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Rafting the Zambezi

by Iva Skoch (RSS feed) on Sep 28th 2006 at 5:58PM

One of the items of my must-do list is rafting the Zambezi. Not that I am particularly into adrenaline sports, but this African adventure sounds amazing. I hear that Zambia is trying to market itself as the adrenaline-sports center of Africa, with rafting, bungee-jumping, climbing and such and it has become quite touristy. I wonder how Hemingway would feel about this "new Africa". Since hunting for lions is no longer acceptable for Western tourists, I guess he would have to settle for white-water rafting.

The Zambezi River and the gorges below the Victoria Falls are classified as Grade 5, but a few portions are classified even higher - Grade 6: unrunnable. July-March are supposed to be the best months to go because the river is fairly low and more rapids can be done. Although Zambia does not publish a list of casualties, people who have done it say that it was, at times, a near-death experience. (Those might just be the people imagining the rare underwater encounters with hippos and crocodiles).

Any insights from anyone who has been?

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Paddling, Business, Gear, Africa, Zambia

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Buddah Sep 29th 2006 6:30AM

I did this river trip some years ago, while visiting my son, who was in the Peace Corps at the time--it's a heart-pounding adventure and concludes with a very rigorous climb out of the gorge on a long, very rickety, home-built ladder; this, for me, was exhausting, although my son, and the locals, did it barefoot! Well worth the time to undertake this trip.

Willy Sep 29th 2006 2:28PM

Done it twice. As with many things, the first time was much more frightening than the second time.

Essentially, you show up at the put-in spot at about 7. You get a brief introduction to what'll happen, get oriented, and get in the water. The first rapid is actually among the most difficult.

Throughout the day, you get to see the Zambezi from close-up, and the views out of the gorge are amazing. Lunch is a ham sandich. It's adequate. A full stomach might make it tough to paddle. (There are non-paddling trips available, but I believe paddling is LESS scary. Non-paddlers have more time to look at the oncoming rapids.)

Speaking of paddling, most of the rapids are big but manageable. Several are huge and terrifying. The biggest require portering around. If you go to Vic Falls and DON'T do this trip, you're making a big mistake -- it's a lot of fun and very rewarding. Expect to flip the boat. I firmly believe the guides are capable of NOT flipping it the entire day, but that doesn't make for a very good story, now, does it?

As Buddah mentioned, the climb out of the gorge is the hardest part. The ladder is long, steep, and at a very tricky angle. On the plus side, at the top, the outfitters almost always provide an excellent BBQ dinner, and all the beer you can drink until the bus reaches town.

Expect to pay $100 for this day. This might seem steep, but all the excursions in Vic Falls run this much, and this one lasts all day.

TIP: Take a waterproof camera and strap it to your life jacket.