No hiking necessary today! After (optional) yoga and (not optional) breakfast, we packed up camp and headed downriver from our campsite.
Everything from camp was packed onto a gear boat. The raft was loaded down, and it was a feat to ensure that it stayed upright through the rapids today.
Today was expected to be a long day (about 40k) with more flat sections and fewer rapids as we progressed downriver, with the walls of the gorge becoming less steep along the way. Even though it was supposed to be much more of a chill day compared to the previous two, I was still filled with anxious anticipation of what was ahead.
Rapids #22 (Morning Shave) to #25, Class 2/3
Easy runs to start the day. Rapid #23 (Morning Shower) is the last rapid on the “high water” one-day run.
When we first loaded into the raft this morning, I had to switch to the opposite side behind Kurt because Diego had his dry bag tied up on the right side where I had been sitting. I don’t do well with change, but I didn’t want to make a fuss either. So, I went through the first couple of rapids on the back left, but it was just too different for me to handle, especially since I was already on edge after how yesterday went. Thankfully, Diego quickly accommodated my request to move his gear to the left side so that I could go back to my original position on the right side. I had been staring at Angie’s paddle in the water the entire trip up to this point, and I needed everything to stay the same.
Starting the day on the “wrong” side of the boat
Rapid #24 presented the option to (voluntarily) hop out of the boat and float through the rapid’s wave train. Kurt and Angie swam through it (and, of course, Ralph from Sugar’s boat).
Closed Season
Previously not numbered but sometimes referred to as Rapid #26, this is relatively straightforward and has a beautiful campsite at the top of the rapid.
Open Season
Another Class Five rapid, a sloping shelf of rock spanning the Zambezi creates a huge drop. Massive hole on the left and shallow rocks on the right, as the river drops the line become tighter and tighter, sometimes at very low water “open season” could be the second portage of the trip.
We pulled over to the bank to allow the guides to get out and scout the rapid. But, either due to the water level or Diego’s expert line, this rapid didn’t seem too bad to us.
Narrows 1
A basalt chasm squeezes the Zambezi through 300m of narrow channel, the near vertical sides create very confused water, boils and whirlpools, no problem as long as you stay in the boat!
You can see here that the gorge has opened up some but the lower rock walls still make for a few tricky spots. Thankfully, we weren’t in danger of flipping but we did bounce off the rocks pretty hard!
Narrows 2
A slightly less narrow section of narrows gives us two long wave trains crashing between the basalt cliffs.
We stopped for a delicious lunch on the Zambian side of the river (hopefully lightening the load of the gear boat just a bit in the process!). It was our first time into Zambia, so we (unofficially) made use of our KAZA visas that we had to wait for several days ago!
Chimamba
At higher water levels, this grade five can be enormous, a tricky lead in to a second drop pushing towards a dangerous wall can cause problems. At low water levels, a few moves and a slide off the second drop is no problem.
Upper Moemba
The river splits into three channels as it approaches the even bigger Lower Moemba. Upper Moemba is usually navigated through the left channel, an incredibly steep Grade 5 drop almost as big as Rapid #5. At very low water levels, the middle channel can be run. Between the Upper and Lower Moembas are two incredibly beautiful beaches, one in Zambia and one in Zimbabwe.
The guides scouted Upper Moemba, the last big rapid of the entire trip. We had the option to take an “elegant exit” and walk around the rapid to our beach campsite (two people opted out). When Italo returned from scouting the rapid, I asked him how it looked. He assured me that it wasn’t bad. I questioned him further and asked if he was telling me the truth. He shook his head “no,” as he paddled away in his kayak. Even though I seriously considered getting out, I stuck with my team because we had come this far together. And, it had a happy ending, as the rapid was not as bad as I was expecting (Chimamba was worse, in my opinion). Sometimes “get down” feels a little bit like cheating.
Relieved to be done, I hugged my teammates and told them that I would be in a boat with them anytime. This was truly the “Zambezi Dream Team.”
We cruised right into our beautiful campsite on the beach between Upper and Lower Moemba (on the Zimbabwe side of the river). And, our belongings and camp supplies arrived intact, thanks to the expert maneuvering of the gear boat operator! He was the real MVP of the day.
After getting our tents set up and settling in, we walked over to get a birds eye view of Lower Moemba (which we would portage the next morning).
This was truly a spectacular setting to spend our last night on the river. The vibe was definitely more relaxed and celebratory now that we had all survived the mighty Zambezi! To top it off, our guides sang local songs for us before and after dinner. This was one of my favorite moments of the whole trip:
In the river
The mighty Zambezi
The rafters raft today
In Zimbabwe
I couldn’t have asked for a better way to wrap up the day.