On a continent known for its aridity, Africa’s rivers carry a great deal of currency. And the animals know it too: name any great wildlife reserve in Africa and you’ll find a teeming river at its heart. What could be better for a safari?
But in Africa there are rivers and there are rivers. Some are internationally famous: the Congo, the Nile, the Zambezi. Others have a reputation for their wildlife while some are ephemeral and spend some of their lives as dry sand rivers. And then there are different rivers for different activities – wildlife photography, white-water rafting, canoeing and so on, and it’d be no surprise to learn that Africa’s top birding destinations include plenty of riverside lodges.
You can even base your safari on the river, not just in the form of the small motorboats that replace 4X4 vehicles but there are houseboats too – complete with comfortable suites, viewing decks and 3-course dinners.
It’s in southern Africa – principally Zambia, Botswana and South Africa –that you’ll find the largest range of river safaris and river activities, usually built into a programme of safari activities that also includes game drives and often guided walks. East African rivers may have a boating side to them in some safari destinations – the Selous in Tanzania for example. But if you want to go kayaking or fishing, perhaps spend a couple of nights on a canoeing adventure, or sit back on a luxurious houseboat, then you’ll need to look at southern Africa.
Africa’s rivers are diverse but can be broadly grouped according to the experience they deliver.
Multi-Activity Rivers – the Zambezi & the Okavango Delta
Delivering the volume of water that makes Victoria Falls a world wonder, the King of River Safaris is the Zambezi. Rising from Zambian highlands, the fourth largest river in Africa has several faces – the upper river (above Victoria Falls), the lower river (below it) – and where it has been turned into an enormous reservoir: Lake Kariba. The Zambezi eventually enters the Indian Ocean in Mozambique.
This is a river that offers activities ranging from white-water rafting and kayaking to multi-day canoe safaris and houseboat holidays. Popular Victoria Falls lies on the Zambezi and serves as a useful hub from which to explore different parts of the river – and in different ways. Zambia’s Lower Zambezi National Park offers an opportunity for high-adrenalin Zambezi fly camping – while a big game safari in Zimbabwe’s Matusadona National Park takes you to the edge of Lake Kariba with some of the best safari guides in Zimbabwe.
Botswana’s Okavango River has even more of a reputation for wildlife. A clean-flowing river tumbling down from its high Angolan watershed, the Okavango River runs deep and straight as it hits the Kalahari Desert before fanning out into its classic Delta landscape.
Such an abundance of water is taken advantage of by tens of thousands of animals and the Okavango region has become one of the best safari destinations to weave water into your experience. Indeed, there are several lodges that are completely water-based: you have to fly or boat in and game viewing is from motorboats, canoes and viewing pontoons.
Go north to the Okavango’s Panhandle for the deepest water and the best fishing but keep to the Delta area for a combination of water and land activities – including horseback safaris – and premier game viewing. The Delta area is also better for families travelling with children as there are more activities offered but note that the delta is seasonally-driven and it helps to have an understanding of how the Okavango Delta works before choosing your month of travel.
Rivers for Wildlife – the Chobe, the Luangwa & Kafue
Did someone mention wildlife? Botswana’s Chobe River is the epicentre of Africa’s elephant population while Zambia’s Luangwa and Kafue Rivers are destinations where expert guides take you on walking safaris next to rivers full of hippo and crocodiles.
Like the Okavango, the Chobe gathers its water from northern Angola but then joins the Zambezi. Before it does, the river gives us a long open stretch that has become one of Africa’s top game viewing and birding destinations – the Chobe Riverfront. There are several lodges along the river but why not see the river from a unique (and private) perspective and book a Chobe Houseboat safari?
Zambia’s rivers are equally good for wildlife and birding. Both the Kafue National Park and the South Luangwa are built around their eponymous rivers, bodies of water that arise in the north of the country. The Kafue drains into a lake, the Luangwa into the Zambezi River, but not before a huge number of animals have made their homes in and around them. You’ll explore by 4X4, on foot and by boat – birders will love the water-based opportunity to see nesting southern carmine bee-eaters.
A Big Five River – the Sabie
Running through South Africa’s Kruger Park area, the Sabie River is one of the most biologically diverse in the country and it’s in the appropriately named Sabi Sands Reserve that you’ll see why. Besides being an excellent birding destination, the Sabie River is a lifeline for the region’s big animals; the Sabie riverfront has arguably Africa’s highest concentration of leopards for example, and it is a landscape that also supports lion, elephant, buffalo and rhino – making the full Big Five.
It’s true that you won’t actually get on the Sabie River – it’s generally too shallow and dried up in places for that – but your safari is based around it; for the best wildlife viewing, go in the June – October dry season when animals are concentrated at the river.
Africa’s Dry Rivers – Savute & the Hoanib
Safari guides in 1980’s Botswana used to drive their land rovers along the dry Savute River bed; these days the Savute is flowing and its lodges overlook a river landscape, complete with wallowing wildlife. Africa is home to many ephemeral rivers, running only after exceptional rain or perhaps a shift in the landscape. The Savute is a result of the latter – reinvigorated after a change in topography – and the permanent water keeps animals in the area all year round. In fact, it attracts them: go in the dry season for elephant and buffalo at the river or in the Green Season when Savute’s zebra migration passes through.
In contrast, Namibia’s Hoanib River flows only once every few years, relying on heavier-than-normal rain in its desert catchment area. Once on the go, the river is fast and furious, even making it to the Atlantic Ocean at times, but never lasting more than a few weeks. The effect however is miraculous: greenery erupts almost instantly from the ground, and together with the remaining water, is enough to sustain animals ranging from lions and elephant to giraffe and black rhino. Go during the Green Season for a chance to see the river flowing but the ecosystem is built around the river all year round.
The Iconic Rivers – the Nile & the Congo
And that leaves the two most famous African rivers of them all. You know their names but it’s not easy to do a safari on these rivers: the Congo is a complex entity of different countries in Central Africa while the enormous River Nile draws its water from no fewer than 11 different countries as it winds its way from Lake Victoria to its vast Egyptian delta.
But they can be explored. The Congo has recently opened up to visitors and offers intrepid wildlife photographers and nature watchers a new biome to visit: ancient equatorial rainforest. You’ll wade through small tributaries of the Congo River, paddle along its jungle backwaters and watch forest mammals gather at its muddy swamps. Combine it with gorilla trekking and you have the complete Congo experience. And the River Nile doubles down on that offering. There are animals and birds to see as you can cruise down the Nile in Uganda’s Murchison Falls National Park and you can also put on a helmet and life-jacket and go white-water rafting on its frothing rapids.
African rivers – as diverse as the countries through which they flow.
