Meet Lovemore Kalinda – International Trip Leader

17th November 2016
From Porter To International Trip Leader
The name of this man just makes you smile, let alone meeting him. Lovemore Kalinda was born in 1976, the eldest of 5 children. In 1994, he finished his secondary education in Victoria Falls and for the following three years earned his living carrying rafts into and out of the Zambezi River. During that time, he earned himself a wonderful reputation as a friendly personable young man and was encouraged to learn to kayak. Lovemore tells us, the first few times, he was SO scared, but he stuck at it and found his true passion, the river. In 1998, he trained to be a commercial raft guide and 2 years later, he was taking guests down the Zambezi. In 2006, Lovemore had his first chance to travel and went to the Rio Futaleufu to safety kayak for the season. This fueled his love of the outdoors even more and shortly afterwards, he traveled to Morocco and has been returning every year since 2011.
Lovemore Kalinda - legendary safety kayaker & trip leader

Lovemore Kalinda – legendary safety kayaker & trip leader

Lovemore is a real family man, dedicated to providing the best education for his three daughters, Heather, Candi and Iliana, supported by his wonderful wife, Pretty.

His eldest daughter Heather has shown a keen interest in kayaking, so unbeknown to Mum, Lovemore is fueling that passion! Heather has quite the passion for adventure and wanted to bungy jump recently and this is still being negotiated with ‘the boss’, but in the meantime, she zip lined across to Victoria Falls bridge.

Lovemore doing what he loves best, kayaking The Zambezi

Lovemore doing what he loves best, kayaking The Zambezi

A Passion For Adventure
Lovemore has aspirations for his rafting to take him further around the world. Now one of our experienced trip leaders, we have plans to get him to Nepal in 2017 and to try and help him realise his dream of rafting the Grand Canyon in 2018.

It is amazing what Lovemore can make on the side of the river.

It is amazing what Lovemore can make on the side of the river.

Cooking King
Learning the ropes on the river, also meant Lovemore had to learn more in-depth outdoor cooking skills. After a few brief lessons from one of our head guides on how to bake a cake in a dutch oven (camp stove) he was left in charge of desserts. He embraced this with the same level of enthusiasm and hard work that we see in every aspect of his river work and he is now our resident expert at chocolate cakes, marble cakes and even chocolate brownies. Ladies, look out for Lovemore on your next river adventure.

by Hamish McMaster

Hamish McMaster is the Water By Nature owner. He has spent the past 25 years exploring and playing on the world's great rivers. He still loves nothing more than getting out there and sharing adventures.


Recent posts

Lovemore And Hamish Share Their Favourite Zambezi Rapids


There are certainly not many people who have done as many multi-day trips down the Zambezi as Hamish and Lovemore. Together, our founder and Zambezi Team Leader have over 50 years experience running the Zam! Recently, we asked them which are their favourite rapids on the river, and why! Lovemore Q: How did you start […]

The California Rafting Experience


What’s it like to tick off 5 amazing rivers in a week? Pretty incredible if you ask us, especially when each is nestled into California’s spectacular wilderness. The unique blend of 5 epic rivers and California’s gorgeous mountains make this is the perfect week long getaway. Meet & Greet Your Trip Leader will meet you […]

A Guide To The Rivers And Rapids Of California


If you are a rafting and whitewater aficionado, then California is the place for you. The best time for rafting the rivers of California is during the Spring Runoff, which varies from year to year but is normally from May until July. Here are some of our favourites: 1. Cherry Creek. The Ultimate of rivers […]