Is rafting on the Zambezi River below The Victoria Falls Dangerous?
Arguably the finest one-day white water rafting trip on the planet, on one of Africa’s iconic rivers. Rafting the Zambezi River in the Batoka Gorge offers splendid isolation, breathtaking scenery, the opportunity to forget the daily grind, be physically active and reconnect with nature at an almost atavistic level. Starting at the headwaters of the “Middle Batoka Gorge”, directly below “The Victoria Falls”. Rafting the Zambezi river has been an outdoor adventure renowned “must do”, since the first descent in 1981. But is rafting the Zambezi safe? (Because it is exceptionally good fun). The origins of the name “Zambezi” are contentious, the modern use of the word by the “Kaonde” people of North Western Zambia is “Great River”. While the English derivative of the name itself, is thought to have come from the same general area, from the “Lunda” people’s word “Kasambambezi”. Ominously translated as “those that know how to swim”. Rafting the Zambezi is an extreme outdoor adventure expedition. Rafting any river carries a level of inherent risk that must be acknowledged. In order to classify the level of river difficulty, the world wide rafting fraternity use a basic numbered system from Class-I to Class-V. With Class-V being the highest level of commercially available rafting. While definitely not infallible and subject to serious downright heated debate. The system does allow a base level of measure, with regard to difficulty and what to expect. The class of a rapid has no bearing on the amount of “fun” you can have on it, and the Zambezi is full of punchy Class-III’s that will have you yelling for more. RAFTING CLASSIFICATION TABLE CLASS Characterised by: I Moving water, with small waves and riffles, few obstacles and small areas to avoid, straightforward to see and easy to navigate with limited experience. II Easy, read and run rapids, with wide clear channels, easily avoidable obstructions with the occasional need to navigate around obstacles/features. III Fast moving water, often necessary to take on large waves/features and stay on lines. Strong eddy lines and powerful currents. Multiple obstructions. IV Powerful fast moving rapids that require concentration and a high level of skill to navigate, necessary to make certain complex lines. High pressure moves to avoid areas and features. Necessary on occasion to ‘scout’ these rapids. V Long, difficult and violent rapids, demanding routes, high pressure navigation required, may contain unavoidable features which have to be run. Rescue conditions are difficult and there is risk to life or limb. The upper limit of commercial rafting. The Zambezi River is classified as a Grade-V river, most notably this is on the very top end of commercially available rafting. It is very important to acknowledge and respect the risk that accompanies the decision to sign up to one of our rafting trips. Guests are ultimately responsible for their own safety decisions and there are expectations of guests on this Class-V river. Here is what you need to consider when making your decision: The Middle Zambezi rafting section is located within the steep sided “Batoka Gorge”. Guests need to be able to negotiate the steep hikes to access and exit the gorge. After a long day on the water these hikes can be demanding. The ability to do these hikes is an indication of the fitness levels necessary to enjoy this incredible experience. The Zambezi River undergoes substantial seasonal water-level variation and as such we are constantly changing the entrance and exit paths to raft different sections. Some paths are more demanding than others, but in general these hikes take the average guest 15-25 minutes. You will need to be able to sit and remain balanced while in the raft and be able to hold on with one hand. Follow instructions in stressful situations and communicate effectively with other guests and our guide team. You will need to be able to walk around some of the bigger rapids on difficult terrain and to get into and out of the raft in slippery conditions and on broken ground. You would need to do this on multiple occasions. You will need to be able and willing to actively participate in your own rescue. Be able to move your body and hold your breath in fast moving water, if you end up in the water you need to be able to regulate your breathing and keep your cool. Guests will also need to be able to help other guests back onto the raft. Rafting this river is an excellent team activity and everyone joins in. River trips by their very nature are risky and here often lies part of the allure of the adventure. If you are comfortable with the above read on about how we moderate this risk with thirty years of experience on this incredible section of river. Our Guides All of our team are International Rafting Federation accredited and hold Class-V rafting licenses. We are constantly training scenarios and de-briefing. No day on the Zambezi is ever the same and “every day is a school day”. We never stop adapting and learning. Guest safety is our number one priority. All of our team hold Advanced First Aid Certificates and we have yearly refresher courses. We are proud that four of our team successfully qualified the Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification from the American Heart Association. On all of our trips we take an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Our team are all in-house trained and from our community, we are a strong family; and most of our guides have been with us for over 15 years. With vast amounts of logged river hours on this stretch of the river. Our guide team are exceptionally customer focused. If you feel unsure or nervous, they understand and many a morning’s “butterflies”, have turned to exhilaration after the first rapid. You got this. The International Rafting Federation is the world wide body which oversees the certification and training of professional raft guides. We pioneered this qualification on the Zambezi with Adventure Logic and
The Elephant Cafe, Victoria Falls, Livingstone Zambia
The Elephant Cafe’ Supporting a herd of ten rescued elephants and located on the banks of the Zambezi River, is Zambia’s top gourmet wildlife experience “The Elephant Cafe”. A stunning combination of three exclusive experiences. An epic boat trip up the Zambezi River, an encounter with a rescue elephant herd and a gourmet meal in a salubrious setting. The Elephant Cafe’ is a heartwarming bucket list activity, taking the region by storm. Getting to The Elephant Cafe’. While you can choose to use a road transfer to access The Elephant Cafe’. By far the more preferred method is by boat. Trips depart the David Livingstone Safari Lodge and Spa Jetty. The Elephant Cafe’s guests are treated to a thirty to forty-five-minute journey through the waterways of the “Mosi-oa-tunya” National Park. These river transfers are run by “Zambezi Expeditions”. The owner of “Zambezi Expeditions” Daniel Watson drew off experience gained in Queenstown, New Zealand, in the jet boat industry. Shallow basalt rapids characterize this section and it was always deemed to be un-runnable. Along with his team of professional drivers, Dan has pioneered commercial routes up to The Elephant Cafe’. The transfers are the first commercial boat use, of that section of the park. On the boat expedition, guests can expect to see a variety of river-dwelling wildlife. Sightings of Hippo, Nile crocodile and a huge range of birdlife are common. Added to this wild aspect is the excitement of being on the Zambezi River, tackling the class-2 rapids. Expect to get lightly splashed but not drenched. The Elephant Cafe’ herd. The raison d’être for the existence of the elephant cafe’. “The Elephant Cafe’s” ten rescued African Elephants. The Elephant herd is made up of an eclectic group of African Elephants. The elephants all have varied, intriguing and different backstories. Together they make a tightly knit though unusual family herd. Complete with a variety of foibles and fascinating nuances. Unusual in the sense that the herd is comprised of breeding age females, playful youngsters, mature and immature bulls. Whereas in the wild, you wouldn’t usually see this configuration of animals. In the wild old mature males tend to be solitary, while young bulls tend to gather in small bachelor herds. The females and youngsters tend to stick together in family structured breeding herds, led by a matriarch. On arrival at The Elephant Cafe’ guests are met by the herd. Guests then have the opportunity to interact and photograph the elephants in a reward based interaction. On hand are the elephant experts to dispense information, answer questions and provide insights into the herd’s behaviour. The below brief descriptions of The Elephant Cafe’ herd, present merely the tip of the iceberg with these magnificent animals, with regard to their habits and stories. You will have to visit to hear more. The Elephant Cafe’s “Bop” and “Danny”. “Bop” and “Danny” are the two mature bulls in the herd. “Danny” though younger and smaller in body size than “Bop”, is the dominant male. “Bop” is a mellow old man, estimated to be about sixty-five years old. Due to a crack in his left tusk, “Bop” has had his tusks cut by the vet. If the crack had been left unattended the extremely sensitive nerve would have been exposed. An elephant root canal, though it has been done, is a risky and cumbersome procedure. In this case, prevention was definitely better than cure. Interestingly, one-third of the tusk is actually within the lip of the elephant, what we see is only two-thirds of the actual tusk. “Danny” has a very distinctive and huge set of ivory. He is thought to be about fifty-five years old. Both of the bulls were rescued from culling operations in Zimbabwe in the 1960’s. “Bop” and “Danni” are perhaps the first generation of rescued African elephants. The two were raised by the late legendary conservationist Clem Coetzee. Members of the Coetzee family still come and visit these old boys from time to time today. The Elephant Cafe’s “Madinda”, “Mashumbi”, “Marula” and “Lewa”. These animals are the second generation of rescue elephants. Estimated to all be in their thirties, they were rescued as calves from the severe El Nino droughts of the late 1980’s. “Marula” is a young bull and “Lewa” is a young sexually mature female. The two were rescued together and have been lifelong companions. “Lewa” likes to rumble and talk and is often seen close to “Marula”. “Marula” is a very affectionate Elephant, in part because he and “Lewa” were bottle fed as calves. “Marula” is often seen with the calves who find him comforting, especially the orphan “Sekuti”. “Madinda” is a young bull who during the droughts was rescued from a predator attack. He has half a tail and a missing portion of his ear from that encounter. Madinda is delightfully playful and many a guest has a story of “Madinda”, the dancing Elephant. “Mashumbi” is the herd’s matriarch and leader. She is also the survivor of a predator attack and is missing the tip of her tail. One of our favorite stories is her elopement. She disappeared with a bachelor herd for 18 months. Returning to The Elephant Cafe’ pregnant…with her typical nonchalant lack of fuss. While elephants are exceptionally social and the family units are close-knit. In times of drought or danger, it is not uncommon for the herd to move rapidly and cover big distances. Reaching food and water is a priority and young calves get left behind as the herd moves rapidly for survival. The calve’s mother will usually move back and forth between the calf and the herd, urging the calf to keep up, however, this distance can become vast and the mother is forced to leave her calf behind. The Elephant Cafe’s “Nandi”, “Nyami”, “Muyuni” and “Sekuti” These four are the youngsters of the herd, sexually immature sub-adults and calves. “Nandi”,”Nyami” and “Muyuni” in order of age, are the offspring of “Mashumbi” and “Lewa” sired by “Bop”. “Nandi” at eleven is the oldest, “Nyami” and “Muyuni” are a year apart
The Explorer Club Africa at Africa’s Travel Indaba 2018
Showcasing Livingstone Victoria Falls to the World. Indaba 2018, one of the biggest meetings of the travel industry in Southern Africa, hosted in Durban South Africa. This year proudly boasting a record 1747 international buyers. As the South African National Minister of Tourism, Derek Hanekom in his opening address put it “This is going to be the greatest Indaba of all time”. For “The Explorer Club Africa” set up at the Zambian Tourism Agency stand, it was an incredible week of non-stop meetings and networking events. Things to watch Zambia is certainly in the global spotlight, particularly as demand grows for authentic experiences. Away from the regional commercial tourist traps. Our rich cultural heritage, adventure activities, wildlife reserves, and natural untouched landscape’s, all set the tone for “The Explorer Club Africa’s” experience at Indaba this year. The Elephant Cafe’ The award-winning Elephant Cafe’ continues to go from strength to strength. The unique pairings of the river transfer with our legacy herd of elephants and the incredible food selection. Proved to be hot topics at the show, particularly with the media. The Adventure Village Rooms Ready to be opened on the 1st of June we displayed sneak peaks of our sixteen Adventure Rooms at the Victoria Falls Zambezi Waterfront. Each room is air-conditioned, has an expansive en-suite bathroom, Bar fridge, and modern amenities at an unbeatable price point. Nanzhila Plains Just three hours from Livingstone, this “Hidden Gems Classic” offers isolated, unique wilderness to the traveler “in the know”. Watch this space for upcoming specials including Livingstone and Nanzhila Plains. Zambezi White Water Rafting Festival 2018 The “Zambezi White Water Festival 2018”, this year from the 25th to the 28th of October, looks to be set to grow. With teams signed up, the onus is now on the entertainment for the weekend. We met with “Eat Street Africa”, looking to sign up the talented Holly Wasserful at this year’s festival. She would be joining a great line up of African entertainers and musicians, “Black Mamba Man”, “Chicken Bus”, and “Shyman Shaizo”. Multi-day Rafting, rafting. With Adventure travel tourism estimated to grow by 46% by 2020, it is unsurprising there has been a significant uptick in take-up of our Zambezi River rafting offerings. Our five-star glamping multi-days and our unique take on day trips have seen a massive resurgence in demand for rafting options. Surfing the Zambezi As the go-to guys for anything Zambezi River related, we have an exciting event planned June/July with Zig Zag magazine and their sponsors. Watch this space.
The Tour D’Afrique in Livingstone Victoria Falls.
Tour d’Afrique in Livingstone Zambia. Safari-Par Excellence was thrilled to host the Tour D’Afrique team early this April. On their monumental transcontinental bicycle trip, from Cairo to Cape Town. This is the sixteenth trip the company has conducted along their flagship African route. Since their first expedition in 2003. Covering 12,000 km’s North to South of the African continent, the trip usually takes 4 months. With team members opting to do the full route or carefully selected segments. On their inaugural expedition in 2003, Tour d’Afrique also established the “Tour d’Afrique Foundation”. The TDA foundation is the charity arm of the organization. Among monetary fundraising and cash support for causes on their routes, the “TDA Foundation” also donates one bicycle per full route rider to identified causes. This year at a function presided over by Livingstone Mayor, his worship Eugene Mapuwo, at the “Victoria Falls Waterfront”. The foundation handed over twenty bicycles, to schools in Livingstone. “African Impact” our local NGO had identified seven schools that will benefit exponentially from the donation. Safari-Par-excellence, Batoka Sky Helicopters, and Shearwater Bungee all donated prizes to the Tour d’Afrique participants which were awarded via a raffle system after the bicycle donation. The expedition team was in Livingstone for a few days of well-earned rest and recuperation. Bikes to be fixed and participants were able to partake in the regions many activities. A huge thank you from the Livingstone community to all the Tour d’Afrique participants and the foundation for your generous donations. We look forward to seeing you again in 2019.
