Waterfront madness and plunging into Zambezi’s gorges

Posted by Pedal2peak on 24 September 2009

We took a day ride to go see the waterfront on the Zambezi, just upstream from the falls.

We had a meeting with Sarah, who managed to help the tour by comping our accommodation and also throwing in some awesome activities to keep us from resting while at the waterfront, starting that afternoon with a visit to Abseil Zambia.

We rushed back to Livingstone Backpackers and relocated to the waterfront then pedaled frantically to the Batoka Gorge where Abseil Zambia was going to get our pulse rates up. We arrived drenched in perspiration, greeting all the crew and meeting two English girls, Natalie and Laura, who were also going to throw themselves off cliffs.

We sat down to the safety talk before signing our lives away, while nervously sipping on a Coke. Suddenly your thoughts are rushing around as you walk towards the platform to kit up for your first rap-jump, forward abseil.

“Boys or girls first?” asked the safety organizer, Scott. “Ladies first!” both Marc and I replied simultaneously, while looking at the shocked look on the two girls faces. “Just being a gentleman,” I coughed out trying to regain some masculinity.

The girls finished their abseil down the 50m cliff, now there was no way we could pull out now. All harnessed up and gloves on, I shuffled to the cliff edge. Slowly I lowered myself into position, gazing down into the gorge. I started lowering myself, walking down the cliff face, gaining confidence. I jumped out. The rope sang as it ran through my hands, and my gut crept into my throat. I firmed the grip to slow myself and my feet touched the cliff face again. I was laughing ecstatically now as I launched out again, rushing for the ground, feeling weightless and in control. With another tightening of my fist I was safely suspended with my feet on the rock face. I reached the bottom pulsing with adrenaline and legs shaky. Now all four of us were in the gorge and had to walk out. It was a hot long walk out of the gorge but worth it.

Next was the “Flying Fox”, a zip line across the gorge. Have you ever had the urge to just run and leap off a cliff? If you have I recommend you try it at Abseil Zambia first. You sprint off the cliff and fly across the gaping gorge, Superman style, watching the world far below you. Then you hang around taking in the view while you are reeled back in to the Zambian side of the gorge. We all took two attempts on the “Flying Fox”,trying our best to reach Zimbabwe. At least there was no walk out of the gorge.

Now was the grand finale for the day. The gorge swing is a heart wrenching 55m freefall, three seconds of uncontrolled falling and then swinging unbelievably close to the cliff face. We were all nervous now. This was the real deal. This was the reason for signing indemnity forms and your last will and testament. Natalie bravely stepped forward and went first, then me. Marc and Laura chose to go tandem.

You step off the cliff and suddenly all hell breaks loose. You cannot focus because of all the blood rushing to your head. Your toes are feeling for ground, your stomach is trying to climb out to see what is happening. You are deafened by the noise of the air rushing past you. You were screaming one or other profanity, but now you are breathless. Just before second number three you contemplate whether they have fastened everything, then the swing catches you, and all thoughts of ‘SPLAT’ disappear completely from your mind.

‘SPLAT’ rushes back into your head as you rush towards the cliff face, your velocity decreases and for a millisecond, you breathe, before swinging back. You now lay back in your harness, speechless, your body drowned in adrenaline, as you are lowered into the gorge. You try give out a yell, but it comes out a squeak at first – I’ll blame the tight harness for now.

We all went again, this time Natalie and I went tandem, while the other two went solo. It was different hanging around after an insane freefall and swing, with a complete stranger, sharing a phenomenal Zambian sunset, 50 metres above the ground.

We had a long ride back to the waterfront in the twilight, encountering our first elephants on the bikes. How our bodies still had adrenaline to spare after our extreme afternoon, I don’t know, but we were tight on the pedals and flying before the tuskers were disturbed from their evening meal, reaching the bar before the girls in the vehicle.

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