MV African Dream: 16 passengers, 15 crew, on Lake Kariba
The MV African Dream carries 16 passengers in 8 cabins with 15 crew. She is 33 metres long and 8 metres wide, across 2 decks, and was built in 2018. She is the smallest vessel in the CroisiEurope fleet.
Fifteen crew for 16 passengers is close to one for one. No other vessel in the fleet comes near that: the European hotel barges sit around one in 4, the Mekong boats around one in 2, and the European river ships around one in 5. With 16 berths, service stops being a standard and becomes a conversation.
Lake Kariba
Lake Kariba is not a natural lake. It is a reservoir created by a dam on the Zambezi, between Zimbabwe and Zambia, and that origin shows: dead trees, standing in the water for decades, break the surface in their thousands. Wildlife comes to drink at the banks. There are no locks, no postcard villages, no cathedrals: there is water, a horizon line and animals.
The MV Zimbabwean Dream sails the same lake. They are the only 2 vessels in the fleet to do so, and it is the only place in the catalogue where a cruise merges with a safari.
Cabins of 18 square metres, and real balconies
The 8 cabins measure 18 square metres and have a French balcony; 2 of them have a private balcony. The contrast with the rest of the fleet is sharp: the European hotel barges start at 8 square metres and the SB Dahabieh Abydos quotes 9.5. On a 33-metre vessel, 18 square metres per cabin is a deliberate choice made at the cost of berths.
The upper deck holds the restaurant, the lounge-bar and a small pool: of the 60 vessels CroisiEurope publishes we counted only 12 with a pool, and on a 33-metre vessel that is a remarkable use of space. A telescope is fitted in the lounge-bar. The windows are wide, the woods are fine, the fabrics carry local motifs. A French balcony remains a sliding window opening onto a railing, with no surface to step onto: the 2 cabins with private balconies are the only ones where you actually go out.
Getting to Zimbabwe from Montreal
Neither Victoria Falls, nor Harare, nor Johannesburg is served non-stop from Montreal-Trudeau; we checked. Allow 2 connections and more than a day of travel each way. It is the longest destination to reach in the whole CroisiEurope catalogue, and it is planned around a wider trip rather than an isolated week.
Zimbabwe applies entry formalities to Canadian travellers, and health recommendations apply to the region. We check both at booking and give you the current list.
The vessel in figures
Thirty-three metres long, 8 metres wide, 2 decks, 8 cabins of 18 square metres, 16 passengers, 15 crew, built in 2018. Of the 64 vessels in the fleet she is the smallest by capacity: 16 berths, against 18 for the Nile dahabieh, 22 for the 6 European barges and up to 154 on the Rhine. Her crew ratio, close to 1 to 1, is matched by no other vessel in the catalogue.
What is included and what is not
Full board, drinks with meals and at the bar, excursions in the programme depending on the departure. Gratuities are not included. Travel insurance never is, and on a destination requiring 2 connections it stops being debatable. We itemise every line and explain what Quebec's FICAV fund covers before you sign.
Who she suits
Travellers who want to see animals from a boat rather than a vehicle, small groups, and anyone chartering all 16 berths. She does not suit anyone looking for cultural visits or entertainment: on Lake Kariba, the programme is the lake. Anyone after an equally intimate format on a river loaded with history should look at the RV Star of Luxor in Egypt. The full fleet is on our CroisiEurope cruises page.
