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Playriver: Zambia, The Mighty Zambezi, with a LOT more than just one playspot..... check it out!

What's it like

The "Mighty Zambezi" has become over the years one of the most incomparable river in the world, a playboaters' heaven ! The Zambezi water level changes a lot during the year. From 500 cfs during the summer time, up to probably 10000 during the raining season...

The best time to come is between the beginning of July and the middle of January, when the water is at its medium to lowest levels.
The Zambezi is a big volume pool drop river, with no major dangers. Very impresive big waves, holes but no nasty stopper, bad ledge or anything ugly you can think of...

It is a river open to any grade III or IV paddlers with a good roll. The rapids are easy to run, followed by big pools. Swims are short, rock free and the equipment is easy to recover.

To give you an idea of a day on the Zam, this is the Zambezi at low level, in October:

• Rapid #1: "Against the wall", good pillow against a rock, carthwheel, splits possible, eddy service, good to get rid of the headache...
• Rapid #2: Mix Wave/Hole, any move possible, good eddy service if the water is not too low.
• Rapid #3: Great fast wave, perfect for getting some air, especially in a Disco !!!!!
• Rapid #3.5: Small retentive hole on the left, fast, all vertical moves possible, eddy service...
• Rapid #4: "Mornig Glory" Not too much to do at low level, but great wave at the top of the rapid with more water in july and december, a cool run anyway !
• Rapid #5: Don't miss the freewheel on the pourover ... and don't forget to do a few cartwheels in the amazing hole just above it ! Just don't wash out upside down downstream...
• Rapid #5.5: Super waves, eddy service...
• Rapid #6: "Devil's Toilet Bowl" Good washing machine hole but deep and good for refreshment (it's 40 degrees outside in october) !
• Rapid # 7: "Gulliver's Travel" the longest and most technical, some good surfing waves everywhere, and a hole/pourover at the bottom. At medium level and low water, avoid "the Gap", and "the Temple of Doom", two bad places to be in !
• Rapid #8: "Star Strek", big munchy hole with a great surfing wave on its left, fast, big, and very cool !

• Rapid #9: "Commercial Suicide", grade 5, amazing in July and December. The bottom hole especially !!!!!!! The rafts portage that one all the time, some of the kayakers run it...
• Rapid #11: the amazing barrel wave! Don't get too excited, the wave comes only twice a year for about a week and a half each time, end of june beginning of July and mid january, depending on the water levels. So if you want to have the ride of your life come during these periods. Rapid 11 is a grade 4 at low water, there isn' t much playing. It is run on the left to avoid a pretty huge hole that will keep you for a long beating. At high water the rapid is totally open from left to right with the barrel wave in the middle.

500 meters after some small rapids and nice waves we arrive on top of the 12a, 12b, 12c and 13 section. The rapids in this place are about 200 meters from each other, 200 meters of FAST flowing current. BE CAREFUL OF THIS SECTION AT HIGH WATER ! It become very fast, full of wirlhpools and it is quasi impossible to stop in case of a swim. So don't paddle alone...

• Rapid #12a: easy. No worry, no big hole.
• Rapid #12b: the famous surfing wave. It works from mid-august until mid-december. It is a big river wide wave, about 2 meters high, with some foamy and green sections. All the moves can be done: spins, blunts, carthweels and all the trophy moves of course. The wave as also a huge eddy service.
• Rapid #12c: nothing special, it doesn't really deserve its number.
• Rapid #13: "The Mother", huge wave train. the first, second and third are surfable and waiting for you ! Here again, no rocks, no hole to be worried about. It is straight down the center...

The narrow section following 13 is flat at low water, but becomes huge and full of monster wirlhpools at high water from about march til' june. Be careful ! Portage possible.

• Rapid #14: little rapid with an island in the middle. Avoid the middle channel in low water unless you want to scul some Zambezi water. At medium level, the middle become a real good playhole, called "the Wrestling Hole". No major worries, be careful of the wirlhpools at the bottom right of the rapid at high water.

Following 14 is the longest flat section of the day, about 1 km to rapid 15. A few playspots in between at high water.

• Rapid #15: wave train with a big hole called "the Washing Machine" at the bottom that you must avoid ! Usually right, but left is also an option ! At high water the hole disappears, 15 gets very easy...
• Rapid #16: small at low water but becomes the longest and biggest wave train you've ever seen at high water. It is called "The Terminator". No major danger at any level, just big water. Mind the wirlhpools at the bottom left at very high level, especially if you are swimming !
• Rapid #17: "Double Troubles" or "The Bitch", two holes very close to each other. It's better to avoid them at low water. They are runnable and even surfable at medium and high levels.
• Rapid #18: "Oblivion", by far the best rafting rapid in the world. It operates at low level from september to early december. It is a big crunchy hole where the rafts surf, flip, carthweel, loop... It presents absolutely no danger and is also great for kayakers ! Let you slip sideways in the middle for a free trashing... Just mind the rafts! Deb Pinniger was surfing number 18 when a raft dropped in. She went trough the upright raft in between the customers, dropped on the other side, stayed in the hole while the raft whashed out !

After 18 the river become smaller, lots of playing everywhere, just open your eyes, there are too many to describe...

How to get there

Fly to Lusaka, Zambia (expect to pay a 25 US $ visa at the airport). Take a taxi to the bus station, and jump in a bus to Livingstone (500 km, 10 US $). Any kind of buses available, they leave every hour. They'll take your boat no problem, putting it on the roof with the goats...

More info

In Livingstone, they are some good backpacker lodges for about 6 US$ a night, with swimming pool, squash courts... The best place to find information about the Zambezi is the website www.thezambezi.com. Accomodation, river descents, freestyle clinics, video footage ... everything can be arranged through them. The website has also some useful information about travelling in Africa. There are also more pictures, movies to help you make your decision.

Have also a look at Nico's website, DestinationZambia, which gives hints about the life in Zambia.

There is some nice video action on the Zambezi available on the market. 'Operation: Zulu', 'Wicked Liquid'(1 & 2) and 'Full Circle' for instance show some great footage of the rapids.

Info sources

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