Hot off the press – the Devil’s Pool at Livingstone Island, Victoria Falls will be ‘open for business’ from Friday 16th August.
The ultimate infinity pool, the Devil’s Pool is a natural pool formation that teeters right on the very edge of the Victoria Falls. Just a small submerged rock wall below the water surface acts as a barrier to prevent anyone from hurtling down the 100m sheer drop of cascading water into the gorge below.
Thrill seekers head here every year when the pool is open to see how close they can get to the edge. The cautious ones sit a few feet away, proud that they have joined the elite few who have the nerve to come here. The true adrenelin seekers throw caution to the wind, and literally hang as far as they can over the edge.
You are only allowed to visit Devil’s Pool when the river flow is at its lowest and safest levels – so between now and December time. Otherwise, nothing short of a miracle would stop you getting carried over the edge when the water is at its highest! Tongabezi Lodge, in Zambia, who own and run Livingstone Island where the Pool is situated, operate 5 tours a day over this time, with a maximum of 12 people per tour.
One of the 7 Wonders of the World, the Victoria Falls are one of Southern Africa’s most popular tourist attractions, and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is estimated that when the Falls are at their highest water levels, about 9 million litres of water per second pour down the vertical 100m drop. The noise is deafening, and both this and the resulting spray, which can be seen from up to 30 km away, has given the Falls their local name of Mosi-oa-Tunya – “The smoke that thunders”.
You can choose to view the Falls from either the Zimbabwe or Zambia side, and a 2-3 night stay here is an ideal extension to any holiday in South Africa or Botswana. From Johannesburg, you can fly to the Falls (either Livingstone on the Zambia side, or Victoria Falls on the Zim side) in just 2 hours, and there are also now direct flights from the Nelspruit Kruger Mpumalanga Airport to Livingstone, making it easy to combine a Kruger safari with the Victoria Falls.