WHITEWATER RAFTING

Zambezi Explorer

Rendezvous at the elegant Victoria Falls Safari Lodge in Zimbabwe where you begin the kayaking and rafting adventure in Africa on the upper Zambezi River. Victoria Falls, know locally as “Mosi-0-Tunya” or the “Smoke that Thunders”, is over a mile long, with stunning rainbows and rainforest vistas.

The first day, you will enjoy local crafts in Victoria Falls capped by a beautiful sunset on the deck of the Lokuthula Lodge. Day two begins with a game drive through Victoria Falls National Park followed by the first night camping under the African stars, listening to the gentle cooing of cape turtle doves. Over the next two days, kayak amidst pods of hippos and crocodiles in two-person kayaks, 30 kilometers downriver toward the pounding thunder of Victoria Falls.

During the next three days, scan for glimpses of elephant, zebra, bushbuck, kudu, cape buffalo, baboons, impala, and the occasional bush duiker as you run gentle Class I and II rapids. African bird life is an ornithologist’s dream come true with many varieties of ibises and trumpeter horn bills everywhere to say nothing of lilac breasted rollers and other birder delights. The nocturnal creatures one might also see, or hear, include leopard and the rare wild dog and guests often hear lionesses as they return from the hunt just at dawn. Day five, return to your home at Lokuthula Lodge and go out for dinner and dancing in preparation for your initiation into Class V rafting on the mighty Zambezi.

Time to raft the big river! Begin the 120-kilometer journey on the Zambezi with a hike down a steep trail to the put in on the banks of the Batoko Gorge, lying just below the mile long Victoria Falls. Using a combination of paddle boats and oar boats, the day is spent navigating some the world’s biggest and most dynamic rapids as you come face to face with “Nyami-Nyami” — the Zambezi river god in the form of heart pounding and enormous Class IV and V rapids (about one per mile)!

Complete day one at a deluxe camp complete with rustic thatch chalets, shower, dining area, and beach volleyball. The air is hot and dry, the river water a mild 62 degrees, and the breeze that sweeps up the canyon is fragrant with the wilds of Africa.

The next couple of days are filled with paddling in calm waters, portaging Lower Moimba and Chibango Falls followed by camping on white sand beaches surrounded by the sounds of the African bush. Day eight, rev your paddling engines in preparation for Ghost Rider Rapid, without a doubt, one of the world’s biggest raftable rapids! Paddle into an enormous series of haystack waves that climax into a pulsating, V-shaped rooster tail of three massive waves followed by collapsing chop and churning eddies. Paddle hard or Highside!

The following day, drift into and through Crocodile Alley where safety kayakers must come aboard rafts (or risk a bite or two from an meandering croc!). As you float through the calm waters, you truly have the feel of being in a remote river canyon. Stopping at a small Zambian fishing village where the traditional thatch huts offer shelter from the blazing hot sun, trade with local villagers for carvings and fire smoked fish.

The kayaking and rafting trip ends the following day as you emerge into the hippo pool waters near the Matetsi River confluence where you take-out followed by a “Zambezi Explorers” farewell dinner at the Boma restaurant.

In 2006 Bio Bio Expeditions donated kayaks and equipent to start the first free kayak school for all local Zimbabweans. This school makes it possible for locals to learn valuable whitewater skills and become future guides on the Zambezi.

AFRICAN SAFARI EXTENSION Included in Zambezi trip!
Bio Bio charters a flight to private accommodations and exclusive use of the luxurious Ruckomechi Camp on the western boundary of Mana Pools National Park. This area is renowned for its regular lion, elephant, hippo, and leopard sightings. Take a dip in the refreshing plunge pool and then watch elephants pass by you from the wood viewing deck. Enjoy 4x4 game drives, canoeing, fishing, boating to islands, and bush walks accompanied by naturalist guides as you relax in the peace of the African bush and sip a cool drink while watching a fiery sunset over the Zambezi River.

Trip Details