The Batoka Rapids

White Water Rafting on the Zambezi River in Victoria Falls has been classified by the British Canoe Union as Grade 5 - "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.  Pick up a rapid-by-rapid account through the Batoka Gorge....

The Batoka rapids below Victoria Falls were run in a raft for the first time in March 1981 

• SafPar was one of the first commercial rafting operations in the early 90's and has established itself as the leading whitewater outfit in Zambia: first in safety, gear, river guides and back-up.
• The company also pioneered river-boarding on the Zambezi and is recognized as the top kayaking outfit on the Zambian shoreline at Victoria Falls. 
• The Zambezi Waterfront located 4km upstream of the falls is the official base from which we conduct our rafting, kayaking and riverboarding operations.

SafPar operates year round and can offer half and full day trips plus multi-day expeditions and a range of adventure combinations.

River conditions are determined by seasonally predictable fluctuations in water levels.  Low water season generally runs from August to January each year - this is when the Zambezi is at its very wildest.

We're in high water from about February to July with a short "closed season" around April/May depending on the season's rains.