White water rafting trips in Victoria Falls

Activity Snapshot

Fitness level: Occasionally sporty
Duration: from 2-3 days to 4-7 days
Spoken languages: English
Minimum age: From 15 years-old and up
Cancellation policy: moderate More info
Opening seasons:
  • J
  • F
  • M
  • A
  • M
  • J
  • J
  • A
  • S
  • O
  • N
  • D

Activity description

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.

Offers

1
Overnight trip
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Meals
Breakfast
Full English breakfast including eggs, bacon, tomatoes, sausage, baked beans, toast, jam with tea and coffee.

Lunch
These may change slightly but they will be similar to the below options:
• Chicken pieces, potato salad and green salad and bread or rolls
• Cold meat, rolls and salad and bread or rolls
• Mini meatballs in sauce, pasta and green salad and bread or rolls
• Steak, potato salad and green salad and bread or rolls
• Cottage pie with coleslaw salad and bread or rolls
• Beef lasagna with green salad and bread or rolls

Dinner
These may vary but will be similar to the below options:
• Rice, chicken curry and green salad with bread or rolls and dessert of ice cream
• Spaghetti bolognaise with cheese, green salad and dessert of pancakes and cinnamon sugar
• Steak/chops and chips with green salad or vegetables. Dessert of trifle
• Fish (bream or hake fillet) with mashed potato and green salad plus tartar sauce. Dessert of fruit crepes with syrup
• Braaii over the fire including boerwores, steak or chicken (two meats), baked potatoes, green salad, garlic bread. Dessert of fruit salad
• Beef kebabs, potato salad, coleslaw and bread or Rolls. Dessert of choc bananas

Course of events

Day 1
Full day of rafting as per the usual one day low water rafting trip ending just above rapid no 21 or 23. You will stay overnight at the campsite situated on the banks of the river. You will be supplied with tents, bedrolls and sleeping bags from Adventure Zone. It is possible to bring your own sleeping bags, if required. You'll enjoy a delicious dinner under the big African night sky warmed by a big bonfire. You'll be supplied with beers (Castle), red and white wine. Should you wish to have other alcoholic beverages they can be purchased by prior to the start of the trip.

Day 2
After enjoying a full English breakfast, you'll walk out of the gorge where a vehicle will be waiting to transfer you back to town. The drive back from the gorge is approximately 25kms. You should return to town by around 10:00am.

Special terms

The price doesn't include the $10 fee per person to access the park.

Raft and camping trips include:
- All meals, soft drinks, orange juice (cordial), water as well as small amount of beers and wines. However due to the longevity of the trip these are not bottomless supplies. Should clients have a preferred alcohol, they may supply these themselves, or if clients want more this can easily be arranged for a small fee.
- Sleeping bags - if required, however it is recommended that clients bring their own.

Do not forget to bring
  • Sleeping bags
  • Shorts and t-shirts (quick drying)
  • Swimming costume/shorts
  • Shoes you wouldn't getting wet
  • Headlamp
  • Towel
  • Tracksuit
  • Cap/hat
  • Sunglasses and sunscreen
  • Insect repellent
  • Toiletries
  • Cameras
Sensation Level:

Adventurous

Fitness level:

Occasionally sporty

Duration:

2-3 days

Minimum age:

From 15 years-old and up

Meeting point:

You will be picked up at your accommodation anywhere in the Victoria Falls area Zimbabwe, NOT Zambia

Included:
  • All meals
  • Guides and safety kayakers
  • All rafting and camping equipment
  • First aid kit
  • Satellite phone
Excluded:
  • Park fees: 10$ pp
2
2.5 day trip
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Meals
Breakfast
Full English breakfast including eggs, bacon, tomatoes, sausage, baked beans, toast, jam with tea and coffee.

Lunch
These may change slightly but they will be similar to the below options:
• Chicken pieces, potato salad and green salad and bread or rolls
• Cold meat, rolls and salad and bread or rolls
• Mini meatballs in sauce, pasta and green salad and bread or rolls
• Steak, potato salad and green salad and bread or rolls
• Cottage pie with coleslaw salad and bread or rolls
• Beef lasagna with green salad and bread or rolls

Dinner
These may vary but will be similar to the below options:
• Rice, chicken curry and green salad with bread or rolls and dessert of ice cream
• Spaghetti bolognaise with cheese, green salad and dessert of pancakes and cinnamon sugar
• Steak/chops and chips with green salad or vegetables. Dessert of trifle
• Fish (bream or hake fillet) with mashed potato and green salad plus tartar sauce. Dessert of fruit crepes with syrup
• Braaii over the fire including boerwores, steak or chicken (two meats), baked potatoes, green salad, garlic bread. Dessert of fruit salad
• Beef kebabs, potato salad, coleslaw and bread or Rolls. Dessert of choc bananas

Course of events

The camp sites may change due to movement of beaches/camp sites

Day 1
Full day of rafting as usual one day low water rafting trip and camping below rapid 23, at our overnight camp.

Day 2
From hereafter the flat stretches between rapids becomes longer. Your first rapid is ‘Open Season’. You'll then continue through ‘The Narrows’ after which you'll have lunch. After lunch you'll head down the river through ‘Chimamba’ and “Upper Mowemba” to your overnight campsite just below “Upper Mowemba”.

Day 3
After enjoying a full English breakfast, you'll portage “Lower Mowemba” and continue along to the Dam site where you'll be met by the porters to guide you to the vehicle at the top of the gorge. Once all the equipment is up, you'll board the vehicle and head for home. The drive back to town is 62km, with the first 12km being very slow, thereafter it is a secondary road all the way home and will take about 2 hours maximum

If you need to arrive back in town earlier, your guide can change the overnight stop to be at the Dam site at top of the gorge overlooking the “Ghost Rider” rapids. After breakfast, you'll board the vehicle and go directly back to town.

Special terms

The price doesn't include the $10 fee per person to access the park.

Raft and camping trips include:
- All meals, soft drinks, orange juice (cordial), water as well as small amount of beers and wines. However due to the longevity of the trip these are not bottomless supplies. Should clients have a preferred alcohol, they may supply these themselves, or if clients want more this can easily be arranged for a small fee.
- Sleeping bags - if required, however it is recommended that clients bring their own.

Do not forget to bring
  • Sleeping bags
  • Shorts and t-shirts (quick drying)
  • Swimming costume/shorts
  • Shoes you wouldn't getting wet
  • Headlamp
  • Towel
  • Tracksuit
  • Cap/hat
  • Sunglasses and sunscreen
  • Insect repellent
  • Toiletries
  • Cameras
Sensation Level:

Adventurous

Fitness level:

Occasionally sporty

Duration:

2-3 days

Minimum age:

From 15 years-old and up

Meeting point:

You will be picked up at your accommodation anywhere in the Victoria Falls area Zimbabwe, NOT Zambia

Included:
  • All meals
  • Guides and safety kayakers
  • All rafting and camping equipment
  • First aid kit
  • Satellite phone
Excluded:
  • Park fees: 10$ pp
3
3 day trip
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Meals
Breakfast
Full English breakfast including eggs, bacon, tomatoes, sausage, baked beans, toast, jam with tea and coffee.

Lunch
These may change slightly but they will be similar to the below options:
• Chicken pieces, potato salad and green salad and bread or rolls
• Cold meat, rolls and salad and bread or rolls
• Mini meatballs in sauce, pasta and green salad and bread or rolls
• Steak, potato salad and green salad and bread or rolls
• Cottage pie with coleslaw salad and bread or rolls
• Beef lasagna with green salad and bread or rolls

Dinner
These may vary but will be similar to the below options:
• Rice, chicken curry and green salad with bread or rolls and dessert of ice cream
• Spaghetti bolognaise with cheese, green salad and dessert of pancakes and cinnamon sugar
• Steak/chops and chips with green salad or vegetables. Dessert of trifle
• Fish (bream or hake fillet) with mashed potato and green salad plus tartar sauce. Dessert of fruit crepes with syrup
• Braaii over the fire including boerwores, steak or chicken (two meats), baked potatoes, green salad, garlic bread. Dessert of fruit salad
• Beef kebabs, potato salad, coleslaw and bread or Rolls. Dessert of choc bananas

Course of events

The camp sites may change due to movement of beaches/camp sites

Day 1
Full day of rafting as usual one day low water rafting trip and camping below rapid 23, at our overnight camp.

Day 2
From hereafter the flat stretches between rapids becomes longer. Your first rapid is ‘Open Season’. You'll then continue through ‘The Narrows’ after which you'll have lunch. After lunch you'll head down the river through ‘Chimamba’ and “Upper Mowemba” to your overnight campsite just below “Upper Mowemba”.

Day 3
After enjoying a full English breakfast, you'll continue rafting. This section is mainly very flat with one small rapid at the entry to the portage stopping point just above “the Dam site rapids”. You'll then portage “The Dam Site rapids” and get back into the rafts to continue on the flat water to your final rapid of the day being “Ghost Rider”. Here you'll stop and scout the rapid before running it, this rapid is truly the best rapid to finish your trip with as it is the largest set of waves on the Zambezi River.
After rafting through this rapid, everyone stops on the right hand side of the river where 2 alternatives are on offer (and needs to be pre-booked accordingly):

1. You can walk out of the gorge, it is not a hard climb but it is a relatively long walk, at the top of the gorge the truck will be waiting with beers and soft drinks to welcome you. Again drinks are limited. Once all the equipment is up, you'll board the vehicle and head for home. The drive back to town is 62km, with the first 12km being very slow, thereafter it is a secondary road all the way home finishing off with the last 13km of tar and will take about 3 hours maximum.

2. You can fly by helicopter, out of the gorge over the Falls and back to Victoria Falls town. In this scenario, you can relax enjoying drinks and snacks whilst you wait for the helicopter to arrive. When it arrives, you are required to climb on immediately and then go on to enjoy a flight over the gorges and finally over the Victoria Falls before landing at the Heli pad in Vic Falls.

All clients are transferred back to The Adventure Lodge to collect their valuables and any other items left behind, before going on to their hotels. Clients on the helicopter will only receive their bags from the trip later that evening as they will come back by road.

Special terms

The price doesn't include the $10 fee per person to access the park.

Raft and camping trips include:
- All meals, soft drinks, orange juice (cordial), water as well as small amount of beers and wines. However due to the longevity of the trip these are not bottomless supplies. Should clients have a preferred alcohol, they may supply these themselves, or if clients want more this can easily be arranged for a small fee.
- Sleeping bags - if required, however it is recommended that clients bring their own.

Do not forget to bring
  • Sleeping bags
  • Shorts and t-shirts (quick drying)
  • Swimming costume/shorts
  • Shoes you wouldn't getting wet
  • Headlamp
  • Towel
  • Tracksuit
  • Cap/hat
  • Sunglasses and sunscreen
  • Insect repellent
  • Toiletries
  • Cameras
Sensation Level:

Adventurous

Fitness level:

Occasionally sporty

Duration:

2-3 days

Minimum age:

From 15 years-old and up

Meeting point:

You will be picked up at your accommodation anywhere in the Victoria Falls area Zimbabwe, NOT Zambia

Included:
  • All meals
  • Guides and safety kayakers
  • All rafting and camping equipment
  • First aid kit
  • Satellite phone
Excluded:
  • Park fees: 10$ pp
4
5 day trip
Read more

Meals
Breakfast
Full English breakfast including eggs, bacon, tomatoes, sausage, baked beans, toast, jam with tea and coffee.

Lunch
These may change slightly but they will be similar to the below options:
• Chicken pieces, potato salad and green salad and bread or rolls
• Cold meat, rolls and salad and bread or rolls
• Mini meatballs in sauce, pasta and green salad and bread or rolls
• Steak, potato salad and green salad and bread or rolls
• Cottage pie with coleslaw salad and bread or rolls
• Beef lasagna with green salad and bread or rolls

Dinner
These may vary but will be similar to the below options:
• Rice, chicken curry and green salad with bread or rolls and dessert of ice cream
• Spaghetti bolognaise with cheese, green salad and dessert of pancakes and cinnamon sugar
• Steak/chops and chips with green salad or vegetables. Dessert of trifle
• Fish (bream or hake fillet) with mashed potato and green salad plus tartar sauce. Dessert of fruit crepes with syrup
• Braaii over the fire including boerwores, steak or chicken (two meats), baked potatoes, green salad, garlic bread. Dessert of fruit salad
• Beef kebabs, potato salad, coleslaw and bread or Rolls. Dessert of choc bananas

Course of events

The trip varies from day 3 onwards depending on water levels, but covers the same section of the river. The camp sites may change due to movement of beaches/camp sites.

Day 1
Full day of rafting as usual one day low water rafting trip and camping below rapid 23, at our overnight camp.

Day 2
From hereafter the flat stretches between rapids becomes longer. Your first rapid is ‘Open Season’. You'll then continue through ‘The Narrows’ after which you'll have lunch. After lunch you'll head down the river through ‘Chimamba’ and “Upper Mowemba” to your overnight campsite just below “Upper Mowemba”.

Day 3
After portaging “Lower Mowemba” you'll continue along to the Dam site where you'll do your third and final portage. After this you'll continue downstream to “Ghost Rider” then “Deep Throat” where you'll ghost the rafts through while having lunch. You'll raft through another section of narrows with short sharp drops, very exciting! You'll then conclude the day with “Asleep at the Wheel” which is the last major rapid of the trip. You'll camp downstream of “Asleep at the Wheel”.

Day 4
After breakfast, you'll continue downstream through Grade 2 and Grade 3 rapids up to Hippo’s camp where you will spend the night on the banks of the river.  

Day 5
After breakfast, you'll navigate ‘Fish Eagle’s Delight’ and onto the take out point at Matetsi where you'll be transported back to town. The transfer is a 3 hour drive along the road from Milibizi to Hwange through to Victoria Falls.

Special terms

The price doesn't include the $10 fee per person to access the park.

Raft and camping trips include:
- All meals, soft drinks, orange juice (cordial), water as well as small amount of beers and wines. However due to the longevity of the trip these are not bottomless supplies. Should clients have a preferred alcohol, they may supply these themselves, or if clients want more this can easily be arranged for a small fee.
- Sleeping bags - if required, however it is recommended that clients bring their own.

Do not forget to bring
  • Sleeping bags
  • Shorts and t-shirts (quick drying)
  • Swimming costume/shorts
  • Shoes you wouldn't getting wet
  • Headlamp
  • Towel
  • Tracksuit
  • Cap/hat
  • Sunglasses and sunscreen
  • Insect repellent
  • Toiletries
  • Cameras
Sensation Level:

Adventurous

Fitness level:

Occasionally sporty

Duration:

4-7 days

Minimum age:

From 15 years-old and up

Meeting point:

You will be picked up at your accommodation anywhere in the Victoria Falls area Zimbabwe, NOT Zambia

Included:
  • All meals
  • Guides and safety kayakers
  • All rafting and camping equipment
  • First aid kit
  • Satellite phone
Excluded:
  • Park fees: 10$ pp
100% secure payments
by credit card or Paypal

Meeting point

You will be picked up at your accommodation anywhere in the Victoria Falls area Zimbabwe, NOT Zambia Get directions

Cancellation policy

Cancellation 10 days or more prior to the agreed activity date
You will be automatically refunded for the full amount for the activity
10 days
Cancellation between 4 and 10 days prior to the agreed activity date
You are entitled to a 50% refund
4 days
Cancellation 4 days or later prior to the agreed activity date
No refund will be possible
Weather Guarantee
Regardless of the date, if the activity is cancelled due to bad weather conditions, you will be offered a refund or the chance to reschedule