Postcards form a Backpacker

White Water Rafting on the Zambezi

Posted in Africa, Zambia, Victoria Falls

Although I had already been rafting in Uganda on the Nile when we arrived in Victoria Falls I found out that the one-day low water trip is considered to be the best one-day white water experience available in the world. Being December it was supposed to be the most exciting time to do rafting on the Zambezi. I had enjoyed it so much last time that I though I should give it another go in such an impressive spot.

We left Shoestring Lodge early in the morning and took a drive back over the boarder into Zambia for a light breakfast roll and cup of coffee. The breakfast was no way near as good as the one we received in Uganda but filled a hole all the same. Next we had a very steep walk down into the gorge to the river itself. It took us about 20 minutes to reach the bottom after navigating slippery mud paths and wet rocks. At the riverbank we had our safety talk split into groups and applied a thick layer of sunscreen. A brief guide to the rapids follows.

1. Against the Wall (Class 4/5)
2. The Bridge (Class 3)
3. Rapid 3 (Class 4)
4. Morning Glory (Class 4/5)
5. Stairway to Heaven (Class 5)
6. Devil’s Toilet Bowl (Class 4)
7. Gulliver’s Travels (Class 5) This was the longest and most technical rapid of the day. The run consists of a main channel with smaller channels feeding into it – includes the “Temple of Doom”, “The Crease”, “Patella Gap” and “Land of the Giants”.
8. Midnight Diner (Class 3/5) This rapid has 3 runs. The group was split for this one the first group who wanted to take the easy option, the right hand side for the “Chicken Run”. The “Muncher Run” in the centre was our rafts line through the rapid until we were pushed over to the left. On the left is “Star Trek” with a hole of up to 5m that flipped the raft and sent us all into the warm water.
9. Commercial Suicide (Class 6) Being rated class 6 we had to walk around this one.
10. Gnashing Jaws of Death (Class 4)
11. Overland Truck Eater (Class 5)
12. A,B,C Three Sisters (Class 3/4) At this point we started with the body boarding.
13. The Mother (Class 4/5)
14. Rapid 14 (Class 3)
15. Washing Machine (Class 5)
16. The Terminators I and II (Class 4
17. Double Trouble (Class 5)
18. Oblivion (Class 5)
19. to 23. (Class 2/3) Easy runs at the end of the day, we even got out and swam through rapid 20.

After coming out the other side of rapid 23 we had a leisurely paddle down stream to the bottom of a steep hike out of the gorge to a picnic dinner and a cold beer at the top. The hike was extremely hard work after a full days rafting not helped by having to carry a life jacket, paddle and helmet along with having no shoes, 38°C temperatures and crude wooden ladders made from sticks to climb the steepest parts. By the time I had reached the top I had had an amazing day and can corroborate what I was told about the Zambezi being the best one-days rafting in the world.