EXPEDITION
Gairezi River
Put in - From the Troutbeck Hotel, take the A14 north. Turn right onto
Church Road (a dirt road). After about 16km, turn left and follow the road
until you get to a bridge. Carry on this road to get to the take out. Be sure
to have good map.
Take out - From the Troutbeck Hotel take the A14 north. After about 22km,
turn right onto a well-used dirt road towards a village called Madziwanzira.
You will cross over the river. This bridge is the take-out.
Grade - Class 4-5
Distance - 17km. Can be done in one day if you feel like having a long
full day of boating, but is best as a overnighter.
Description - Big boulder gardens, drops/slides. To my knowledge, the
section has been done from top to bottom without portages, however
there is normally a long and strenuous portage about 4km into the run. It is
best to portage on river right, and as high up as possible. The portage can
take as long as 3 hours. This river is a must-do if you like big boulder gardens
and massive slides. It’s not an easy section, but you can walk around if you
don’t like what you see.Pungwe River-Need permits for access
Put in - Get in touch with kayaksouthafrica
Take out - Get in touch with Kayaksouthafrica
Grade - Class 3-5
Distance - 20km. A long, full day with a steep, strenuous hike down to the
river. It is also possible to break the run into shorter sections. Upper section:
~10km. Take out at the power station. Middle section: Take out at the put in
of the rafting section. Can also be done as an overnighter.
Description - Continuous big boulder gardens. There is a big waterfall in
the middle of the section just below the hydro station. Some of the massive
waterfalls at the top of the run go, but you’ll need ropes. The upper part of
this river is really steep and has some bad spots. The middle section is pure
fun, with lots of smooth, big boulder boofs. The rafting section is more open
and has some slides. It is a good warm-up run.Nyamingura River
Put in - Get in touch with Kayaksouthafrica as the put-in is on private
property.Take out - Get in touch with Kayaksouthafrica.
Grade - Class 3-4
Distance - 8km
Description - The Nyamingura starts off with some big boulder gardens and
gradually changes to smaller boulder gardens as you continue downstream. You
can do this section as a quick afternoon or morning run. It is all read and run, but
be careful, as there could be some strainers and there is a lot of potential for
getting pinned. If you stay in the main flow, you should be fine.Local kids
hanging out.