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The Lodge| LOCATION: | The Gache Gache Estuary in the Eastern Basin of Lake Kariba. The Lodge lies approximately 3 km upstream of the lake. |
| STRUCTURE: | The Lodge has open plan rooms built under thatch. The rooms are built of handmade sandstone bricks made by the local people. |
| MAIN LODGE: | Our main Lodge consists of a dining room capable of seating 26 people, a lounge, and a semi circular bar area accommodating 12 people comfortably. The Lodge has a reputation for its unusual architecture. The upstairs has a small loft type sun lounge. |
| POOL: | A small plunge pool done in our local ‘glitter stone’ is very welcome! |
| CHALETS: | The chalets are all identical and all have en-suite facilities and glitter stone floors throughout. All chalets have showers, hand basin and toilet. There are 10 chalets in total. 7 of these have twin (3/4) beds and 2 have standard Queen size beds. 1 of the chalets is considered our ‘honeymoon’ or ‘executive’ suite. All chalets have a view of the lake. |
| ACCESS: | The Lodge can be accessed by water, road or by light aircraft. Most of the transfers are done by boat or by air. It is accessible by a very scenic road, but not practical to use, as roads are in a state of disrepair and a 4x4 vehicle is recommended especially in the rainy season. |
| STAFF: | There is a Lodge Manager/Guide and a Marketing Manageress/Hostess. There are 4 senior staff members. There are 8 junior staff members. |
| LAUNDRY: | All laundry is hand done, and the ironing is still done with the old-fashioned charcoal heated irons. There is no extra charge for our laundry service. |
| ACTIVITIES: | This particular Lodge offers numerous combinations namely: MORNING & EVENING GAME DRIVES NIGHT DRIVES MORNING & EVENING WALKS MORNING BOAT CRUISES – GAME VIEWING EVENING BOAT CRUISES - BOOZE CRUISES/SUNSET CRUISES MORNING & AFTERNOON FISHING BIRD WATCHING These trips all depend on the weather and the time of the year and a Pro-Guide needs to be booked in advance. |
| BASIC ROUTINE: | 0600 – Tea/Coffee to rooms or available in Main Lodge. 0700 – Depart for safari 0900 – Breakfast 1000 – Midday safari 1300 – Lunch 1600 – Tea 1630 – Afternoon Safari 2000 – Dinner These times are variable seasonally. The trips are flexible in duration. |
| VEHICLES: | The Lodge has 1 Game drive vehicles and 1 utility vehicles. |
| BOATS: | Maxim, & Piranha. Also a Skimmer pontoon boat for game viewing |
| SUPPLIES: | The supplies are obtained from Harare as well as Karoi and sometime Kariba. |
| WATER: | The water is pumped from the lake for showers etc. and bottled water is available on request. All drinking water is sand filtered and chlorinated. |
| POWER: | The Lodge runs off a generator as well as off solar (battery) power. 220-volt power is available most of the day. There will soon be electrical plug fittings in the rooms, already available in the Main Lodge. |
| SECURITY: | The Lodge has its own “in house” security team and the lodge is patrolled day and night. Each room has burglar bars. |
| MEDICAL: | The Lodge has a comprehensive medical kit onsite. All pro-guides have passed medical first aid courses. The nearest medical facility (minor ailments) is 40 minutes drive away. The nearest hospital is a 1-hour flight away. MARS covers the lodge – registration done at clients request only. |
| AIRSTRIP: | The airstrip is 2 km from the Lodge: Co-ordinates – 16 degrees 44 minutes 926’S / 028 degrees 55 minutes 828’E Length – 800m marked, as well as 100m extra each side. Total 1,000m. Direction – East to West Type – Dirt/Gravel Strip The aircraft that have landed at the strip are namely Cessna 206, Cessna Caravan, Medical Air Rescue Service Ambulance (twin engine) and Dakota DC3. The airstrip is not useable at night. Overnight parking is possible. |
| DISTANCE CHART: | Lodge – Kariba (road) – 2hrs Lodge – Village (road) – 40min Lodge – Kariba, B Line boat charter – 1hr Lodge – Kariba, Speedboat (Sabre) – 45min Lodge – Airstrip (road) – 10mins Lodge – Kariba (houseboat) – 2hrs All of the times given for road travel are dry season only and preferably require 4 wheel drive especially in wet season. The roads are strictly bush tracks and are not sign-posted. The following is a time chart for the various types of aircraft capable of landing on the Gache Gache Airstrip: ROUTE - CARAVAN 206 HRE – GGA 60 MINS 70 MINS CHOKS – GGA 70 MINS 80 MINS VFA – GGA 80 MINS 90 MINS KBA – GGA 05 MINS 06 MINS |
| WEATHER: | Summer: September – April. The temperatures are well into the 40’s in October/November and during the winter months (May-July) temps rarely go lower than 20. The Lodge is generally unaffected by rain (November through April) although the activities may be affected from time to time. The temperatures are well into the 40’s in October/November and during the winter months (May-July) temps rarely go lower than 20. The Lodge is generally unaffected by rain (November through April) although the activities may be affected from time to time and of course the road requires a 4x4 in wet season. |
| FISHING: | The fantastic fighting TIGER FISH is the most popular fish to try and catch… then comes the TILAPIA, Bream fish. This is a wonderful fish to eat, so eat what you catch! Our chef will cook YOUR fish for YOU! Many other species also available. MONTHS with an ‘R’ in them are the best months to fish! |
| BIRD WATCHING: | A fantastic paradise for Bird Watchers with an amazing variety of birds – don’t forget your binoculars! |
| FAMILY RESORT: | GACHE GACHE LODGE is a wonderful family lodge with something to offer every member of your family. De-stress at GACHE GACHE LODGE! |
| HOUSEBOATS: | We can arrange houseboat/cruiser trips on Lake Kariba too or a combination package of both lodge and housebaot. |