WORDS: BARTOSZ CZAUDERNA

Bartosz is the owner and coach of ‘Love It Live It’ More info at: https://loveitliveit.co.uk

E: bartosz@loveitliveit.co.uk
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The Zambezi – one of the better reasons why we learn to kayak

The Zambezi River is justifiably one of the most and arguably one of the world’s best famous sections of white water. The kayaking is located in the Batoka Gorge, directly below Victoria Falls – one of the world’s seven natural wonders.

Who is it for?

Whether you are a confident grade 3+ paddler and it’s your first time out of the UK, or you are looking to hone those big volume down river and play techniques, the Zambezi has fantastic white water to help you improve. The river has many sections, from very small and welcoming rapids to some of the biggest ones you will see. Nearly all of it is in the style of big water paddling, which means big fun crashing waves with many play features on the way.
I often like to say that when you enter the rapid, it is a fair assumption that it will flip you in one of the spots. Therefore, it is essential to consider that and plan for rolling up in a specific spot and continue with your plan down the rapid.

However, it also means that this river nearly does not have sticky holes (unless you want to look for them!) or big consequences, which means that it is one of the best places to go out of your comfort zone and push yourself while still having a relatively low-risk level. Even a swim on one of the bigger rapids mostly means just a couple of seconds under the water and getting the pieces of gear together at the pool below.

It is a good idea to have a reasonable fitness level as paddling there in hot weather, hiking in and out of the canyon (which is a bit!) and paddling for a whole day can be very exhausting. Taking care of your basic fitness would be good preparation for such a trip.

What is it like?

Discovering new challenging whitewater rivers is what It is just amazing – as good as kayaking gets. Many sections start from easy to very challenging big rapids. Everybody will find something that they like. We organize our trips by getting ready through learning or solidifying the basics for big water paddling.
On the first three days, we step up our game and add extra rapids each day, so you can prepare for paddling all the big rapids with the right set of skills and level of fitness and making sure you make the most of the trip.

Then we go for a multi-day – a unique experience down the river where we start below the falls, having a unique opportunity to see them from the bottom and walk where the water is falling during the rainy season. From there, we start our trip down the gorge and paddle all the accessible rapids downstream for the next four days. In the raft, we have our tents, food, drinks and all the equipment we need to experience the Batoka Gorge in the most unique way possible.

On the first day, we do 1-10, followed by 10-26 on the next day. Then we enter the wilderness, part of the river where commercial trips do not go. The gorge starts opening, scenery changes a lot, and you feel like you’re on another planet for some moments on the river. We take our third night between Moemba Falls, watching the stars and sharing the stories at the campfire. On the final day, we start heading down a half-day section to Ghostrider rapid; iconic, rarely seen and enormous, it makes for a fantastic finish to a four day trip down the Zambezi River.

On the last few days of our paddling trip, we liked to make the most of the bits that we loved. Depending on the preference, it is surfing some of the many surf waves and playing with freestyle, ticking off the list boofing famous number 5 ‘Stairway To Heaven’ boof or just lapping favourite sections and enjoying downriver features and different lines.The whole area around was wiped out off the map of the outdoor destinations for many years. 

So how do I get there?

Flying in – you have three options:
Livingstone, Lusaka or Victoria falls.

Livingstone is probably the best and easiest shot. Usually, the tickets are a little bit more expensive, but whatever you spend here, you will save on getting a taxi/bus from another airport and especially the time. From the airport in Livingstone, within 20 minutes, you are in town and can enjoy your stay and get ready to hit the river the following day.

Lusaka is a seven-hour drive; pretty much due to the overnight bus drive ban for the country, you have to account for an additional day of travel after arrival. So if you arrive Monday, Tuesday you would travel to Livingstone, and kayaking would happen on Wednesday. If you are time-sensitive – I would not advise this.

Victoria Falls is friendly and welcoming, but need to get a Kazaa visa ($20 more expensive and for 30 days only) but can see the falls on the way back from the beautiful perspective. However, at this time, I would not recommend that in case suddenly restrictions change or your kayaks get lost – that creates quite a bit of additional trouble!Dam, yes or not? Plans reawaken after 30 years.

Accommodation

Two main places would be staying at Waterfront or Jollyboys. For the duration of our trip – we stay in remote and outside of town Waterfront – base of Saf Par Excellence which organizes rafting. It is a fantastic place with many green, great restaurants, good wifi, breathtaking sunsets and just a great vibe. Also, it is possible to camp there or upgrade to more comfortable accommodations.

Alternative accommodation may be Jollyboys near the town centre – excellent accommodation for backpackers with a unique vibe and easy access to afternoon activities. An enjoyable place to stay but adds a few logistics in the mornings to get to the river.

Places to do and see

The absolute highlight for us is kayaking down the river! But in such a fantastic place, there are a few other spots you don’t want to miss.

You definitely must see Victoria Falls, so make sure you either walk on the Knife’s Edge path on the Zambian side or take a KAZA visa; go to Zimbabwe and see the falls from another side. Quite a bit more pricey but even more impressive is going for a swim in the Devil’s Pool on the edge of the falls, which is an unforgettable experience!

You can join many activities, but you need to account for quite a bit of extra cash for each. Ranging from cheap but fun, go for a safari cruise, tiger fish fishing, see a crocodile farm, take a drive on a nearby safari. For the more pricey, take an ultralite or heli flight above the falls, go to Botswana or Kafue national parks for one or their multi-day safaris. Or try out the local cuisine – starting from crocodile bites and a selection of local restaurants or international cuisine, depending on your preference!

Which boat to choose and how to get it there?

The Zambezi is big volume river and offers many play features. For years, a playboat was the first pick for paddlers coming down to the Zambezi – firstly because you can still run everything, but if you get in trouble – a low-volume boat will get under the things and flush out quicker. Secondly, because you can surf all the play waves on the way and finally it is easier to fly with one.

However, recent trends got people to bring many half slices to the Zambezi and having paddled Antix 2 there; I have to say it is super fun as well! You still can do the same lines, but it gives you more speed and stability; it is super fun to kick flip and play on big features while still surfing waves. There is a bit higher risk of getting stuck somewhere or pushed by some big waves – then the strain on your joints is more extensive as you try to resist – but if you come well prepared and keep an eye on such things, you will enjoy the Zambezi to the fullest as well. However, to fly with one, you need to choose Victoria Falls or Lusaka airports as the planes to Livingstone currently won’t take longer boats on board.

If you don’t want to bring a kayak with you – there are rental opportunities with all kinds of boats, and you can even change between the days! Good advice would be to bring a few foam pieces with you if you plan to rent a boat locally. You can always contact Saf Par or us to help with the subject.

Are there crocodiles?

Yes. However, they are said to be vegetarians and only interested in annoying tourists. During all paddling, flat bits and eddy action, we keep in mind that there are crocodiles, and at every step, we take basic precautions to minimize the risk of interfering with them. We will try to go as quickly and far from them as possible whenever we see one.

Where we can, we will stay with the current. We avoid using eddies unless we have to. If there is a flat bit – no swimming, splashing and playing around allowed, we stick together as a group and go through as smoothly as possible.

Crocodiles feed primarily on fish, and as there is plenty in the Zambezi, they will rarely get interested in bigger prey like kayakers in a group.

Dam, yes or not?

Plans reawaken after 30 years.
Considered for over 70 years, the first layers of planning were prepared in the 1990s – in 2018, the dam project has reawoken again.

Before this year, we heard that dam may be happening in 2023 or 2024! However, we have heard many dates of finishing the project by now. The current situation is blurry but shows a glimpse of hope. This time it is thanks to COVID and a few external factors. Please keep in mind that this is unofficial information that we managed to gather for you, however:

• The new president in Zambia – Hakaine Hichilema, comes from a different party and supports local businesses and tourism, opposite to those in rule previously. Most of the people we have been chatting to are very optimistic about this new government set-up he brings and in high hopes that if anybody is to stop the project – it is him.
• Zambian and Zimbabwean governments have disputes again.
• The whole camp that used to operate at the site as COVID was starting has been withdrawn with no signs of done work where the dam should be.
• China may be in financial trouble and withdrawing/postponing some projects.

As we were witnesses of the building of the Isimba Dam in Uganda – we dare to hope that this project may be postponed right now. Is it going to get cancelled? We highly hope so, but the stakes are very high, and one individual can hardly make a difference. However, if we work together, we can make a difference – the guys at Save Zambezi have been doing fantastic work and are running a petition with currently over 35,000 signatures. If you care about one of the best rivers in the world, the community that lives are it, the natural environment, and many more things that will be affected, please SIGN THE PETITION!

If you follow @savezambezi on Facebook – you can find a link to the petition to stop the dam.

If you want to paddle the Zambezi and looking for guidance – feel free to drop us a message and make plans for 2022 to join our trip
https://loveitliveit.co.uk/whitewater-kayaking-holidays-trips/zambia-experience-the-zambezi/