Active Holiday in Zambia

Zambia’s village communities hold centuries of traditional wisdom to stop you in your tracks, but it’s Mother Nature’s ‘Smoke that Thunders’ (known as Victoria Falls to most) that steals the show as Zambia’s standout attraction. Thrilling safari activities play worthy supporting roles to Victoria Falls show-stopping spectacle.

Vic Falls is a spectacular marvel of nature and home to some of Zambia's best-loved activities

Zambia is home to what is arguably the best white water river on earth. From the start of your adventure beneath Victoria Falls, this is a trip with it all. Great fun, warm white water rapids, stunning beaches to camp on, Zambia is so much more than a natural wonder and a river. You’ll see incredible wildlife during your holiday, sometimes even from your hotel.

Combine rivers reflecting sunrise, crashing waterfalls and an animal populated wilderness, for an unforgettable active holiday in Zambia. To follow nature’s path on foot is an experience as special as the diverse landscape you’ll explore. You will be mesmerised by the slower pace of life that flows in line with the rise and fall of the great Zambezi River, and awestruck by the raging rapids of Victoria Falls.

White River Rafting

Batoka Gorge is considered to be one of the best stretches of commercially run river in the world and provides one of the most intense sensory thrills fathomable. It has twenty three whitewater rapids and striking scenery deep within the sheer black cliffs which afford the adrenaline junkie a wild roller-coaster ride along a route carved over millenia by the Great Zambezi.

The Zambezi River has some of the world's best white water, credit: Pure Africa Adventures

When the river is high, from March to July, only the last 13 rapids can be attempted. As the water subsides, from June to February, all 23 are navigable.

Abseiling

Expert tour operators ensure a safe and highly enjoyable experience for clients.

Try abseiling for a change of pace when you're on safari, credit: Sigo Adventures

On reaching the base of the gorge, you have the choice of walking out or being hauled back up. The walk up has been designed as an integral part of the day’s activities. A gentle slope with plenty of rest stops has been chosen. It is a pretty walk, especially when all the trees are in leaf during the wetter summer season from November to March.

Gorge Swinging

These activities are operated on a spectacular site above rapid number 7. You will freefall for about 50 metres before swinging out into the middle of the gorge. After several pendulum swings you will then be lowered to the ground where you can take a track back up to the top of the gorge. This can also be done as a tandem.

Gorge swings are not for the faint of heart, but the fun factor is unrivalled, credit: Travel Blog

If you want to try a change from the more traditional abseiling, then you can also try rap jumping, where you descend the rock face facing the ground and keep pushing off from the rock face as you head towards the bottom of the gorge.

River Boarding

For the more adventurous, it’s possible to experience river boarding on the great Zambezi. Armed with a body board a wetsuit, a life jacket, helmet and fins, you will embark on a river journey playing in the currents, charging the rapids and surfing some of the world’s biggest freshwater standing waves.

The most notable difference between river surfing and rafting is that you are entirely responsible for managing your own vessel on the river. Instructors teach and guide you, but in the end it’s you taking on the rapids.