White Water Rafting in the Zambezi River

Zambezi white water rafting has been classified by the British Canoe Union as Grade 5 – which is “extremely difficult, long and violent rapids, steep gradients, big drops and pressure areas”. This is a high volume, pool-drop river with little exposed rock either in the rapids or in the pools below the rapids. “Low water” run takes place when the Zambezi River is at its low level between July and mid-February. This is the most exciting time to go rafting. Day trips run between rapids 1 and 18. “high water” run follows after fresh inflow from the catchment areas in Angola and Zambia. The water rises and flows more rapidly and the day trips move downstream from rapids 11 to 23. Usually between February to July with a short “closed” season around April/May depending on the season’s rains. The Zambezi River is a high volume, pool drop river. The river floods between mid February and the end of June as a result huge volumes of water, more than four times the volume of the Colorado River floods over the Falls at its peak.