Menu
Shearwater Canoe Safaris

Back to the listing of all Shearwater Canoe Safaris

Make an enquiry

PRE-DEPARTURE INFORMATION
The Zambezi Classic Short Canoe Safari
Lower Zambezi - Zimbabwe
Participatory Camping Safari

Summary

• 8 days/7 nights Departs - Mon/Tue/Thu (Apr - Nov)
• Combine the wild experience of the Zambezi flood plain with the secluded Mupata Gorge and you have a wildlife adventure deep into rarely chartered territory.
• Price: Low Season US$650 High Season US$750

Scroll down for full details on the Zambezi Classic Short Canoe Safari

Please be sure to read our general notes on the Full Participation Canoe Safaris

A typical routine on the Zambezi Classic Short Canoe Safari

Your briefing will be held at Kariba Breezes Hotel at 18h15 at the lower pool terrace on the evening before your trip departs. After the briefing you will be asked to sign an indemnity form. Shearwater will collect you for the briefing and return you to your hotel afterwards.

For clients on combination safaris where the Matusadona walking safari is done first, the night at a hotel in Kariba is omitted and there is no pre-departure briefing - we arrange the early morning transfer into Kariba so as to allow one more night in the bush.

Please note that you will be required to pay Z$75 to National Parks on the day of departure - this is not included in the safari rate and is subject to change without notice.

DAY ONE (18km)

• Shearwater will collect you from your hotel the morning of your safari in time for a check in at the Shearwater Office at 08h00 to hand in extra luggage and valuables. Please do not take your passport on the river with you!
• Your safari will depart from Kariba Breezes at approximately 08h30.
• Your group will be transferred by open Land Cruiser to Chirundu, arriving at approximately 11h30. The canoes and kit will be unloaded.
• A safety talk and a demonstration of how to paddle a canoe will be given to your group.
• A packed lunch will be provided and canoeing will commence at 12h30.
• Your group then paddles until about 17h00 when you set up camp on an island, Kakomomarara, in the middle of the river. There is time to bathe, relax and have dinner after a brief safety talk for camping.

DAY TWO (27km)

• Your group will be woken at 05h30 for tea, coffee and biscuits before paddling from 06h00 to 08h00 when there will be a stop for breakfast.
• At approximately 09h30, the group will resume their canoeing until the lunch stop at 12h30 and siesta until 15h00.
• Canoeing continues until about 17h00 when the second night stop is made at Lone Acacia island.

DAY THREE ( 23km)

• Your program is as per day two, with the night stop being made at Trichelia Island.

DAY FOUR (16km)

• The group wakes at 05h30 for tea, coffee and biscuits before paddling to Mana Pools Main Camp for breakfast between 07h30 and 09h00 and fresh supplies will be re-stocked.
• Your group will paddle until lunch between 12h00 and 15h00 with time for a siesta afterwards.
• Canoeing resumes until about 17h00 when the sixth night stop is made at Nyamatusi

DAY FIVE (20km)

• The group wakes up at 06h30 for tea, coffee and biscuits before paddling for about an hour to the breakfast spot.
• After breakfast between 08h30 and 10h30 you paddle until 12h30 where a long lunch break is taken until 15h00.
• The group paddles to G Camp Channels where the night stop is made.

DAY SIX (25km)

• The group wakes at 05h30 for tea, coffee and biscuits. The group then paddles from 06h00 to 08h30 when a stop is made for breakfast.
• At approximately 10h00 paddling begins until around noon when the lunch spot is reached.
• After a siesta the group begins paddling again (15h00) until the night spot is reached in the Mupata Gorge.

DAY SEVEN (25km)

• The program is the same as day eight with the night stop being made at Redcliffs.

DAY EIGHT (10km)

• Your group wakes up at 05h30 with tea, coffee and biscuits after which they paddle to Kanyemba.
• Breakfast finishes at 09h00 followed by packing up and the trip back to Kariba. Lunch is had en route. Be prepared for a long, dusty and bumpy drive back to Kariba - no pleasure without some pain;-).
• Approximate arrival time in Kariba is 16h00. We recommend a night stop in one of the better hotels in Kariba - we don't suggest an immediate continuation onto a local safari or airlink to Harare or Victoria Falls after returning from Kanyemba.

What to bring on your canoe safari

1. Please keep your luggage to a maximum of 10kg per person, packed in a soft bag, not a suitcase.
2. We recommend you pack the following for your safari:
   • Swimming Costume Shorts Shirts (including one with long sleeves for sun protection)
   • Canvas shoes or rafting sandals
   • A hat with a wide brim
   • A jacket or cardigan for the evenings
   • A kikoi or length of cloth to cover your legs to protect them from the sun
   • Personal toiletries and towel
   • A torch/flashlight and extra batteries. Film and spare camera batteries. Binoculars
   • Sunscreen
   • Insect repellant
   • Socks for winter nights
   • Warm clothes to sleep in for winter nights
3. Shearwater provides all camping equipment and food as well as cordials, and wine for dinner. Should you wish to take any hard liquor, beer or carbonated drinks, we will take you to a shop in Kariba to purchase these before the trip departs. Dome tents are available on request.
4. Please ensure that you have begun a course of anti malaria tablets before your arrival in Zimbabwe and that you continue with the medication for four weeks after arriving home.
5. Please ensure that you advise us of any dietary preferences or requirements at least a week before your trip departs. Please ensure you advise us of any medical disorders which may require special attention.
6. Go to the Information Desk for additional general information or our guidelines for planning a safari.

Please feel free to contact us for any clarification or additional info.

Zambezi Canoe Safari menu | Shearwater Canoe Safaris | BACK to the Listing | Make an enquiry     [...additional canoeing pages...]

www.zambezi.com Home | The Scenic Route | The Quick Tour