Victoria Falls: The Smoke That Thunders
Exhilarating Views of Victoria Falls from Zambia’s Devil’s Pool
After our adventure in South Africa, we headed to Victoria Falls. We stayed at the beautiful Royal Livingstone Hotel in Zambia, on the Zambezi River. To say the hotel is beautiful is really not correct; it is the MOST beautiful hotel we have ever stayed in! There were zebras grazing on the lawns and the occasional giraffe would appear.
The hotel pool and bar is set right on the river’s edge, where we saw the most glorious sunsets.
Since we were there in the dry season, we could hike to the very bottom of the falls and see the geology and flowers that grow there in November.
And we had the unique opportunity to swim in Devil’s Pool! Each year, when water levels are low, a natural pool forms among the rocks along the very edge of Victoria Falls. We took a small boat to Livingstone Island, which is where Dr. Livingstone first caught sight of Mosi-oa-Tunya (“The Smoke that Thunders” or what we call Victoria Falls).
Swimming in Devil’s Pool was a truly grand experience. We swam in the pool following our guide.
When we reached the edge, we could sit and look down and across to the water on the Zimbabwe side and experience the sheer height of the falls. The guide held onto our feet as we lay on our stomachs looking down.
We deeply loved our trip to Victoria Falls, being there in the dry season made it a most fascinating and exhilarating experience.
-Photos and text by 10-time WT adventurers Christopher Royce and Rosemary Stannett-Royce, Victoria Falls Extension
