Beautiful but dangerous places

Trift Bridge

Devil’s Pool is adjacent to the famous Livingstone island situated on the edge of the Victoria Falls. Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa- Tunya, is a waterfall in southern African on the Zambezi River at the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe.

                A famous feature is the naturally formed “Armchair” (Devil’s Pool), near the edge of the falls on Livingstone island on the Zambian side. When the river flow is at a certain level, usually between September and December, a rock barrier forms an eddy with minimal current, allowing adventurous swimmers to splash around in relative safety a few feet from the point where the water cascades over the falls.

                During the season, Devil’s Pool is shallow enough that can people can safely swim right to the edge before the waterfall drops more than 100m. this is as close as you can get to the thunderous roar and permanent rainbows that adorn this magnificent natural World Wonder. You can jump safely and sitting on the rock wall, the guide will hold your ankles and you can lie and hang your arms over the edge. It is truly fantastic to look down rainbows, hear the roar of the waterfall as it thunders past you, and look far, far down into the frothy, spray below.

Although the pool is shallow, and there is a safety line for those caught in the current on Devil’s Pool, it is recommended that only adept swimmers brave the water near the edge.

                You won’t get swept down by the force of the walls because of a natural rock wall just below the surface. This is as close you can get to the thunderous roar and permanent rainbows that adorn this magnificent Natural World Wonder.

                Devil’s Pool is adjacent to living stone island on the Zambian side of the Zambezi river. This is where David Livingstone first set eyes on the Victoria falls remarking “scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight”. to get to Livingstone island you take a motor boat from the landing at the royal Livingstone hotel. On the island you scramble a fair way over rocks and swim thought the river. The guide will show you exactly where to swim to avoid the strong currents and rocks. You do have to be a decent swimmer to feel comfortable. the water is lovely and warm though, and feels great.

                As the name suggests this is the island from which Dr. David Livingstone first witnessed the fall in November 1855. From here he lowered a length of calico with a bullet attached as a weight measure the depth of the fall.