Zambezi Canoe Safari

Fantastic experience, the best way to see wildlife and great way to relax.

We canoed down the Lower Zambezi river a party of 8 with two guides Cuthbert & Ahmed - what a fantastic experience watching Hippos, crocodiles, elephants, buffalo, to name but a few of the animals we were able to see. Both Cuthbert & Ahmed had so much knowledge and experience and could answer all our questions about the animals and the area and knew how to keep us safe.

Since coming back from this trip, I am finding it extremely difficult to put into words just how amazing it really was, so writing a review is going to be even harder. The wildlife is exceptional and not in short supply. The scenery both in the day and in the night is just phenomenal. And finally the whole experience is once in a lifetime!

The trip was totally amazing - I enjoyed every moment. Although, I have never done either camping or canoeing, I really loved both.        

Saw so many hippo, crocs, elephants and a few buffalo in the 10 days! Hard paddling, especially the 1st day, but wonderful animals and scenery make it all so worthwhile!

Best. Holiday. Ever. I cannot recommend enough. CB is bloody amazing as a leader and guide. He's one guide I will always remember - most guides on adventure holidays are great but instantly forgettable. But his humour and patience meant I felt like he was a friend! Great knowledge and communication skills. A really well organised trip. Group size perfect too. Tents and mattresses perfect. Plenty of water and fruit. We were pleased that upon arrival we didn't hop directly in the canoes - we stayed at the mainland campsite (sunrise! Honking hippos!). This was fab because there is a shower block there and you are hot and dusty from the transfer/flight. The canoeing is awesome. The campsites were perfect. The food brilliant (I'm veggie). But the animals! My god! So many incredible experiences. I don't know if we struck lucky but every day got more amazing than the last. It's so much better to see animals from a canoe than from a Dusty 4x4. Lastly- the group were brilliant!! Tips: We got a kaza visa online, no drama - but you only need this is you are travelling after to Zimbabwe. You need a sticker in your passport not just a stamp! (Our first mistake). By the way, Livingstone is well worth a visit and CB organised a local bus for us. You need minimum kit - we washed in the river every day. As suggested, carry your canoe stuff ready to go in hand luggage. Bring a red light torch (for bugs) gloves (just in case) and definitely binoculars (We were so stupid!) And a zoom lens. And a bottle of rum?! We took a 10 litre dry bag each for clothes and another for the sleeping bag and then shared a camera bag.

This trip was a truly wonderful experience, canoeing on the Zambezi and camping out under the Milky Way on sandy islands in the middle of the river. We saw very few people and it almost seemed like we had the mighty river to ourselves - only sharing it with hippos, crocodiles, elephants and birds. Paddling downstream with the current the route varied between wide stretches of river and between reed beds on narrower channels, which enabled us to get close to the wildlife. A great group, great guides and a fantastic trip.

This was definitely a trip to get me out of my comfort zone (wild camping and kayaks instead of hotels and minibuses) and certainly did not disappoint. The fact you get so close to the wildlife far outweighed the fact you are wild camping (which I though I would struggle with). The sense of achievement at the end of the week was overwhelming, having travelled such a long distance in a kayak. The safari element far exceeded anything you would imagine and felt far more real than if you were in the back of a safari jeep (which I have done in South Africa). Animals spotted included elephants, hippos, lions, warthogs, buffalo, impala, zebra, baboons (and other monkeys), fish eagle, kingfisher and lots of others too much to mention. The group I was with was amazing and everyone got on so well and helped each other. The food was good throughout the week and we even had a celebratory BBQ on the last night. All in all I can safely say if I can do this holiday (and enjoy it) then anyone can!

A great travel experience

This is the one for you if you're happy to rough it, leave the comfort zone, sleep in tents for seven nights on the trot, go without much booze, but gulp down the thrill of knowing you're transported yourself along a gentle giant of a river and gazed at game from a breathtakingly short distance.