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Below is Ben Orkin’s story on his vision, journey, and experiences rafting The Kunene River. Read about his incredible descent full of adventures in every way; from Namibian militia, flips in big water, heli-evac attempts,  to crocodile attacks.

The Kunene River

The Kunene River, stretching from the Highlands of Angola to the border of Namibia offers some of the most unique scenery on its journey to the Atlantic.

The rivers weave its way through the desert in a series of mountains, gorges, valleys, and finally massive sand dunes as it nears the coast. In the gorges downstream of Epupa Falls, the most formidable whitewater is encountered with numerous Class V rapids and portages required. In the valleys, nomadic Himba tribes are encountered, and the sand dunes are home to desert lions, leopards, and ostriches. The Kunene River is known for its aggressive crocodiles that are found throughout the river. To our knowledge, the river had been previously attempted four times the most recent being in 1993.

We were drawn to the Kunene due its remoteness, wildlife, culture, and challenging whitewater. Our team of four consisted of my dad Arthur, who has been rowing for nearly 45 years, me and my brother who grew up whitewater rafting and kayaking, and a good friend and volcano expert Chris Horsely. Together, we had completed other expeditions in Madagascar and Mexico while we waited for our chance on the Kunene.

The challenges faced, portages and rapids.

Any attempt on the Kunene is wrought with challenges.

Before our team of four even got to the river we were faced with wildly fluctuating water levels (drought to floods in a matter of weeks), acquiring the appropriate permits, handling logistics and gathering the necessary equipment for a three week long unsupported mission. After flying with 15 checked bags and 6 carryon’s, including 3 Hyside Thundercats from Colorado to Namibia, overzealous customs officials almost denied us entry.

After floating for four days above Epupa Falls, we were denied entrance to the river below the falls and threatened with arrest by the Namibian military, and then after Epupa Falls, were faced with extremely tough whitewater, must make eddies, and complex portages, not mention the crocodiles.

The first gorge below Epupa proved quite intimidating with 3 back-to-back unrunnable rapids (at our high-water levels) which forced 2 long portages and lining. We snapped a rope while lining a cat and nearly lost it as it floated downstream unmanned. Further downstream, we all almost missed a must make eddy above a large rapid.

In a freak accident, Arthur sustained a severe injury to his ribs that likely required evacuation. Unfortunately, we were on the Angolan side of the river (without visas or necessary permission) and in an extremely deep gorge with limited sat phone communications. After failing to arrange an evacuation, we were forced to continue downstream and tend to Arthur’s injuries as best as we could.

Just below, we faced our worst crocodile attack. Arthur was able to recover to a point where we all felt it was reasonable for him to continue. After celebrating his 65th birthday above a massive gorge, we spent the next 10 days in and out of narrow gorges running incredible whitewater and portaging what we found too intimidating.

Thankfully, we were mostly able to portage with the Thundercats inflated and frames/oars still attached.

Days on the Kunene 

Our days on the Kunene were often incredible and intimidating. We had higher water than any of the previous trips and the difficulty of the rapids seemed to reflect that. The beauty of the river is indescribable. Unfortunately, a dam threatens the stretch below Epupa Falls. I would one day like to go back to the Kunene before its dammed.  We functioned almost flawlessly as a team to have a highly successful trip down the Kunene. We often woke up early in the morning to take advantage of cooler temperatures and lower croc activity.

I had spent countless hours analyzing satellite imagery and developing a map of the river to help identify rapids we needed to scout (and where to scout from) and what we would likely need to portage. We would scout as a team and decide on the best running order for both safety and photography. We had purposefully brought three catarafts for four people, as we felt having a backup rower in case of injury would be useful (and it was) the passenger was also able to take photos and videos and be extremely helpful on croc look out. We stayed close together through the flats to help identify and avoid crocs.

We had amazing encounters with nomadic Himba tribes – including helping them shuttle their goats across the river – and sometimes offered money in exchange portaging. We hiked up slot canyons and spent afternoons exploring the sand dunes near the ocean. We saw ostriches, oryx, and springbok. We fished somewhat successfully. 

Towards the ocean, the weight of the expedition began to take its toll. Being towards the bottom of the food chain and faced with huge rapids is an interesting perspective.

We would try to paddle in the cooler mornings that were quite foggy to avoid the crocs, and despite the temperature, we would often take off all our splash gear before the rapids and but it back on after the rapid. Our thought process was that anything that limited swimming speed and ability, such as splash gear, would be a huge liability with the number of crocs in the water. Having ended up in the water twice myself, I can certainly attest to just how fast I wanted to be out of the water.

Rapids with Crocodile Consequences 

We almost missed the eddy for this rapid as there is a quite continuous section of read and run Class 3 and 4 above it, and its somewhat on corner. At the last minute, we were able to eddy out on river right and scout. This is where Arthur suffered his rib injury and we spent the better part of the day trying to unsuccessfully arrange for a heli-evac. Realizing we had to get Arthur downstream, the team decided that Sam would run one Thundercat through the rapid alone.

Being the first boat down meant Sam would have no boats downstream to help in the event of a flip, swim, or croc attack. Chris stationed himself with a throw rope immediately below the drop and I traversed the cliff a couple hundred yards downstream where the river narrowed before careening around the corner to the next drop. We figured Chris would likely be able to recover a swimmer and/or boat, and I would be positioned far enough downstream to clean up any remaining mess.

Unfortunately, Sam did not re scout the rapid and the water level in the narrow gorge had changed quite drastically since that morning, shifting the entrance a few yards to the right. Sam hit is intended entrance which was now the wrong entrance at this flow. Despite his valiant attempts at high siding on the right tube in the hole and then on the left tube against the cliff, he flipped.

He popped up just downstream next to the cat in a bobbing eddy. He was able to re-flip the Thundercat by himself and ferry back to river right to help set safety for me and provide me with invaluable beta. Armed with his beta, I was able to successfully run my cat and Arthur’s cat through without issue. With all three rafts downstream of the rapid, we were tasked with getting Arthur around the rapid and into the cat and then downstream to camp. Chris volunteered to row and the whole team got to watch me and my cat get attacked by a rather sizeable croc.

Final Thoughts on Gear Choices, Challenges, and Choosing a River Trip Unlike Any Other

Exploratory raft descents in Africa have typically been with paddle assisted oar frames and kayakers. I had planned a version of the trip with that framework in both 2021 and 2022 but cancelled due to COVID and then drought. In 2022 we diverted to run a river in Madagascar. While leading that trip, my thoughts often wondered to what the Kunene would be like. I knew the Kunene would have bigger rapids, harder/longer portages, and way more aggressive crocs.

In my mind, it become increasingly obvious that the risk the Kunene crocodiles posed outweighed my kayaking-with-crocodiles risk tolerance by quite a large factor and I was unable to find other willing kayakers. And, if there were no kayakers, big oar boats with paddle assist passengers wouldn’t really be safe either. What if one raft with three people eddied flipped and 3 people washed down to an eddy full of crocs?

Thoughts of trying to portage 14 or 16 foot rafts through the gorges also made the trip seem intimidating. Even the logistics of bringing rafts seemed too complex. We had imported one raft into Madagascar, and it had been an absolute nightmare (and the raft was rather low quality). We would have to import the same brand of raft into Namibia to run even harder whitewater.  But then it clicked. If I made the painful decision to cut out half the team members, cut out the kayakers, and replace the rafts with catarafts, our attempt on the Kunene would fall within my risk tolerance level.  The Thundercats were light enough to fly with so we could avoid importing/exporting issues, each Thundercat would be easier to portage than a raft, there would be no kayakers (a.k.a. croc bait), and if a cat flipped, only one or two people would end up in the water. We could flip the cats back over midstream.  To me, it was an untested theory and it took until about day 10 to realize just how well my theory was working.

The Thundercat 14.0 were nimble enough to boat scout a bit like a kayaker would and offered superior performance as compared to a raft. We ran much harder whitewater with the Thundercats than we would have otherwise, which limited the portages. Portages, while never easy, were certainly made exponentially better with the cats. We were also able to drag, line, drop, push, and shove the boats through shallow sections on the sides of rapids.

My biggest concern with the cats was the risk of a croc attack – especially for the person sitting at the back and at the rower’s feet. We designed and fabricated cat floors to help eliminate the risk of an attack on the rower and similar “croc catcher” net behind the one passenger seat to help eliminate the risk of a croc attacking from behind. We were subjected to several croc charges and a few attacks throughout the three weeks. To help eliminate the threat, we would often row with the tubes of the cats overlapping (to appear bigger). When a bold enough croc did attack, they often times would go for the tubes.

Although just searing images burned into my memory, I have vivid recollections of the crocs trying to wrap their jaws around the cat tubes. For whatever reason, they were unsuccessful. After the Kunene, I am a huge believe in the Thundercat’s performance and durability, and will definitely bring them back for a second trip.

Ben Orkin is an outdoor enthusiast with a love for adventure. Read more on his speed record: Grand Canyon Speed Record

Ben Orkin

Courtesy of Pamela Wolfson Via AP

Each year, an onslaught of Mini-Me’s descend upon Colorado’s annual river games: The GoPro Mountain Games in Vail, CO, FIBArk and the Royal Gorge Whitewater Festival. These wave munching Mini’s partake in some of the craziest, carnage-causing races we’ve ever seen. Here we’ll take a look at the 2015 GoPro Mountain Game’s rafting events.

There are 2 raft events at the GoPro Mountain Games: The Down River R2 Raft Sprint and the Raft Cross.

DOWN RIVER R2 RAFT SPRINT

The Down River R2 Raft Sprint is a new event at the GoPro Mountain Games. Identical in format to the Down River Kayak and SUP Sprints, the R2 Raft Sprint is a four mile raft race (two person rafts) on the Class II/III whitewater of Gore Creek from East Vail to the Covered Bridge in Vail Village. With a rally race format, rafters drop at timed intervals and teams race against the clock. See more info here for 2016’s Raft Sprint.

RAFT CROSS

The Raft Cross is a raft race (two person rafts) on the Class II / III whitewater of Gore Creek in Vail Village.  Two person teams have a chance to showcase their speed, agility and aggression in a timed qualifying run through the heart of Vail Village on Gore Creek. Teams are then placed in “race pods” of no more than three teams to go head to head in the Vail Whitewater Park (1/10th of a mile). The winner(s) advance to the next round.  Along the way, rafters have to navigate no less than 2 upstream gates and get this, RAMMING IS ALLOWED! The Raft Cross is a rafting competition not to be missed!  Here’s the details for 2016’s Raft Cross.

If you’re in the Colorado, make sure to stop by and check out the action! Here’s a short video of the highlights during the 2015 GoPro Mountain Games: 2015 GoPro Mountain Games Festival Mashup!

Another HUGELY Wild and Wonderful outfitter of West Virginia, we present ACE Adventure Resort. You know the saying, “pictures don’t do justice”? Yeah, it’s like that. Check out this 30 second clip to sum it all up. There’s really no way to capture all that is ACE, but we’ll do our best!

In the heart of over 1500 acres of New River Gorge playland, ACE has so much fun to be had.  Go rock climbing, mountain biking, paintballing, horseback riding or just plain old hiking. There’s even mud obstacle courses! Plenty of fresh air, fun times and bonfires are waiting to soothe that travel itch and satisfy any level of thrill-seeker.

The main attraction are the rivers and for over 35 years, ACE has guided folks away from their reality and into some world-class whitewater rafting on the New and Gauley Rivers:

Here’s where HYSIDE comes in.

“Ace has purchased rafts from Richard since the “Sunrunner” days. The Hyside raft is the most durable and maintenance free raft we have used and we have tried every brand.  We have a fleet of more than 250 craft.  This year we are finally retiring rafts that were built in 1992.  That is 23 – 24 years of use on the New River Gorge and Gauley River….Class 4-5 whitewater.  We use Hyside rafts on the Upper G down to 450 Cfs and we use them on the New River with flows that exceed 33,000 cfs.  Our guides love them because they always bring you home without incident.  We use 12’, 14’ and 16’ Pro series. Hyside has always been open to work with our special requests and design changes.  It has been an honor to have such a vendor relationship.  The newer lighter rafts use the same awesome durable fabric but has taken the unnecessary weight out of each raft: eg. Rubstrake, grommets, neo wear patches, etc.  The durability is the same but now they handle even better.  The competition is scrambling to follow Hyside.”

Jerry Cook

President

ACE Adventure Resort

As you can see, ACE’s resort is tremendously vast, full of everything to do both on and off the New River and the Gauley. It’s not easy cramming 1500 acres, 9 zip lines, 4 sections of river for white water rafting, 3 lakes for kayaking and swimming, miles of trails for mountain biking and hiking, and all the fun that goes with it into this one page, but we gave it our best shot. If this doesn’t get your heart going, you’d better check your pulse.

And now, the newest attraction for ACE…CONCERTS! (You thought we were finished, ha??)

Party in the Hollar. September 12th, don’t miss out.

After a hard day of playing in the sun and the killer venue at night, head back to camp and stay with ACE. They have so many options, words can’t express. (we mean it, check it out here). Anything from RV camp sites and tent camping, all the way up to gorgeous, deluxe cabins, with hot tubs, full kitchens, satellite tv, AC/heat and then some…

If you want get away from it all, make sure to stop by this hugely adventurous getaway. All of this is within a day’s drive of most of the eastern United States.

Visit ACERaft.com to get the lowdown on all this cool stuff waiting for you in the heart of West Virginia.

Rafting on Clear Creek in Idaho Springs, Colorado is no small task. Just a short drive from Denver, Clear Creek is a very technical Class IV-V tributary of the Southe Platte River, dropping a staggering 120 feet per mile and filled with unique obstacles to maneuver. One daring outfitter who hits the Creek head on is AVA Rafting and Ziplining. AVA opened on the Arkansas River outside of Buena Vista, CO in 1998. They slowly expanded over the years and are now operating all over Colorado, focusing primarily on the Upper Colorado River, Clear Creek, the Blue River, and the Arkansas.

On a typical summer day, AVA is blowing up their entire 30 boat fleet of Hysides to embark on all sections of Clear Creek. AVA operates on Clear Creek from 2000 CFS down to 85 CFS. Throughout the season, they’ll be punching bus-sized holes at high water, and towards the end of the season, at 100 CFS, they’ll be sneaking through lines half as wide as the boat. At 1000 CFS and more than 120 feet per mile, Clear Creek can challenge the most experienced rafter.

A single AVA Hyside may run down the Creek 6 times in one day. That’s 12 rides on a trailer down the interstate and 36 unique customers loading up at the gravel put-in, while their guides ready the boat and the rest of their gear. That’s 6 different guides with different styles, tying different equipment all over the boat. Combine this with the variety of water levels and you’re seeing one of the harshest environments for a raft.

One main factor to helping AVA conquer the Creek: THE GEAR.

To combat the daily abuse of the Creek, AVA’s HYSIDEs are custom built for exceptional tear strength and abrasion resistance. We build their fleet from our Outfitter PRO line, boasting 2520 Double-Denier Hypalon for “second-to-none” tear strength. Our Double denier nylon base fabric is braided before it is weaved, creating an incredibly tough tear strength. To put it in perspective, this technology was conceived from bullet proof vest technology.  To take it a step further, we apply U3 urethane coverage, which coats the entire bottom half of their fleet in a slippery, stout coating of urethane (think truck bed liners, but slick). This tough, slippery surface helps AVA slide over rocks and avoid punctures (a huge factor in rafting on Clear Creek).

Another major factor that helps AVA “stay afloat” on such a wild stretch: THE GUIDES.

Many of AVA’s senior staff lay claim to a decade or more of guiding experience and nearly half the guide staff was originally trained at AVA. Several have now become the river managers at their various outposts. They pride themselves on not only having the skills on the water, but maintaining a superior level of professionalism and guest service that they bring to their guests.

AVA operates rafting on more than Clear Creek; they offer trips on the Arkansas River, the Colorado River, the Blue River; they also offer ziplining and horseback riding.

From trips fit for beginners, to advanced full-day class IV-V rafting with a delicious BBQ lunch in the middle, AVA has something for you.

In addition to rafting, they offer guided river SUP and IK trips, as well as rentals of all of the equipment you might need for a lazy afternoon or a multiday adventure. They guide families down the scenic Upper Colorado and lead thrill seekers through the Class V Gore Canyon.

Check out AVA Rafting & Ziplining’s website here!

So here’s a Wild and Wonderful getaway in the mountains of West Virginia.  Nestled just above the New River, Adventures on the Gorge is one fun-filled, family hot spot you’ve got to see to believe.  AOTG has literally everything to do and the layout of this outdoorsy playland is perfectly planned as a one stop shop for everything you need. Spend your days rafting, rock climbing or just relaxing. Spend your nights dining and choose camping or deluxe cabins nestled in the woods.

Check out these NEW, snazzy orange head-turners, designed just for AOTG to run on the New and the Gauley! These puppies are a big tube, diminished tube design, for ultimate performance and stability. Equipped with our PRO 2520 denier for unmatched durability and tear strength, custom frame chafers wrapping entire top of the boat and our custom U5 urethane bottom coating will ensure these boats stand up to ANYTHING the New and Gauley (and guides) can throw at them.

Our last trip out to visit AOTG, we even got this comment from one of their carnage-hungry photographers, “They’re almost TOO stable!”, so we think these new boats are on the right track. Footcups secure the front passengers and custom valve placement, d-rings and handles have been positioned to their liking. This year, they’ll be getting blue urethane bottoms to match their fleet colors.

We’re not kidding when we say they have everything to do!  In addition to their rafting mainstay, AOTG offers zip-lining, climbing, rappelling, SUP, mountain biking and so much more.

After a day of play, spend the nights enjoying great food, company and views.  AOTG has three restaurants on site to choose from, Smokey’s, Chetty’s, and Buffler’s.  All boast breathtaking atmosphere and architecture, to keep you cozy while you unwind and enjoy your meal after an adventurous day.

After some grub and pub, relax and enjoy the view. The sites of the Gorge from here are second to none.

Settled in AOTG’s woodsy acreage, there are several options for lodging, ranging from tent camping all the way to 5-star deluxe cabins.  The amenities are excellent if you decide to camp (Yay for hot showers and bathrooms close by!). That’s what we did!

All in all, this is place is one of a kind.  These guys do it big and really know how to have fun. To get in touch with Adventures on the Gorge and see what packages are available, call  888.406.4679 and check out their website HERE.