In the first of this two-part guest blog, geographer and adventurer, Francis Highton, writes about his epic rowing expedition through the wilds of Mozambique on the Zambezi River.
In July this year, three rowing boats and a group of intrepid explorers embarked on an expedition navigating the waters of the mighty Zambezi River in Mozambique. ‘Zambezi’ loosely translates in the local Tonga language to ‘Great River’, and it is not hard to see why this river once captured the imagination of the legendary explorer, David Livingstone. One of the main aims of the expedition, spearheaded by our fearless leader, Tim Cook, was to raise awareness of water issues in southern Africa, sporting the slogan ‘On Water, For Water’ and raising over £100,000 for the charity VillageWater.
The Zambezi is the fourth-longest river in Africa, rising in Zambia before flowing through eastern Angola, the north-eastern border of Namibia and Botswana, then along the borders of Zambia and Zimbabwe before it enters Mozambique, eventually emptying into the Indian Ocean. One of the aims of the initiative was to mirror Livingstone’s famous journeys into the interior of Africa but in reverse, and in rowing boats; this year’s adventure was the fourth in a series of expeditions to cover the entire 2,500km stretch of river. Begun in 2011, the first explored from Angola to the legendary Victoria Falls – well, as close to them as was feasible! In 2014, the second trip completed a moon-row, a row by starlight, across Lake Kariba, the world’s largest artificial lake. The third, in 2018, and the first of which I joined, navigated one of the major tributaries of the Zambezi, the Kafue.
In July this year, we embarked on the fourth and final stretch of the river through Mozambique, from the border with Zambia, to the Indian Ocean. It was a collaborative effort with a 50/50 split of male and female athletes from six different countries; including New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Uganda, and Zambia. The adventure was comprised of two stages, a 600km row from Tete to the Indian Ocean over 12 days following the course of the river downstream, before returning upriver to the eastern edge of the Cahora Bassa lake, rowing ‘upstream’ back across the lake over seven days, finishing at the confluence of the Luangwa river in Zambia.
The first section on the river, was incredible. Fast streams kept us moving at a brisk pace, rowing from dawn to dusk. Three boats moving at any one time, we swapped in and out after two-hour stints with waterbreaks. We rowed through beautiful landscapes such as the Lupata Gorge, which marks the division between the Middle and Lower Zambezi, as well as past scars of Mozambique’s Portuguese colonial past such as abandoned missions and under the famous Dona Ana railway bridge. The surest reminder of this history was at Chupanga, where we camped one evening close to Mary Livingstone’s grave and dedicated a service to her. Mary died of malaria in Mozambique on her way to visit her famous husband, David, and we renamed one of our rowing boats ‘The Mary Livingstone’ in her memory. This stark reminder that people have been navigating these waters for hundreds of years was both intimidating and incredible.
The river itself was shallow in parts, providing navigational issues, particularly between sandbanks. On a few occasions our support boats got stuck, leading us to jump into crocodile infested waters to push the boat across into deeper channels. Mechanical engine failures also stalled progress; one day, I was stuck drifting on the launch for nearly 4 hours before we were able to get into the bank and have it repaired. On this day, we were running behind and needed to make camp before the danger of darkness was upon us. There was only one solution, removing all but one boat from the water and putting the three strongest rowers in the crew, racing the fading light to the camp. Our team leader called this Operation Pangolin. Reaching speeds of 20km per hour, the fastest the boats had achieved through any of the previous expeditions, and several close encounters with hippos later, we reached the river mouth and disembarked at Chinde, having reached the Indian Ocean. You can see the crew at this stage below – full of optimism and joy, but only halfway through the adventure.
After a very long drive back to Tete – it turns out the river is the fastest and most direct way to navigate around the country! – and a day to recover later, we headed for the start of the second leg of the trip, Lake Cahora Bassa. Our local contacts retrofitted an old fishing barge into an incredible base for us, meaning our support team did not have to rely on roads anymore. The route for this section was incredible, at times, rowing in the middle of the lake, we could not see either side, and you might as well have been at sea! This was most obvious on the days the wind blew up – the waves made progress slow, the rowing tiring, but a great challenge for our rowers.
This section was not without issues. Delayed departures meant we had to row some sections in the dark – it was safer to do so here than on the river as the water was flat and you were far less likely to be attacked by wild animals. Additionally, the intense 36-degree heat of the days were reflected back onto us by the surface of the water, making us incredibly hot. We were lucky our barge offered some shade. We also had issues finding appropriate campsites, and even on the ones we found we had to contend with scorpions and limited space for tents. Drought in Mozambique has caused the lake level to fall about 12 metres over the last 15 years – one evening we camped on a rocky outcrop near the lakes southern edge – a rock that should be underwater. On the penultimate day, our team leaders had to make some difficult decisions as due to the lower water, the lake was much smaller than expected – in fact, it was now made up of channels. Very fast, very unpredictable channels – and full of hippos. Operation Pangolin was reinitiated. This time six rowers were chosen, split between two 8k stretches of treacherous waters. My boat, that I was steering, was pushed scarily close to the bank as we rowed upstream against the fast current, adjacent to a pod of 50+ hippos!
Nevertheless, we made it. It took us 7 days to navigate the lake and eventually, in a first for me, cross a national border in a rowing boat! Passports stamped in a small town in Mozambique, we paddled past two police checkpoints before crossing into Zambia, completing this epic adventure at the small port town of Luangwa. As we finished, I reflected on how lucky I was to have been part of such a team, exploring parts of the world that not many people experience and in a way that not many people choose to navigate it. It was never a solo journey; the strength of the group is what propelled us forward through rough and unpredictable waters, and the sheer exhaustion that comes from rowing day after day. Plus, I got an epic tan… even if the tan lines leave something to be desired!
Overall, the RowZambezi 2024 expedition was a powerful testament to the strength of teamwork and the human spirit’s capacity to overcome adversity.
Rowing down one of Africa’s most challenging rivers was not just a challenge of physical endurance but also of mental resilience and collaboration. Whether it was dealing with the natural dangers of the river—crocodiles, hippos, treacherous currents—or internal battles like fatigue and doubt, we all had to dig deep to find our inner strength. The shared experience and encouragement between the rowers – and our epic support team – allowed us to push through, illustrating that with determination, grit, and unity, even the toughest obstacles can be overcome.
We wanted to highlight the issues of water shortages, the dangers of underestimating its importance, and continue to stress its importance for the future. By raising awareness and funds for VillageWater, we hope to have contributed to this, and that lasting change can happen. Bring on the next adventure; Lake Malawi and the River Shire in 2027.
If you are interested in learning more about our expedition, or are interested in donating to our causes, please get in touch at francishighton@gmail.com.
Photography credit to Francis Highton and Daniel Chapman.
