after Spurwing Island, which my husband flew in to Harare from Durban to join us for!
Until then, check out my healthy recipes for some sugar free baking ideas, and clean eating suppers.
- Questions for YOU:
- Have you been to Kariba Dam?
- Would you consider booking a trip to Spurwing Island?
- Let me know in the comments! I love reading what you have to say.
