I was thinking of doing one as an add on to a hunt or maybe just as a stand alone. Who has done one? Impressions? Recommendations?

only the idiots

Come on Bill, hippos need a snack now and then too!

In a canoe? Ya, bad idea!!!

Yup, quite a few years ago. From Mana Pools down to the Border of Mozambique (or close). Great trip. Fantastic for watching birds and various mammals along the way, dodging the hippos, breakfasting while watching lions on a kill, falling asleep to the sound of a leopard "sawing wood" at night.

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat!

- mike

Yep, the wife and I did one. Four hours from someplace up the Zambezi back down to Vic Falls. Saw LOTS of hippos.

Doug Carlisle does them. He is a great PH and guide. His area is now Dande, look him op on Doug Carlisle safaris. He was taking a family down the Zambezi a few years back when a huge croc pulled one of the teenage girls out of the canoe and she was never recovered. It is to risky for me and I love to hunt ele and buffalo. Only your guide can have a rifle and often its not much use.

Ian Nyschens did it. Read "Months of the Sun." If you do it, write a book.

Bigbore,
A canoe trip between Chirundu and Mana still has to be 5 of the finest days I can remember. Would be happy to send you pic's.

I'm one of those idiots. Would love to pick up where I left off (east into Manna Pools and Zambezi Nat Park area) but those Crocodiles down there are a little bit of a worry.

quote:

Originally posted by BigBoreCore:
I was thinking of doing one as an add on to a hunt or maybe just as a stand alone. Who has done one? Impressions? Recommendations?

Yes Ivan Carter took one and spent five days diving in a croc, and Hippo infested river,trying to find his double rifle, while trackers stood on the bank with rifles to keep the Crocs off him! All after a hippo only took exception to the canoe in his part of the river.

I love canoes, and safari hunting, but IMO the two do not mix well!

...........................................

The way I remember hearing it was a croc bumped the canoe knocking one of the two girls out of the canoes. She apparently came up once and that was it. Parks supposedly went into Mana & killed some bigs croc but who knows whether it/they were the right one/ones.

Then Doug took the parents Jack and Carol and their remaining daughter back to Mana for another canoe trip the next year.

If someone can explain the point of offering up their remaining daughter (I forget her name) as croc bait, free free to tell me.

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
The way I remember hearing it was a croc bumped the canoe knocking one of the two girls out of the canoes. She apparently came up once and that was it. Parks supposedly went into Mana & killed some bigs croc but who knows whether it/they were the right one/ones.

Then Doug took the parents Jack and Carol and their remaining daughter back to Mana for another canoe trip the next year.

If someone can explain the point of offering up their remaining daughter (I forget her name) as croc bait, free free to tell me.

Will they were trying for a second Darwin award!

............................

Thanks for the honesty of your opinions. It appears hippos and crocs are the main concern. I know Buzz tried one and the canoe safari didn't last as long as the safety briefing. Within ten minutes of starting two out of three canoes had been destroyed by a hippo. Buzz told me he felt the stiff whiskers of the hippo glide across his leg as he made his escape. Sounds like fun. If I go I will take an extra large hippo/croc killing knife and plenty of tequila.

Mike - even with three canoes, you could still find yourself short-handed.

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
The way I remember hearing it was a croc bumped the canoe knocking one of the two girls out of the canoes. She apparently came up once and that was it. Parks supposedly went into Mana & killed some bigs croc but who knows whether it/they were the right one/ones.

Then Doug took the parents Jack and Carol and their remaining daughter back to Mana for another canoe trip the next year.

If someone can explain the point of offering up their remaining daughter (I forget her name) as croc bait, free free to tell me.

If Will has this story correctly I would like to beat all
$#%& out of those parents for subjecting their second
daughter to such a terror trip! I mean really, are they
out of their collective %#@&+NG MINDS !!!!???? They
%#@&ing tempted fate the first time and lost more than
a normal mind can bear to ponder.

I have fished on the river and have seen the kayaks ans canoes come buy. The locals I was fishing with say they would never do that type of trip. Too many crocs and hippos.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
I have fished on the river and have seen the kayaks ans canoes come buy. The locals I was fishing with say they would never do that type of trip. Too many crocs and hippos.

I too have seen the parade of Kayak/canoes on the Zambezi, and I just shook my head. Kind of the point to me. Its not about being scared or not, its about being smarter than that! Likely nothing would happen, but if it does....

MsAZWriter did it some years ago, but in a raft, not a canoe.

Then again, she spent three months riding her bike all over South America with a female friend, climbed a 16,000 foot mountain in April in AK (where the temp never got above -30), and thinks nothing of climbing from the South to the North rim of the Grand Canyon in the summer - in one day.

I have spent way too much time on the river to even consider the trip. I hope you will not take the chance.

From what I am told those plastic yellow kayaks are a big target. We had quite a few pass us while fishing up river from Vic Falls. There are apparently a lot of incidents that are not widely reported according to the guy I was fishing with. Not good for business.

There is no chance I would do it after this fishing trip.

Well, as I said above, the wife and I did a four hour canoe trip starting upriver from Vic Falls. It didn't work out the way I had planned; neither did the slab of bacon in her backpack while I was hunting. Oh well.

The booze cruse is way more fun!

quote:

neither did the slab of bacon in her backpack while I was hunting

I vote Booze Cruise outta Vic....

Mike

A canoe trip is with out doubt one of the most beautiful ways of experiencing the Zambezi- however as you know its not for the faint hearted!

I for one will certainly never do the Mana stretch again! You also need to ask why alot of the top guides the likes of John Stevens will no longer canoe.

In the early days there were not many hippos in the Mana stretch however the numbers have reached levels where if any of our Parks People had the balls they would cull them- however since that has not happened there are so many pods of hippos and displaced bulls that it is just a matter of time before we hear of another fatality.

Bill regarding Dougs horrific incident with the croc- I think in respect to the wonderful family involved who I have shared camp with a few times- the point needs to be cleared up that thier return trip was not in a canoe but in a very secure hippo/croc proof boat. It was there way of dealing with such a terrible incident. They have since been back a few times to Zim and a nicer and closer family you will not find.

Mike rather put the extra cash towards another tuskless- it certainly is a lot safer!! Cheers Buzz

Ok Buzz, I will compromise. Another tuskless with a little Zambezi tiger fishing on the side in a hippo/croc proof boat!

Is everybody happy now?!

I know Will is never happy, but how about everybody else?

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
only the idiots

This is on par with your comment on another thread making light of a guides recent death by elephant. I will admit that you are a pretty decent wallet salesman, but when it comes to making friends and influencing people....not so much.

Some day I'll tell you that I don't care.

You guys go ahead and get on Will's case, if someone is not cussing him he thinks we don't like him!

There are only two reasons he disagrees with anyone here, #1 he believes what he says, and #2 He's usually right! Damn I can't believe I just wrote that!

................................

quote:

The way I remember hearing it was a croc bumped the canoe knocking one of the two girls out of the canoes. She apparently came up once and that was it.

It happened in 2003. From what I heard in Zim, the croc snatched the 16 year-old Spokane girl from the canoe near Mana Pools. Then the croc surfaced briefly with the girl in his jaws and the last sight of her was the look of terror on her face as they went down. They did recover the body.

What a nightmare for the family.

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
Some day I'll tell you that I don't care.

Sublime arrogance. What a bore.

quote:

Originally posted by jetdrvr:

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
Some day I'll tell you that I don't care.

Sublime arrogance. What a bore.

I kinda disapointed in your guys for taking shots at Will for being heartless.

You should be making fun of Karamojo Will for being too much of a sissy to canoe down the river for fear of hippos and crocs.

After all, he has built an image of himself as the fearless(sleeveless?) white hunter here on AR.

I did a canoe safari from the Chirundu(I think thta's right?) bridge down to Mana Pools in 2000 or thereabouts - the short story is that one of our 3 canoes was trashed by a hippo just outside Mana and its tusk went through the foot of one of my fellow travellers.
The Canoe Guide - Norman, froze and was unable to deal with the fast unfolding events. I took control, and asked for his first aid kit, which we were assured was top notch before we set off.
I asked where it was, and he replied "Kariba."
I had some military field dressings in my bergan, and sorted the bleeding out. It wasn't immediately life threatening, but definately needed sorting asap.
I learned valuable lessons.
African wildlife will kill you, even if you're having fun on holiday.
You take responsibility for your safety at the end of the day.
Some people don't do well in a crisis.
Medevac insurance is cheap.
Big military dressings will work on a grazed knee as well as arterial bleeding. It's not vice versa with a Band Aid or lots of the stuff in 'Travel First Aid Kits.'
You are on equal footing on land, behind a rifle, with most things. Unless you've got depth charges, you can't do anything about a hippo underneath you.
The locals thought we were nuts to do a canoe safari.

this is one of the most interesting threads I have ever read on this forum. It is amazing to me the amount of firsthand experience that has been the voice of caution, and still those who want to go act as though they know better. I guess it can never happen to you.

I've hunted hippo/croc and done a tiger fishing trip on the Zambesi. I also like canoeing as it is a great way to see the flora and fauna in avery relaxed way leaving a small footprint. BUT I just can't immagine doing it on the Zambesi. I love the river and the Mopata Gorge is on par with Ngorongoro Crater in my opinion but it really is chock block full of ill tempered hippos and maneating crocs.

Buzz made a comment about a hippo and croc proof boat. Are we talking the African Queen? My friends were stranded for a night on a sandbar when a hippo upended their 19' inboard jetboat. Their description of spending a night in knee deep water beating off crocs with a stick was horrifying to say the least. The whole incident is written up in a book if I remember correctly by Jeff Broom. Something like "Weird Stories From the Bush". Anyway it would be a great trip but I don't think I'll be doing it soon.

Mark

di and me did a 4 day trip back in 98. had to cut it short because of hippos, but it was kinda fun. saw lots of game, but the absolute best part was these 2 British women. one was a dr.s wife and the other here traveling companion. anyway we pulled into a camp that had a bunch of eles around. the bathrooms adjoined the chalets, didn't have a roof over them. the one gal was sitting on the pot when all of a sudden this elephant trunk comes over the top and starts sniffing around. I've never heard a scream that loud before or after.

quote:

My friends were stranded for a night on a sandbar when a hippo upended their 19' inboard jetboat. Their description of spending a night in knee deep water beating off crocs with a stick was horrifying to say the least.

There was an episode of "I Shouldn't Be Alive" similar to this.

Season 2 (2006)
"Terror on the Zambezi"
"In April 2004 Arthur Taylor, Alistair Gellatly, Arthur's wife Fay and parents Clive and Brenda become stranded in the hippo- and crocodile-infested Zambezi River when their watercraft is rammed by a mad hippo and sinks. Arthur, Fay, Clive and Brenda become stranded on a submerged sand flat in the middle of the river, and the Alistair swims for the shore only to be mauled by a crocodile. Alistair faces driver ants and other nasty land predators, and the others have to survive for 2 days at the constant risk of being eaten alive by crocodiles and hippos."


Google the YouTube video: " I Shouldn't Be Alive: Terror on the Zambezi (Part 1) " and then follow the links for the remaining segments.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill C:

quote:

My friends were stranded for a night on a sandbar when a hippo upended their 19' inboard jetboat. Their description of spending a night in knee deep water beating off crocs with a stick was horrifying to say the least.

There was an episode of "I Shouldn't Be Alive" similar to this.

Season 2 (2006)
"Terror on the Zambezi"
"In April 2004 Arthur Taylor, Alistair Gellatly, Arthur's wife Fay and parents Clive and Brenda become stranded in the hippo- and crocodile-infested Zambezi River when their watercraft is rammed by a mad hippo and sinks. Arthur, Fay, Clive and Brenda become stranded on a submerged sand flat in the middle of the river, and the Alistair swims for the shore only to be mauled by a crocodile. Alistair faces driver ants and other nasty land predators, and the others have to survive for 2 days at the constant risk of being eaten alive by crocodiles and hippos."


Google the YouTube video: " I Shouldn't Be Alive: Terror on the Zambezi (Part 1) " and then follow the links for the remaining segments.

These people survived because another canoe safari was attacked by hippo and one of the paddles drifted down stream. They used this tool to fend off the crocs at night. Note the other guide lost a leg but survived. I should know as I was there.

Bill C and Andrew,

That is the incident I was referring to. A couple of details were different when I got the story from Faye and Arthur. Faye went on the fishing trip with us but wanted no part of fishing. She obviously had expereinced a life changing experience that night on the Zambesi.

Mark