Lake Mutirikwi

Lake Mutirikwi, long called Kyle, was created in the 1960s by damming the Mutirikwi river to irrigate the sugar estates of the lowveld, and it is the second largest inland water in Zimbabwe. Granite hills stand around its shores and a recreational park on the northern side holds white rhino, giraffe, zebra and antelope introduced to it. Great Zimbabwe stands a few kilometres away, and the lake is used for fishing and boating.

Background

The old name, Kyle, probably came from Kyle Farm, which covered most of the land the lake needed. The farm took its name from the Kyle district of Scotland, home of Tom Murray MacDougall, the pioneer of the Lowveld. The firm Concor built the Kyle Dam on the Mutirikwi River from 1958 to 1960, a double-curvature concrete arch 63 metres high and 309 metres long. The lake covers about 90 square kilometres and holds 1,378 million cubic metres from a catchment of 3900 square kilometres. Its water serves the estates around Triangle, where sugar cane has been the main crop. Drought in the 1980s cut the level sharply, and it recovered in the 1990s.

Source: Wikipedia, "Lake Mutirikwe"

Highlights

• The lake - the second largest inland water in the country.
• The recreational park - the introduced game on the northern shore.
• The granite hills - the whalebacks standing around the shoreline.
• The Great Zimbabwe proximity - the ruins a few kilometres from the water.

When to go

April to October is the dry season and best for game. Water levels vary a great deal with the rains and with irrigation demand. Summer is hot.

Things to know

Water levels fluctuate widely and the lake can be low. The recreational park's game is introduced and managed rather than wild. Facilities around the shore are dated.

Nearby

Great Zimbabwe is west, and Masvingo is northwest.

Key facts