AFRICAN DREAMS

With cruises that visit South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe, CroisiEurope shows off the best that land and water have to offer.

- DIANE BAIR AND PAMELA WRIGHT

Lake Kariba, a watery wilderness sandwiched between Zambia and Zimbabwe, stretches nearly 140 miles long and expands 25 miles at its widest point. Dubbed Africa’s Inland Sea, it’s the largest manmade lake in the world.

Its calm blue-green waters, flanked by the Zambezi Escarpment mountain range, are sliced with gnarly branches of downed trees, evidence of a semi-submerged dead forest. Groups of massive Nile crocodiles sprawl in mud and slink through the shallows, their eyes watching for prey. Hippos wallow nearby and birdlife abounds, with more than 250 species recorded, including rare songbirds, herons, egrets, kingfishers, and storks. The owl-like screech of the African fish eagle provides a repeating, natural soundtrack, its call so well-known and distinct that it’s often referred to as “the voice of Africa.” Along the shoreline, elephants, antelope, buffalo, lions, and more emerge from thick forests to hunt or drink from the nutrient-rich reservoir.

Cruising this fertile freshwater sea is one of the highlights of CroisiEurope’s nine-day, southern Africa cruise, including visits to four countries — South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe — with land and water safaris and a stay at a private, island lodge.