White-water rafting activities on the Zambezi River in Victoria Falls have been moved further downstream, from Rapid 1 to between Rapids 11 and 22, between the main waterfall and the Victoria Falls Bridge, due to the increasing current, which makes it dangerous to raft in the upper gorges.

The Rafting Association of Zimbabwe commented: “The water level has now risen, hence we have moved to high-water rafting where we start at Rapid 11 and end at Rapid 22. We check every morning using a Zimbabwe National Water Authority gauge to monitor the water level. We have documented this over the years and know the implications of each level and when it’s time to move from high to low water level. There are dangers associated with high-water rafting such as fast-moving water, lots of turbulence, whirlpools and boils, which make it difficult to swim longer. We are guided by the weather in terms of when to close and open the season.”

The water level on the Zambezi River is normally at its peak between March and August, owing to rainfall activities on the upper Zambezi.