Itinerary

Day 1
Arrive at Victoria Falls Airport, Zimbabwe. We start our trip with one of the most memorable experiences you will ever have - high tea on livingstone island and then a swim in the devils pool right on the brink of Victoria Falls.  We then check into the wonderful Old Ursuala Camp or similar beautiful  lodge  before we rendezvous at the bar for a welcome drink and briefing. Our trip leader will give us overview of what excitement lies ahead! We enjoy a toast after flying halfway around the world to converge on the incredible Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Our first African sunset to be enjoyed while overlooking the bush and watering hole will be unforgettable!


Day 2
You have a free day to explore Victoria Falls and try one of the many optional activities such as bungee jumping, ultra-light flights, and elephant safaris. Please let us know if you are interested in any of these so we can book them in advance. This is a good day to buy from the vendors who sell beautiful sculptures and woodcarvings. At 4pm, we meet at the lobby of the lodge for our sunset river cruise. All drinks and snacks are included as we cruise the tranquil upper Zambezi and look for game. We return to the lodges at dusk. After the cruise, dinner is on your own.

Day 3
We have the morning to further enjoy the surrounding area of Victoria Falls. Be packed and ready to go by 3pm for our Canoe Safari pick up at the lodge reception. The luggage we do not need can remain behind in the lock-up room of reception. The Canoe Safari will start with a game drive through the Victoria Falls National Park. We will also stop for cool drinks by the riverside and take in the sounds and sights of the bush. We carry on driving upriver to our camp which will be set up with two person tents, a dining table and warm showers.

We’ll see elephant, zebra, bushbuck, kudu, Cape buffalo, ubiquitous baboons, impala, and the occasional bush duiker. The bird life is an ornithologist’s dream come true, with the various ibises and Trumpeter Horn Bill standing out.  Of course, a glimpse of a Lilac Breasted Roller would be welcome!  Then, in the river, which is roughly a mile wide at times and often channels around sand banks and reed islands, lies the choice habitat for the hippopotami and the patient crocodile. The nocturnal creatures we might also see, or hear, are lions, leopards and the rare wild dog, just to mention a few.  Chances are better that we’ll hear the lionesses as they return from the dawn hunt.

At dusk we’ll gather around and sit high on the bank overlooking the river.  We’ll hear the deep, low decibel grumbles and burps of the hippos as they call out to announce their nighttime grazing fete.  A few waking lion might be heard as well.  The bush will be alive with sound as night falls and we inch closer to the fire.

Day 4
We paddle further down stream in the morning til we have a picnic lunch on one of the islands. After lunch we run class 2 rapids doing our best not to capsize. We will hope to see abundant wild life along the river and enjoy certain safe to bathe swimming holes! (Watch our for the crocks) We spend another night at our riverside comfortable camp!
Day 5
We paddle all morning watching for more game and running more fun rapids! We will take-out just upstream from the Devil’s Cataract, the far right slot on the mile wide Falls. We’ll be transferred back to our Lodges and be briefed on packing for the rafting trip.

Day 6
Time to raft the big river!  At 8am we begin our journey into the gorge below Victoria Falls.  We hike down a steep trail to meet our waiting rafts.  We launch and will begin our 60km river journey as the river flows east toward the Indian Ocean.  With both paddle and oar boats, our day is spent navigating some the world’s biggest and most dynamic rapids.  The river gorge starts out deep and steep, twisting and bending to form a series of sinuous goosenecks.  The canyon rim looms overhead as we come face to face with what some would call “Nyami-Nyami”, the Zambezi river god, more easily recognized as the heart pounding and enormous rapids (about one per mile)!

The air is hot and dry, the river water a mild 62 degrees, and the breeze that sweeps up the canyon is fragrant with the wilds of Africa.  Our first night’s camp is where we meet our gear as porters carry it into the gorge for us.  This deluxe camp is complete with rustic thatch chalets, shower, dining area, and beach volleyball.  The gear boat guides will meet us here as we bring everything downriver with us from this point.

Day 7 - The rapids were so much fun that we want you to experience them a second time, so we hike up out of the canyon and shuttle you back to the Victoria Falls. We run rapids 1 - 18 for a second time and return to our comfortable camp in the Zambezi Batoka gorge. Rapids 1 - 18 may be the best big water rafting on the planet, so a 2nd run is a special treat.

Day 8
Now we are “self supported” as we raft deeper into the Batoka gorge, running Wake up call, Open and Closed Season, and upper Moimba Falls.  We camp on big sandy beaches and relax after intense days of rafting.  As we travel downstream, the rapids spread out and we enter some big open valleys.  We also come upon two impassable waterfalls.  The first, lower Moimba, is an easy portage as we lower the rafts over a 30-foot vertical cliff into an eddy-pool below.  We make camp right below this portage.

Day 9
We get up early to take advantage of cool morning air and float down to the second waterfall we have to portage, known as Chibango Falls.  This is also the proposed dam site for the Batoka Gorge Dam.  The falls are a 3-step staircase of explosive whitewater.  This portage is more arduous and requires the help of everyone to get all the gear around the falls.  The rocks will be hot and good footwear is required.  We will have to carry the gear separate and then re-rig the rafts after portaging them around.

Right after the portage we get the treat of the century: Ghost Rider Rapid!!  Without a doubt, this is one of the world’s biggest raftable rapids!  We paddle into an enormous series of haystack waves that climax into a house-size, pulsating, V-shaped rooster tail, only to be followed by collapsing waves and churning eddies. Paddle hard or Highside!   We then travel into gentle waters and float down to our “heli pad” as we await the aerial transport back to Vic Falls.

Day 10
Charter Flight   to Whange National park to find our beautifully appointed wilderness lodge at the Little Makalolo plains camp. We will be staying at Little Makalolo Plains in Hwange National Park. Makalolo Plains is situated in a remote concession area within Zimbabwe’slargest park.  It is one of the few camps built within the park and one of the best areas in Zimbabwe for great all year game viewing. Hwange is legendary for its wonderful array of wildlife and massive herds of Elephant and Buffalo.
During our stay at Makalolo, you can choose from a wide variety of activities designed to immerse you in the African wilderness including: 4x4 game drives, and bush walks accompanied by an armed guard.  The food is gourmet and nothing can compare to the serene joy of sipping a cool drink while watching the fiery sunset over the Zimbabwe escarpment  and the African plains

Day 11
Another glorious day and night at Little Makalolo plains!

Day 12
By now, your new Home in the bush will feel so comfortable and you can enjoy an early morning game drive or relax and prepare for your flight back to Victoria Falls. Connect with your International Flight home.

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