RV Zimbabwean Dream

CroisiEurope's 2020-built Zimbabwean Dream cruise ship is the company's second and one of the newest houseboats deployed in South Africa. This houseboat-type cruiser operates voyages on the Chobe and Zambezi rivers, based on homeporting/round-trip operations from Kasane, Botswana.

RV Zimbabwean Dream (RV=River Vessel) is listed as a "5-anchor" vessel because it meets CroisiEurope's top-tier luxury and comfort classification. It functions as the river and safari-cruise equivalent of a 5-star rating on land.

Zimbabwean Dream's houseboat fleetmates are African Dream (2018/sistership) and Brasilian Dream (2027).

Another famous African houseboat cruiser on the Chobe River is Zambezi Queen (long-term chartered by AMAwaterways).

What is a houseboat cruise ship?

A houseboat cruise ship is a floating vessel that combines the living accommodations of a home with the mobility and navigation capabilities of a riverboat. Houseboat cruisers are designed primarily for leisure cruising on calm inland waterways, including rivers, canals, and lakes.

Unlike larger, higher-capacity river cruise ships, houseboats are typically smaller, slower, and designed for intimate travel on sheltered waterways. They generally feature a flat-bottomed hull and a spacious superstructure, usually arranged over two decks, housing guest staterooms, public facilities, and onboard venues.

Houseboat cruisers are motorized, self-propelled vessels capable of navigating between different anchorages under their own power. Modern cruising houseboats offer a range of comfortable amenities, including air conditioning throughout, spacious accommodations, and open-air areas such as sun decks.

Decks and Cabins

The premium houseboat Zimbabwean Dream has max passenger capacity 18 (plus 16 staff/crew), 3 decks (1 with cabins) and a total of 8 staterooms. Of all cabins, 6 are French Balcony cabins (with floor-to-ceiling sliding windows opening to a railing) and 2 are forward-facing Balcony Suites. All staterooms are equally sized (17 m2 / 185 ft2), while the Balcony Suites have step-out verandas (forward-facing, sized 3.5 m2 / 40 ft2). All cabins are located on Main Deck and feature wall-to-wall windows.

Shipboard facilities

The Zimbabwean Dream ship has a midship staircase that interconnects all decks. All indoor spaces are air-conditioned.

Main Deck (deck 1) is the riverboat's Boarding Deck (with a starboard-midship entrance area) and the fore-located Navigation Bridge (aka Wheelhouse). All passenger cabins are also on Main Deck.

Upper Deck (deck 2) is the riverboat's Lobby Deck, housing the Reception Desk and Cruise Director's Office. Upper Deck also has the Dining Room Restaurant (midship) with an Aft Terrace (outdoor seating / alfresco dining) and the fore-located Bar Lounge. Adjacent to the Restaurant is the Galley (kitchen with drink and food storage rooms).

The midship Sundeck (deck 3) is dubbed "Chobe Space". This is a spacious Terrace (Observation Deck) with shaded seating (large umbrellas and premium garden furniture).

In addition to guests from France, CroisiEurope's African cruises attract international travelers, so all of the ship's crew are bilingual. Onboard announcements and itinerary/tour information are in English. English-speaking local guides lead all shore excursions.

Chobe and Zambezi river cruise itinerary

CroisiEurope offers an 8-night / 9-day African cruisetour itinerary program visiting Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and South Africa. All itineraries start with an overnight Johannesburg hotel stay (in South Africa), followed by a 3-night cruise on the Chobe and Zambezi rivers and a 4-night land stay (in lodge accommodation owned by CroisiEurope). The African shore excursions program (cruise fare-inclusive) includes visits to Victoria Falls, a wine estate tour and an African jeep safari tour in Chobe National Park (Botswana), home to around 130,000 elephants (nearly 1/4 of Africa's total elephant population).

• CroisiEurope's Chobe River cruise itinerary is themed "Southern Africa: travel to the ends of the earth".
• Itinerary length is 9 days. The itinerary with an extended stay at Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) is 11 nights / 12 days.
• Prices vary between EUR 4000-5000 (pp / 9-day cruisetours) and EUR 6000-6600 (pp / 12-day cruisetours).
• Next is shown CroisiEurope Zimbabwean Dream's river cruise itinerary map.

Below is the list of the cruise itinerary ports of call and land tours:

• Day 1 JOHANNESBURG - meet and greet at the hotel around 12 noon, followed by coach travel toward Soweto, lunch, a tour to Freedom Park, dinner and an overnight 4-star hotel stay.
• Day 2: JOHANNESBURG - KASANE - CRUISING - flight from Johannesburg to Kasane, airport transfer to the cruise ship Zimbabwean Dream, followed by a welcome cocktail, lunch and cruising along Kasai Channel. Next is the company's private mooring on the Chobe River, dinner and overnight on the houseboat.
• Day 3: CRUISING - jeep safari in Chobe National Park, followed by onboard lunch and afternoon cruising to the Zambezi River (Zambia-Namibia border). In the afternoon, there is a small motorboat (water safari) tour for wildlife viewing. This is followed by onboard dinner and overnight on the houseboat.
• Day 4: CRUISING to Kabulabula. The Chobe National Park cruise experience features unique wildlife (zebras, Cape buffalo, antelopes, various birds). This is followed by onboard dinner and overnight on the houseboat.
• Day 5: CHOBE RIVER - SEDUDU ISLAND - LODGE - morning disembarkation is followed by a water safari (motorboat tour) to watch game animals. Next is a "floating restaurant" lunch in the middle of the Chobe River (featuring local delicacies), followed by travel to CroisiEurope's lodge. The travel route includes Sedudu Island and wildlife viewing (hippopotami, water buffalo, crocodiles). After arrival at the lodge, guests check into their rooms. Dinner and overnight at the lodge follow.
• Day 6: IMPALILA ISLAND - morning departure from the lodge on a tour visiting a local school. This is followed by return to CroisiEurope's lodge for lunch and a free afternoon at the lodge (with swimming pool). After dinner, a local storyteller shares the region's mysterious legends, followed by overnight at the lodge.
• Day 7: IMPALILA ISLAND - morning tour to an authentic African / Namibian village. This is followed by return to the lodge, lunch, free afternoon, dinner (served under the stars) and overnight at the lodge.
• Day 8: VICTORIA FALLS - coach travel to Victoria Falls, followed by a lunch cruise and afternoon walking tour to the waterfalls in Zimbabwe. Next are the "Boma" dinner (with traditional dancing and music performances) and an overnight 4-star hotel stay.
• Day 9: VICTORIA FALLS - breakfast and hotel check-out. There is an optional helicopter tour to Victoria Falls in the morning.
• Notes: The order and port/tour times can change depending on the weather. Wildlife viewing in Chobe National Park is not 100% guaranteed. The Victoria Falls helicopter tour also depends on weather conditions.

Note: You can see CruiseMapper's list of all river cruise ships and riverboats in the "itinerary" section of our River Cruises hub. All companies and their fleets are listed there.