WHAT TO EXPECT AT DEVIL'S POOL, VICTORIA FALLS!

Going to Devil’s Pool at Victoria Falls has been on my personal bucket list since I can remember! I’ve seen travel photos of people swimming and laying at the edge of this massive waterfall and it’s always stuck in my head as a travel must do! To my surprise when I was there, I actually went back and forth if I wanted to go. Of course I did want to go, but I just had bungee jumped the day before, which was also pretty expensive (for Africa that is) and I thought I had reached my adrenaline seeking limit. I am SOOO GLAD I decided to book going and didn’t miss this incredible experience! Honestly even the boat ride to get to devil’s pool was a highlight! We got to see 2 elephants swimming super close to our boat! One of the male elephants shook his head at us, basically to warn us not to get too close. My day was already made even before I got to devil’s pool.

To start off the Devil’s Pool trip, we had to get up pretty early because we chose the first tour of the day. This was not by my personal choice because I hate waking up early, but it was the only spot available. We booked with Green Safaris, Livingstone Island Tour Experience.

Spots are limited and it is probably one of the top attractions to do at Victoria Falls so definitely book in advance! It actually worked out well because the lighting was incredible for photos and we got a great breakfast afterwards.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the tour takes off from the Zambia side. If you are staying on the Zimbabwe side, you’ll have to go through immigration and passport control, so allow extra time to get through the border.

We stayed at The Victoria Falls Waterfront Hotel, so we were a 10 minute taxi ride to where the tour takes off from. During our taxi ride we saw a huge herd of elephants right on the side of the road! Again, the day was off to a great start.

There are a few things to know before you go to Devil’s Pool.

When to go

While Victoria Falls is a tourist attraction open year round, Devil’s Pool is not. You can ONLY go to Devil’s Pool when the Zambezi river is low enough to swim. The water levels are lowest usually mid August to end of December. Obviously when the water levels are high and the current is strong, you cannot go because you would simply go over the water falls. Bye Bye. I traveled there at the end of August, and the water levels were low. This actually was a great time to travel to Victoria Falls overall because we could see so much. When the water levels are high, sometimes there is so much mist generated from the falls you can’t really see much.

What to expect

Expect to pay about $100-$200 per person to go. This depends on which booking you choose, there are a few different options (breezer, lunch, afternoon tea, etc). Activities at Victoria Falls usually fall around this price per person.

you can also expect a swim and walk on lots of slippery rocks and terrain. You are only in the actually devil’s pool for a few minutes, since everyone takes turns going in and getting photos. Most of the journey is actually swimming/walking and navigating to get there. There are multiple guides to help and assist. Also free of charge, there are waterproof bags that the guides will put all your belongings in and carry to the falls. If you go first thing in the morning like I did, the water will be pretty chilly. There isn’t much time to acclimatize to the water temperature so you just have to brave it and go.

What to pack

I would recommend packing the following items when you go on the tour:

Phone -you can bring one of those waterproof phone cases but it’s not necessary, the guides will put all your phones into a waterproof bag anyway, and they will be the ones taking all the photos and videos for you

GoPro

Portable charger

Sunglasses– I didn’t have mine on and the sun was so bright, the guides had to go in the waterproof bag and get them for me, which took a few precious minutes away from getting good content when we were sitting at the edge

Swimsuit– I personally wish I wore a one piece swimsuit for this! Only because I woke up feeling very bloated and pictures are just more flattering in a one piece, especially because there are some awkward positions you have to sit/lay on due to the rocks and obviously making sure your body feels physically secure since you are literally laying on the edge of a waterfall!

Sunscreen

Water

Change of clothes, there are bathrooms / changing areas on the island you can use

Water shoes or sandals WITH A BACK – if you don’t have proper sandals that can stay on, they will make you take them off. There is a lot of walking and swimming on the rocks so I would definitely wear foot protection. They do have water shoes/crocs available for you to wear but I decided to wear my own.

Cash for a tip for the guides! And no you can’t tip on credit card

The guides hold your legs while you’re on the edge… mine was shivering while trying to hold onto my legs because the water was so cold….so reassuring.

When I was researching and watching vlogs from Devil’s Pool, I wanted to see the full experience from start point to end so I could know what to expect every step of the way! So I tried to document as best as I could my full experience in a youtube video. The only thing not documented is at the end we all sat as a group and had a great breakfast and coffee before we embarked on the boat ride back.