Rafting - Five Days, Four Nights - ZIM

General Information

You cannot speak, think, or talk about the Zambezi as though it is a simple stretch of water that gently meanders along a set course. It is a river, a waterfall, and the most magnificent white water rafting corridor on earth! Victoria Falls is a mile long curtain of water that stretches across the glistening basalt rock, erupts into spray, and then thunders into the canyons below. This is the domain of the Nyaminyami, the River God of the Tonga people and is the ‘highway’ for our rafts.

Our guests are be collected from their respective hotels and taken to the spectacular The Lookout Café for information & safety briefing. This is where guests meet up with their Wild Horizons Rafting Guides – the very finest crew on the Zambezi River!

PLEASE NOTE:

1. For this activity child below 15 year are not allowed.
2. Read carefully the Inclusions/Exclusions, Arrangements and Requirements box.

Price:

$1,246.00/ per person

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Inclusions and Exclusions

Included:
Limited beer and soft-drinks, mineral water and wine on camping days. 1 Bottle of
wine per 2 guests per day. Hearty meals while on your river adventure. All accommodation on a sharing basis, Park fee

Disclaimer
We make an effort to provide up to date information on all our services, however Government Park Fees may be subject to change on arrival without prior notice. Should this occur, the increment is passed onto the client, and should be paid on site.

Excluded:

Visas, compulsory insurances, All relevant entry and departure government stipulated
fees/ taxes and unexpected increases thereto, All personal purchases, including curios, telephone calls etc, Gratuities, Optional extra activities, All flights, Personal toiletries for the duration of the camping safari

MAP & GUIDE

Requirements

Suggested Packing List- Maximum 20kgs (44lbs) packed in a Soft Bag

The weather in Southern Africa is generally pleasant throughout the year – warm to hot days, and cool to warm nights, with summer (September to April) being hotter. During our winter months (May to August), it can get cold at night and in the early morning, particularly close to the river. *Bright colours and white are not recommended whilst on safari. Camouflage clothing is not advised for travel in Zimbabwe.

2 x T-shirts or long sleeved lightweight shirts –to protect you from the sun.
• 2 x Quick dry Shorts. Skirts are not practical.
• 1 x Lightweight long trousers/slacks.
• 1 x Lightweight fleece/Light rain gear for summer months.
• Sturdy shoes/trainers or rafting shoes. Your shoes must be securely fitted to your feet
(i.e. no flip-flops) or they will be lost!
• A peak cap that will fit comfortably under your helmet.
• Headscarf/bandana
• Swimming costume.
• Quick Dry Towel
• Travel Pillow
• Good quality sunglasses – preferably polarised.
• 1 x Head Torch with spare batteries.
• If you wear contact lenses, we recommend that you bring along a pair of glasses in case you get irritation from the dust.
• Personal toiletries.
• All personal medication you may be using including antihistamines.
• Sun Block – SPF 30 or higher recommended.
• Insect repellent for body application e.g. Tabard, Peaceful Sleep, Deet, etc
• Camera equipment, spare batteries, chargers, film, flash-cards & memory sticks.
• Pelican case or Dry Bag for your camera and vaulables.
• Visas, tickets, passports, money, credit cards, insurance details etc

Arrangements

Departures: Multi day Rafting Trips are booked on request between 15th August to 30th November
Minimum / Maximum participants
Minimum: 4
Maximum: 21
Times: Pre-departure briefing at 6.00pm on the night before the trip
Age Restrictions: Minimum age: 15 years, Maximum age: There is no maximum age limit; however trained personnel on guides retain the right to refuse to take a client who is clearly going to be unable to cope with the rigours of rafting.
Language: Our trips are all conducted in English (French, German, Italian & Spanish available on private tours, at supplement cost –subject to availability)

DAY ONE

You will be collected from your accommodation to meet at Lookout Café situated on the edge of the Batoka gorge at 08:00 am. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be served, your guide will give a pre – departure briefing, and you will be asked to sign an indemnity form. We shall then drive to rapid #1 and begin the steep walk into the gorges below. Within minutes we are a world away from the buzz of Victoria Falls town. At the base of the trail, our rafts await us in a large pool on the Zambezi, and it is here that you will be given a safety talk. The first part of any rafting experience is very much a learning exercise and after a few practice runs we nudge our boats into the current and drift down –
stream to challenge the legendary rapids of the Zambezi. T here is no gradual build up! The 23 km you will raft today includes renowned rapids such as ‘Stairway to Heaven’, ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ and ‘Oblivion’. This is the wildest section of the Zambezi river. A cold buffet lunch will be served on the banks of the river in the gorge on our way downstream. We will reach our beach campsite at rapid #21 at about 15:30 pm. Camp is set up on the white sandy beach overlooking the river.

DAY TWO

We rise as the sun illuminates the towering walls above, to the smell of bacon and eggs on the fire. Camp is packed up and all the equipment is harnessed down tightly for the voyage downstream ; a long day lies ahead. Our world will become one of exhilarating action and scenes of remarkable beauty. The Song we gorges , home to the threatened Taita falcons, are spectacular . There is now more time between major rapids than on day one, a chance to relax in the sun as we drift down calmer stretches. On day two we shall negotiate rapids such as ‘The Narrows’ and ‘Let’s make a Deal’ to arrive at ‘Upper Moemba ’ rapids. Upper Moemba’ rapids are one of the most spectacular on the river and as with so many
of these rapids it has a perfect platform for photographers who can stand within meters of the action. Our rafts slide over the lip and drop into several huge crashing waves that appear to swallow them completely. The entire Zambezi is squeezed into a narrow cataract at this point. We run the ‘Upper Moemba’ rapids and portage ‘Lower Moemba’ Falls arriving at the beach camp for the second night.

DAY THREE

Day three is another hard working day. We paddle 2km of flat water before we arrive at the proposed Batoka Gorge dam site called the ‘Chibonga Falls ’ which we will portage. Downstream awaits the towering waves of ‘Ghost rider’, the biggest commercially runnable roller coaster wave train in the world. In the original exploratory trip on the Zambezi one of the rafters opted not to run the rapid and pushed his empty boat off into the current. The sight of the empty raft successfully running the rapid in the twilight (after two others had flipped) inspired him to name the rapid Ghost rider. An option will be given to portage this rapid. After a short distance we will arrive at ‘Deep Throat’ where the river is very narrow. We will walk around the rapid and the boats are pushed through. After
all this we paddle downstream past a set of small rapids before negotiating a more technical rapid named ‘Asleep At The Wheel’ and then drift into camp exhausted and accomplished.

DAY FOUR

After departing camp we drift past Fish Eagle’s nests, and negotiate ‘Wave Train’, ‘J-Bay’(similar to Jeffrey’s Bay a popular surfing place) and Bismark’s Territory (home to a particularly large crocodile named Bismark!).We see the biggest fisherman’s village encountered during the 5 day trip and this offers us a glimpse at an astonishingly uncomplicated and simple lifestyle, totally free from the modern, urban world we left behind some days ago. We proceed down the river through class #2 rapids and arrive at our base for the night‘ Hippo camp’.

DAY FIVE

The river really changes character. Basalt rocks give way to grassy banks and the grunts of hippopotamus carry across the water. Our rafts drift past islands in the river, havens for Egyptian Geese and basking crocodiles. A relaxing couple of hours later, we rendezvous with our vehicles near the Matetsi River mouth. After packing up and deflating the rafts we head back to Victoria Falls byroad, having lunch en-route. The journey back takes 3 to 3 and a half hours and we will arrive back in Victoria Falls between 14:00 and 15:00 pm.

Notes

Clients are given the option between an “oar boat” and a “paddle boat”.

An “oar boat” is controlled and maneuvered by the guide using “12 foot-long” oars from the middle of the raft. Guests are seated in the front and rear of the raft and hold on to the safety line around the perimeter.

A “paddle boat” requires the passengers to actively assist the guide in maneuvering the raft through the rapids and the calm stretches, they are seated around the perimeter of the boat and all paddle, but do not hold onto the safety line.

Walk in and out of the Gorge

The walk in and out of the gorge is steep and rocky. The walk out is approximately 750 feet to the top of the gorge and requires a reasonable degree of fitness. There is cold beer, soft drink and water top of the gorge for guests.

Meeting Point

The Lookout Café

Alternatively you can be collected from your respective hotel and taken to departure point for their briefing. Remember to communicate to us your accommodation at the Falls.

Attraction

Victoria Falls Town

General Information You cannot speak, think, or talk about the Zambezi as though it is a simple stretch of water that gently meanders along a set course. It is a river, a waterfall, and the...

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