We went rafting with Safpar in early August. Unfortunately, I had an accident on the river, dislocating my arm in a powerful rapid. The reasons why this happened and the way they handled it showed many shortcomings in their processes, but at the same time they also did some things well ansd professionally.
WHAT DIDN'T GO WELL
- I told the guide I had dislocated one arm 11 years ago. He said it was no problem and later put me in front of the raft due to my long legs. What I only realized later is that the front is the spot where the rapids' force hits you the most. Had I sat in the back or middle probably nothing would have happened. He should also have briefed me that holding onto the safety line can lead to a dislocation and that hence I should rather avoid tackling the most powerful rapids.
- They were literally taking everybody onto the trip. There was a 70+ year old man with a polio leg that couldn't even make it down to the gorge walking and a very obese girl that also had extreme difficulties making it to the drop-in point, resulting in everybody else waiting for over an hour until she arrived. The polio man gave up and returned. It's only halfway Safpars fault though, as the hotels and hostels book the people on the trips and don't screen them properly as all they think of is their commission - and then Safpar has a hard time turning individuals away, especially if they are part of a group. Rafting the Zambezi is not a walk in the park, it's a dangerous activity that requires a certain minimum fitness.
- The first rapid we tackled apparently was the roughest of all. It was clear that the raft would topple over when going through its middle - with most people being unexperienced rafters, they should have made everyone use the calmer (but still thrilling) way on the less extreme side of the river. Instead, the people in the rafts were allowed to choose, leading many to underestimate the force and wanting to be "man enough" to take the hard way through the middle. This would have been more appropriate after having tackled a few rapids together - there are enough difficult ones coming up further downstream.
- I agree with another poster here that the local guides are "too tough". Most of these guys certainly had a rough upbringing, which makes them tough men, but unfortunately with little empathy for the needs and physical limits of Western clients. I was severely injured, with my arm dangling out of its socket and of course in massive pain and still some considered making me raft until the end - in order not to have to call a chopper and be able to continue fast. This would have been incredibly painful and highly dangerous as I was unable to swim and needed fast medical attention.
- It took ages to contact the paramedics. First their phones and sat phone din't work in the gorge, and when they finally got ahold of someone it turned out that no doctor was available as it was a national holiday. In the end, it took the chopper and a paramedic over two hours to arrive! I'm glad I had no life-threatening condition.
WHAT WENT WELL
+ Good rafts and decent equipment
+ Modern facilities in their HQ
+ The safety kayaks worked very well, an English guy managed to pull me out of the water before hitting the next rapid. May have saved my life.
+ They had some painkillers and medical equipment on them, as well as a satellite phone
+ Safpar paid for the chopper to get me and my wife out
+ Safpar gave us a full refund and all ground staff was very professional and friendly
SUMMARY
Accidents can happen and in general, this is a good operator - if they learn from what happened and improve their safety standards accordingly, Safpar definitely is very recommended. Go and get your own impression!