Whitewater Rafting the Zambezi
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The Zambezi River is one of the most dangerous rivers to raft. With up to Level 6 rapids, your raft is sure to capsize a few times. That is simply unavoidable. But that's what makes this trip an absolutely exhilarating experience and a must-do for any adventure enthusiast. You can do half-day or full day trips and find outfitters in Livingstone.
We chose to do the full-day run, a total of 42 km (26 miles) of white water fun! We were set to encounter a grand total of 15 rapids that were Class 4 or greater (the highest being 6).
I was there with two good friends. On the morning of our trip we met up with the other guys whom we were going to share the raft with, got assigned a really experienced guide, and began our trek down a really steep cliff to get to the rafts. That almost seemed like half the adventure! Excitement building, we got in our raft and off we went.
It didn't take long before we hit our first big rapid--a level 4!. The guide was a total stud in the way he navigated the rapid from the back while we did our share in the front. We all managed to stay in the raft, but something told me it wouldn't be long before we were all in the water.
After the first big rapid, we got a chance to adjust to the rafting with a bunch of smaller ones. We felt like total studs, taking in the stunning scenery around us. It was a beautiful sunny day.
But it didn't take long before we hit a series of really big rapids. Just as we thought we had recovered from one, we would hit another one. It felt like a total roller coaster ride.
There were times when we felt we had totally conquered a rapid, others where we were simply holding on for dear life, and some where we found ourselves in the water, raft capsized.
Occasionally we would lose a passenger and have to try and row toward them or pick them up at a later point where the river was calmer.
Some of the names given to the rapids say it all: Devil's Toilet Bowl, Commercial Suicide, Gnashing Jaws of Death and Overland Truck Eater!
At one point we came to a massive rapid that looked really daunting, a high Level 6. Only the occasional experienced kayaker is allowed to take it on. We were instructed to get off of our rafts and bypass the rapid by carrying our raft along the river bank to get past it and then continued our journey.
As we got past all the big rapids and toward the calmer part of the river, we spotted a small crocodile on a rock at the river bank. They apparently aren't dangerous to humans. I'm just glad we didn't spot it while we were in the water!
All in all, an absolutely exhilarating experience. I highly recommend it!!
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