Zambezi Whitewater Rafting & Open Bar Sunset Cruise

To start, we believe honesty is the best policy (for better or worse), especially with travel reviews. We are from Canada/United States, and we’ve traveled to 50+ countries and seven continents. We are middle class, though still have high expectations when we are spending significant money on international travel. I used to guide whitewater rafting and hunting in Montana, USA. I understand the pressure it takes to excel as a guide for tourists that pay significant amounts to travel. We read reviews online and chose Shockwave Victoria Falls. The guides did an incredibly job during the experience. They arrived at the hotel on time for pickup. They were friendly, fun, and polite. They efficiently drove us to the raft put in area. We had a great safety briefing. Much of the gear they use is NRS, which is the best gear in the world and comes from Idaho. The hike down into the canyon for the put in wasn’t bad at all. We took our time to ensure of safety for everyone. We did nearly two dozen large and small rapids. They briefed us on each rapid ahead of time. They had a camera guy on a kayak to get ahead of us. They had a GoPro in the boat for videos. They had a guide in a kayak to fish us out of the river should any of us go swimming. They let us swim rapids that were safe, and they also let us swim calm water areas. They knew where to swim and where not to swim cause of crocodiles. They also took videos from the edge of the river. The three guides really knew the river, rapids, and how to have fun but be safe. I’ve chased whitewater all over the world. The Zambezi was by far the most fun, but also the most dangerous of any whitewater I’ve ever chased. At the end of the experience, the hike out was beautiful. They had a team there to carry all our gear up the valley. They had a nice lunch prepared for us in the shade that was safe to eat. The conversation was excellent. The vehicle was right there for transportation back to town and our hotel. They worked incredibly hard to ensure of a safe yet fun journey. Overall, this experience was a 10/10. We always try to give suggestions/feedback for improvement. As a former whitewater guide, I really don’t have any suggestions. Best, Michael and Jules

We had such an amazing time!! The entire day was run like clock work. We had to contact them from our hotel reception as when I booked it our hotel wasn’t available for collection. However changing this wasn’t a problem. The bus arrived on time and after a quick transfer and safety chat we was on the rapids. We was blown away by how many people go into organising a days rafting!! Everybody was really nice. There was on our raft only 4 guest so 4 of the companies trainees joined us to fill the boat. It really was fantastic and this company being a local one deserves all the business they can get. The booze cruise which was also wonderful again. There are ample drinks available with some light snacks and plenty of wildlife to take in. We got the opportunity to see a huge group of hippos with their babies, crocodiles and a fabulous sunset! We then asked to be dropped in town so we could get dinner which again wasn’t a problem. Truly a very well run professional organisation. Would thoroughly recommend!!!

Wow! Whitewater rafting truly lives up to the hype!!! I was initially anxious to do it given the reviews about how dangerous of an experience it can be, but we thankfully had an amazing team that allowed us to be safe and still have the utmost fun! We received a pretty comprehensive set of safety instructions prior to beginning - various ways you can be saved, how to grab your fellow raftmate if they've gone overboard, how to swim if you can't catch onto the boat, etc. Our guide JB was also amazing at navigating the raft, coupled with the slightly larger/wider rafts that Shockwave uses, ensured that flipping over completely was minimized. The rapids - are absolute chaos but so much fun! Each one has a cool name and JB had some fun stories to tell about certain ones (I won't spoil any). My friend and I did fly out of the raft on #13 - aka the Mother (mother you know what more like), but were quickly assisted by our raftmates. All of the logistics were impeccable from top to bottom - in terms of how personal belongings would be kept safe, outfitting us with all the necessary equipment, lunch after the rafting and hike out of the canyon, transportation, etc. The lunch afterwards with the Zambezi beers absolutely hit the spot and shout out to the chef for the amazing stuff he cooked up. Finally, the photographer/videographer who has to kayak alongside us, ahead of us to grab our photos/videos, and then catch up to us afterwards - deserves massive kudos! I think his name was Tambo...mad props for all the work he did. The photos and videos - although steep in price - are more than worth it and captured some lasting memories. Thanks to the Shockwave team for the best experience!

My husband and I had an awesome experience white water rafting with the Shockwaves crew (shout out to JB, Silent and Tambu). The energy levels from the team were high, (plenty of laughs) with a focus on fun and safety. The rapids, swimming and rock jumping was great followed by a delicious lunch after. We also loved the drive in to the gorge through the local village. The night before we enjoyed cruising down the Zambezi spotting crocs and hippos, and an amazing sunset with plenty of refreshments and an awesome crew (shoutout to Precious). Highly recommend.

It was an out of this world Experience, the guides were just all smiles caring and very guiding, learned what team work means, it was all 5s till the end......Over and above i recommend 1billion%👌👌👌❤️❤️❤️🚣‍♂️🚣‍♂️🚣‍♂️🚣‍♂️

Very friendful guys. Was enjoying the nature, views and not hurry to the end of the trip. It was wonderful day! Recommend!

It was the best experience I have had in a long time, the crew, the snacks, the experience it was awesome I loved it

Tabs, BJ and crew gave us the most spectacular ride down the night Zambezi River. We felt completely safe and knew that they were ready for anything. From the difficult walk down the canyon to the lovely hot lunch when we were finished, they are absolutely the best in Victoria Falls.