White water rafting trips in Victoria Falls

Commercial rafting first commenced on the Zambezi River in 1981 and since then this activity has grown in popularity to the point where a rafting trip on the Zambezi is now a regular feature in most tourists’ itineraries.

In 1997, approximately 50,000 people enjoyed white water rafting on the Zambezi on a stretch of water that is now internationally acclaimed as the best white water rafting trip available anywhere in the world.

Physical features of the river
The Zambezi River is classified as a high volume; pool-drop river i.e. there is little exposed rock either in the rapids or the pools below the rapids. The distance between rapids varies from 100 metres to 2kms. The gorge itself is approximately (110m) 360ft deep at the low water starting point and (230m) 750ft at the one day trip end point. The river drops about 400ft over the 24km covered in the one-day low water raft trip and the depth of the river in the gorge between rapids has been recorded as deep as (120m) 395ft.

The British Canoe Union has classified the river grade 5 “extremely difficult, long and violent rapids, steep gradients, big drops and pressure areas”. On the low water rafting trips, nearly half of the rapids negotiated are grade 5. (Grade 6 is unrunable – rapid number 9, “Commercial Suicide” is a Grade 6 rapid and you'll carry your rafts around this rapid).

Wildlife
Due to the steepness of the gorge, wildlife is not abundant. On occasion, klipspringer, rock hyrax, vervet monkeys and baboon are spotted. However, the birdlife is far more spectacular. Black eagle, augur buzzard, Peregrines Falcon, black stork, pied and giant kingfisher and red winged starling are some of the birds normally seen during the outings and sightings of the very rare Taita Falcon are not uncommon. There are crocodiles in the river, but they are small due to the unsuitability of the area for their habitation and survival.