Dog lovers complete 'brutal' African river journey

Travelling near hippos and lions, camping under the stars and tackling strong headwinds – one woman has reflected on what it was like to paddle about 70 miles (about 110km) along one of Africa's longest rivers.

Dog lovers Kelly Magee, who owns Immingham Dogs Home in North Lincolnshire, and volunteers Erica Fox and Ryan Day tackled the Zambezi River, raising more than £10,000 for the organisation.

The adventure included two days in inflatable two-person kayaks, another two in a six-person raft, and a fifth day white-water rafting the final 17 miles near Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.

Erica said the experience was "life-changing" and she "cannot wait to go back to Africa".

Erica, who also runs Paw and Co Freedom Field, a dog park in Keelby, near Grimsby, with her husband Ryan, said: "Day one wasn't bad going, but day two was very unexpected for that time of year with the headwind. It was just brutal.

"[the wind] was absolutely relentless. You just felt like you weren't going anywhere and it made the river very choppy."

By days three and four, Erica said she had started to really struggle due to prolapsed discs in her back, which she had found out about only three weeks or so before the challenge took place.

As for the white-water rafting on the final day, she said: "It was so fast. You just had to go, the water took you... My husband went in twice and I managed to get him out.

"That was a big adrenaline rush, something I've never felt [before] in my life."

They saw five crocodiles, including one travelling alongside them, and hippos lurked in the river, peering at them as they paddled past.

The evenings presented their own challenges as the trio camped under the stars on the banks of the river, with a safari guard keeping watch over the area as they slept.

Erica said she had heard a pride of lions on the third night, and a herd of elephants had got within about 20m of the tent.

"The farm we were staying on had to let firecrackers off to move them on," she said.

"At night between about 1am and 3am I was just up listening to all the noises."

The three dog lovers have reached their fundraising target for Immingham Dogs Home, and they said the money would mainly go towards vet bills.

Kelly said: "The trip was much harder than I expected and I had to keep reminding myself why I was doing it.

"Although it was an amazing experience, I found it hard, and the rapids were one of the scariest things I've ever done.

"But to see the dogs when I came home made it all worthwhile."

Erica said they were also helping some of those they had met along the river. One of them was a dog rescue operation called Zambezi Animal Welfare Services.

They are also taking donations of Crocs to send to children living in the villages they visited during their challenge.

Listen to highlights fromLincolnshire on BBC Sounds, and watch thelatest episode of Look North.

Download the BBC News app from the App Storefor iPhone and iPad orGoogle Play for Android devices