Safpar Rafting Company
Safpar Rafting Company
5
River Rafting & TubingAdrenaline & Extreme Tours
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
Safpar has been rafting the Mighty Zambezi since 1988! The passion, experience, and culture of our rafting team is second to none. Safpar has a 100% guide certification with the International Rafting Federation. All guides are trained professionals and hold advanced first aid certificates. Safpar offers the opportunity to raft the entire river on our day trips, as well as epic overnight and multi-day trips. We say NO to expensive memories! Safpar are the only company on the Zambezi to provide a FREE photo and video package of your day on the mighty Zambezi! Offering what is arguably the finest one day trip on the planet, the Batoka Gorge provides one of the most intense sensory thrills imaginable. Its 25 white-water rapids and striking scenery deep within the sheer black cliffs afford the adrenaline junkie a wild roller-coaster adventure of a lifetime, we are world-class experts who do things very differently to the "run of the mill" with 30 years of experience, join us and see why.
Livingstone, Zambia

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles946 reviews
Excellent
878
Very good
59
Average
6
Poor
3
Terrible
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Will O
London11 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2020
Just came back from an amazing few days of whitewater kayaking on the Zambezi with Safpar. They not only arranged some great days on the river in some of the world's best rapids but also went beyond the call of duty in arranging our pre departure Covid tests and a video of our trip. Great team of local and international staff, couldn't recommend them highly enough. We'll be back next year!!
Written November 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear willo187, Great to hear from you and thank you for joining us on the Zambezi River for your kayaking trip. We do indeed live in difficult and trying times and we are all thrilled to know that you found our Covid responsiveness to be effective. Thank you for your support and for joining us on this incredible river. Safpar have been running accredited, fully insured and licensed kayak trips on this section of the Zambezi River for the past seven years. What started off as having trips alongside our infamous rafting adventures has grown into a bespoke kayaking service unmatched in the region. Take care on your travels and we look forward to welcoming you back soon, The Safpar team.
Written November 19, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Moritz W
Cologne, Germany6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Family
Amazing experience with very kind and friendly staff. The rafting was so much fun and i really recommend it to everybody who is here and is looking for an unforgettable adventure. Also you receive a very professional video and fotos at the end which is a nice was to remember it.
Written January 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear moritzw454, Thank you for rafting the Zambezi River with Safari-par-Excellence and our white water team, we are all thrilled to know you had a fantastic and unforgettable time with us and we appreciate your recommendation. We are very proud of our in-house trained guide team and what they accomplish on a daily basis with their adventure loving guests. All of our guides are International Rafting Federation licensed grade-V guides and we spend a great deal of time de-briefing and training scenarios. Every trip we have is accompanied by one of our in-house trained camera guides, who kayaks with the trip taking video and pictures which are provided on a complimentary basis to all of the guests who raft with us. Please share your bespoke media package widely #safpar #safparzambia Take care on your travels and we look forward to welcoming you back soon. SAFPAR.
Written January 9, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Nicolae L
8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2024 • Family
If your looking for a thrilling adrenaline rush while visiting the Victoria Falls the white water rafting with Safpar is an amazing experience. Every rapid is its own story and carries a different personality that is sure to make ur heart skip a beat. Our captain Emmanuel made the adventure worth while and ensured our safety whilst still making the experience memorable. For those of us who grew tired after some intense paddling Roger our paddle guide was our V8 engine and kept us going! This experience was truly incredible and id recommend it to every person young or old who is visiting livingstone!
Written August 24, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Nicola, We are all pleased to hear that you and the family enjoyed your rafting trip with Emmanuel and the Safpar Team. Thank you for taking the time to write a review, the Zambezi is a challenging river to raft, and also can be physically challenging. We have no upper age limit but the lower age limit is 15 years. We hope to see you back in Livingstone for another adventure. Warm regards The Safpar Team
Written September 10, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Chloe S
4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Couples
Such an exhilarating experience, a real adrenaline rush, not for the faint hearted. The rapids felt like they were huge (in January), many of them were grade 5 which is the highest that can be done on a commercial tour. However, I felt in safe hands with our captain Emmanuel who gave clear instructions and navigated expert lines so that our boat didn't flip. When the other boat in our tour did flip, it was great to see how expertly all the members of the team were helped back to safety including the crew in the safety kyaks. All members of the crew were friendly, chatty, welcoming but also took their roles seriously. Food afterwards was great. Definitely recommend to anyone who is after a thrill.
Written January 10, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Chloe, We are all very pleased to hear you enjoyed your rafting experience with Emmanuel and the team. We are also pleased you felt safe and in control. Rafts do sometimes flip over on the Zambezi, it is important that the flip situation is controlled quickly and safely. Thank you for taking the time to review you rafting trip. We hope to see you back in Livingstone for another adventure. Warm regards, Emmanuel and the Safpar team.
Written February 28, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Andy L
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2021 • Family
A multiday kayak trip to the proposed new dam site was indescribably exhilarating and beautiful. Professional, friendly and thoroughly supportive crew made the whole trip from start to finish an absolute pleasure. Thank you to Amorit, Emanuel, Sticky, Sven, the porters and drivers. The entire SAFPAR team were faultless.
Written December 17, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Andy, All of us at Safpar are very pleased to hear you enjoyed your overnight kayaking adventure down to the dam site. An overnight trip allows paddlers to see the lower section of the Batoka gorge, well worth an extra day. Thank you for taking the time to review your experience with the Safpar team, we hope to see you next season for another visit. Warm regards Amioty, Emma, Sticki and the team.
Written January 15, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

jeremyniven
Denver, CO3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
Highly recommend this rafting trip. It’s pretty intense for sure, but they had plenty of safety kayakers in the event that you swim, which we did! I’ve done a pretty good amount of rafting and I’ve never seen anything that comes close to this river. If you’re in the area this trip is a must!
Written February 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Jeremyniven5, Thank you for taking the time to do a Tripadvisor review of your experience with Safpar on the mighty Zambezi River. We are all thrilled to hear you had a great time and appreciate the recommendation. I will be sure to pass on your regards and compliments to our team of white water gurus. The Zambezi River offers what is arguably the finest one day white water rafting trip on the planet. With big crashing rapids and warm water in one of the last isolated wildernesses, it is not to be missed. We are extremely proud of our in-house trained team. We are a close knit river family and we have been integral in building our community around this exceptional river for the past thirty years. Thank you for your support and we look forward to hosting you again soon, SAFPAR.
Written February 15, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

TORIBERRY
16 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Couples
저희가 갔을 때에는 비수기이고 비 예보가 있어서인지 저희 일행 두 명 뿐이었습니다. 래프팅이 처음인 데다가 두명이서 하려니 조금 두려웠는데 가이드분들이 유쾌한 분위기를 만들어 주셔서 너무 재미있게 즐기고 왔습니다! 다른 분들의 후기에 물살이 세다는 말이 많아서 다치지는 않을지 걱정이었는데 저희 둘을 위해 거의 열 명쯤 되는 가이드와 카약을 탄 분들이 계셔서 굉장히 안전하다는 느낌이 들었습니다. 중간중간 내려서 수영도 했는데 래프팅도 래프팅이지만 수영도 짜릿한 경험이었습니다:) 중간에 내려서 먹은 간식도 맛있었고 래프팅이 끝난 뒤 먹은 점심도 맛있었습니다! 제공되는 사진과 비디오도 굉장히 고퀄이라 만족스러웠어요. 사진 찍으시는 분이 미리 가서 자리를 잡아두시는데 좋은 자리를 잘 알고 계신 것 같습니다.ㅎㅎ 가이드분들이 모두 친절하시고 잘 알려 주셔서 좋았습니다! High season이라 더 오래 즐기지 못한 것이 아쉽네요.

Thanks to you all, Kay J, Babyface, Emmanuel, Stanford! We had a great experience:)
-From team K Song Choi
Written February 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear TORIBERRY, Thank you for rafting with Kay-J, Emmanuel, Babyface, Stanford and the Safpar team. We are all happy to hear that team K Song Choi had an excellent time with us on this incredible river. We are pleased to hear you enjoyed your complimentary video and picture package, this is provided gratis on all of our tips and we are extremely proud of the professionalism of our river camera crew. Please be sure to share widely #safpar #safparzambia. We look forward to welcoming you all back on the Zambezi soon, travel safely, SAFPAR
Written February 17, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Gus
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023 • Friends
Amazing experience! Boyd and the group were a blast to spend the day with. The rafting was the highlight of our trip in Zambia. We’re already planning on returning for a longer rafting trip next year! Thank you Boyd, Julius, Sticky, and Dexter, we had a great time
Written March 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Gustaver, We are all very pleased to hear you enjoyed your rafting trip with Boyd and the team. Please get in touch with us and we can give you details of our overnight and 3 1/2 day rafting trips. Thank you for taking the time to write a review of your experience, see you next year. Warm regards, Boyd and the Safpar team.
Written April 13, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Mimi M
74 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2019 • Solo
Wasn’t sure what I was going to do my 1st day in Livingston.. went to the Safpar office and chose white water rafting! BEST thing I ever did! The Zambezi is rated 4th in the world for white water rafting and is not for the faint at heart! It is mostly class 5 rapids... They’re are 21 rapids in all on the 1/2 day trip..
We flipped our raft 3 times and each rapid was different!! If you love the total thrill of not knowing what’s next then this is for you!! I thought I wasn’t coming up on rapid 6 (I’m still here)😂.. Rapid 8 we flipped again and it shot us out like a gun.. I lost my shoe and my shorts!!😂😂
Rapid 18 was a great flip of the raft also!! Loved the thrill and never ending excitement!! Guides were AWESOME at Safpar! Loved Henry! He was funny and a great guide! Only one setback I can think of is you have to climb up the gorge at the end! It was tough! I would do it all again and it was worth every penny!!
Written September 28, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear 165mimim, Thank you for rafting the Zambezi River with Safpar, we are all thrilled to hear you had an awesome time with Henry and our whitewater team. It was an absolute pleasure to host you and w hope you return again soon. The section of river we raft is located in the steep-sided Batoka gorge and in order to enjoy this grade-V river it is necessary to hike in and out of the gorge. One of our biggest challenges is ensuring that guests are aware of the hike as good footwear is essential. Trainers are perfect. While you don't need to be an extreme athlete for these hikes, they take the average guest 20-25 minutes, in the heat they can be challenging. Our guide team is on hand to assist you and we have plenty of water available. Being able to do these hikes is an indication of the fitness levels required to enjoy rafting this class-V river. Take care on your travels, SAFPAR
Written September 30, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

nik0lask
Munich, Germany94 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2012 • Couples
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!
Written September 26, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Nikolas, Thank you taking the time to share your experiences with others on Trip Advisor. We are sorry that you experienced a shoulder dislocation while in the Batoka Gorge with us and we appreciate you sharing your opinions on our procedures. We have an extensive de-brief regarding every evacuation and use it extensively in our training procedures. The Batoka Gorge rafting section is a class V rafting section and unfortunately, accidents can, very rarely, happen. We have over 25 years experience taking guests into the Batoka Gorge and do our best to ensure that risks are mitigated as much as possible and guests have the opportunity to experience the greatest one-day white water rafting on the planet. Our guides are International Rafting Federation Accredited to class V and have extensive experience on the Zambezi and rivers worldwide. They are all experienced outdoorsmen and woman and have extensive expedition experience. We are fortunate that due to the proximity of the Victoria Falls there are helicopter companies that are able to respond to “life-threatening” injuries and we make use of this under a specialized paramedic evacuation company. Evacuation from the Batoka Gorge is covered by Safpar and a guest own travel insurance takes over once the guest is at a health facility. We carry “Immersat” satellite phones for communication. On "non-life threatening” injuries we have evacuation procedures at set points in the Batoka Gorge. We wish you all the best for the future. Yours Sincerely, The Safpar team.
Written August 28, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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