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Rio Olifantes Canoe Trail - Limpopo Transfrontier Park,
Southern Mozambique  

Spend three days canoeing down the Rio Olifantes in Southern Mozambique, camping wild along the river banks. A cast for tiger fish, a sighting of a hippo pod or the call of the fish eagle will enthrall you on your 50km journey downstream that will end close to the confluence of the Limpopo.

The clean waters of the Rio Olifantes flow at a swift 4-6 km/ hour, so you need not be a Pope Ellis to participate in this Canoe Safari. In fact, you hardly need pick up your paddle as you drift downstream on the lookout for circling birds of prey or that flash of a tiger. Our professional guides will keep you safe and informed as they share their knowledge about the dynamic ecosystems you'll pass through.

The daily paddle distances allow plenty of time for swimming, snack-breaks and game viewing enroute. A picnic lunch is usually had under the cool shade of a fever tree, or we'll pull up on a sandbar where you can cool down with a refreshing dip in the river.

Before you know it, we'll drift around a bend and on the river banks will be our mobile tented camp – set-up and waiting your arrival with the beers chilling in the generator fridge! The locations for these mobile camps are all carefully selected to offer a true wilderness experience. The camp assistants will go out of their way to make your night in the bush as ‘comfortable' as possible, but the spirit of the experience remains an intimate and adventurous wilderness encounter.

After a freshen-up with a hot-water bucket shower, trailists gather around the campfire, recalling the sights and events of the day, whilst a sumptuous dinner is prepared over the coals, by your able guide. With tummies full we retire to the tents, lulled to sleep by the symphony of the night.

This 4 day-3 night canoe safari is the perfect getaway for family and friend groups – looking for a true wilderness experience, but not without some ‘creature comforts'. Let our professional guides take care of the logistics whilst you get to take the pictures.

Trail Information

Location: Southern Mozambique – interior . The Rio Elefantes River on the section between the confluence of the Shingwedzi and the confluence of the Limpopo Rivers – a 50km stretch of clean warm water, within the Parque Nacional do Limpopo (the Mozambican side of the Limpopo Transfrontier Park)

Trail Description / Daily Distances: 50km of paddling over 3 days of canoeing. Day 1 – 10km, Day 2 & 3 – 20km each.

Fitness Required: Whilst not necessarily strenuous, conditions during the summer months can be very hot and humid. There is no upper age limit but participants on the trail should be medically fit and aware that the experience involves paddling distances of up to 20 km / day.

Child policy: F or safety considerations, regrettably, no children under the age of 10 may participate.

What to look forward to: Abundant birdlife, animal sightings, knowledgeable interactive guiding, tiger fishing, traditional campfire cuisine, starry skies, no cellphones & the tranquility of WILDERNESS

Getting There: Trailists enter Parque Nacional do Limpopo from Kruger National Park via the Giriyondo Border Post. Coming from South Africa, the most direct point of entry is Phalaborwa through to Letaba Camp in Kruger (50km) & then Letaba to Giriyondo border post (45km/1hr drive). From Moçambique the route to the meeting point is via the Massingir dam entry gate

Meeting point for the trail is Campismo Albufeira at the Massingir dam entrance gate to Parque Nacional do Limpopo. Vehicles are parked at Campismo Albufeira for the duration of the trail.