Day 9.
Had an early start and 7 of us got picked up at 7am to do some white water rafting on the Zambezi river. After getting suited up in life jackets, wetsuit shirt, helmet and a paddle each, we made the decent down into the gorge. A 120 meter drop from top to bottom, and some of the stairs felt more like ladders than stairs. After walking along the gorge, we jumped in the rafts for a bit of a briefing, including the commands to paddle right, left, backpedal, and then got to jump in the cold water to make sure we could scramble back into the raft ok. I got put in the right front position, so had to make sure we kept cadence properly with the guide on the front left.

After we set off, we successfully made it through the first rapid without anyone going overboard, the raft on front of us wiped out though, so had to help out a few of them to get back in. They also had 5-6 safety guys in small canoes each to make sure no one got swept away. Managed a few more rapids ok, but was really surprised at the size of them. About 3 times harder than when I did whitewater rafting years ago on Queenstown.

We got to rapid #8, which had the option to go down the hard or easy way. They transferred the guys to one raft for the hard route, so had a new guide. We lasted about 2 seconds before the whole raft flipped and I ended under the raft. I was under the water for about 10 seconds but felt like an eternity! I finally bobbed up and after getting tossed about in the rapids and drinking too much river water, and got rescued by the one of the guys in the canoes. The next rapid was super hard, so everyone came ashore and walked around it. Was pretty scary, apparently an Aussie girl fell out of her life jacket and drowned there a couple of years ago. After a few more capsizes in the raft and people overboard, we made through 19 rapids over 26 kilometres in 3.5 hours.

Here's the 'crash/spill' reel from our trip down the Zambezi. I was in spills #2 & #3 (the guy wearing a baseball cap under the helmet).

http://youtu.be/9CrbdJXUrRM

After docking and coming ashore, we then had to walk back up the gorge. A 120 meter ascent up a rocky goat track in the hot sun. They had a chilly bin of cool drinks and chicken and salad for lunch, great way to finish. After a 30 minute drive to town, we met up with the rest of the group for a trip down to see Victoria falls. Spent 1.5 hours taking in the magnificent sights. The afternoon sun meant a lot of the photo's had a nice big rainbow. The track near the edge of the gorge had no fencing so you could get really close, and some great photo's, although I probably got a bit too close.



We met up again at 7:30pm for a buffet dinner at the camp restaurant. 22 of us now, with 6 people leaving tonight, and 6 people joined this morning. A father and daughter from Norway, a couple from San Francisco, and a young Canadian guy who has just spent the 3 months travelling to 24 countries after finishing uni. The buffet for dinner was $15, and was pretty good, with tasty sausages, roast chicken and crocodile kebabs.



Day 10.
Got up before dawn, packed up and walked down by myself to the Border post between Zimbabwe & Zambia at Victoria falls. Got my passport stamped at the Zimbabwe border post, and walked across the bridge over the Zambezi where they do all the bungee jumping, and got some good photo's of the gorge where we went white water rafting. Then walked down to the Zambia border and got a visa and my passport stamped, and caught a taxi for the 10k trip to the town of Livingstone.



Quite a bit bigger than the Victoria falls township. Spent a couple of hours walking around, taking photo's and bought a souvenir giraffe rock carving.

Breakfast at Shamba's.


On the go.


The Gardener.


Waiting to open.


Beneath the arches.


6. ZFC.


I then caught a taxi back to Victoria falls and back over the border to Zimbabwe. Got back to the campsite to get ready for the drove back to Botswana. While we were waiting, some big Baboons jumped the fence, managed to sneak up behind some others campers, and pinched a big loaf of bread. They then sat about 5 meters away happily munching on the bread.

We then headed off at 10am back to Botswana, and went through the Zimbabwe and Botswana immigration, and got my sixth stamp in my passport for the morning. After getting our shoes washed for foot and mouth, we drove onto Chobe, went shopping for supplies, then headed to the campsite. Had some ham, tomato and cheese sandwiches after setting up the tents, then headed out at 2:30pm for a river safari cruise.

The river separates the Botswana and Namibia, and has a few islands in the middle. Got to see Hippo's out of the water for the first time on the trip, lots more elephants, giraffes, crocodiles and lots of birds. Spent about 3 hours cruising around taking in the wildlife and got back just after sunset.

Some photo's from the cruise:

Fearless Yellow-billed Stork.


A Hippo and a couple of curious ducks.


Lazing in the grass.


Elephants on the horizon.


Swallow-tailed Bee-eater.


Marabou Stork.


Kudu's.


More Hippo's.


Grazing elephants.


African Sacred Ibis.


Buffalo.


And more Hippo's.


Elephants at dusk.


For dinner we had really nice fillet steak cooked over the campfire for dinner. Fortunately 3 vegetarians and 1 vegan on the trip now so plenty to go around.