A small group of four, we set out at 7:30am in a motorboat from the Royal Livingstone Hotel. Skimming over the shallow water and weaving around rocks on the Mighty Zambezi was just a warm up for the day's adventure: a breakfast tour of Livingstowe Island with Tongabezi http://www.tongabezi.com.

From the moment I set foot on the island all I could do was smile. The short walk was marked with ample signs of recent elephant visits--stripped branches, dung towers, and footprints the size of basketballs. After an overview of the day's agenda by our charming guide and a quick stop off at the "loo with a view" we hit the back side of the island. When the vegetation cleared we all fell silent. We were standing right at the edge of the Victoria Falls in all its massive glory.

What a sight!

Being able to walk directly along the cliff at water's edge is an experience unique to the Zambian side of the Falls. To be sure, the Falls offer something special year round but, since high water means low visibility and visa versa, we also enjoyed having a good balance of both during our late African winter visit. 

Just as we got comfortable with our lofty lookout, it was on to the "main event" otherwise known as the Devil's Pool. For those that don't know, the place is legendary and for good reason; it's the only spot in the world where you can swim in a naturally formed infinite pool that drains its overflow into a gorge 111 metres below. And no, you don't have to wear a seatbelt, harness, or stand behind a fense. This experience comes just as nature intended it.  

Even getting there from the island was an adventure in itself. "Everybody, line up and follow me. Don't go off track or you'll be a sacrifice to Nyami Nyami" one of our guides said to us half in jest as he jumped into the moving water separating us from the Devil's Pool. We were just metres from the edge and where the run-off was deep we took some comfort is seeing a floating safety line downriver.

Swim done it was time to get serious; we were in the presence of the Devil. At the sight of what we were about to jump into everyone immediately broke into cheers and cries of child-like excitement. Let me try to explain it. I've traveled to over 35 countries, hiked glaciers, climbed mountains, paraglided fjords, scuba'd reefs, trekked forests, jumped out of planes overlooking desert and ocean, and the like. Yet in all honesty, never in my life have I seen something so picturesque, so novel, or so impossibly precarious as the Devil's Pool. It really is just the most absurd way to experience one of the seven natural wonders of the world that I found I was frequently breaking out into laughter throughout and well after the journey. Simply put, the Devil's Pool is Heaven on Earth.

After sufficiently indulging in the experience, we went back to the island for a gourmet breakfast--falls still in plain sight--and attempted to put words to what had just happened. "How am I going to explain this to people?" one asked. "My friends are going to hate me after seen these pictures" said another in the group.  

But it wasn't until recounting experiences with friends back at our place that we decided the Livingstone Island trip didn't have to be just "once in a lifetime". With breakfast, lunch, dinner, and walking trips options we figured the experience deserved at least a double dip.   Boy were we glad we did.  

The second day was as unique an experience as the first and we left it with no feeling of redundancy or wasted time. It started at 3:30pm from within the main park gates. The walk to the island paralleled the Falls from the furthest Zambian corner and was really a team effort as we tried not to slip while wading through the water.  

We thought we were heading straight for Livingstone Island, but fortunately for us our guide had other plans. "Ever heard of the Angel's Armchair? Well today is the first day it's open to the public". What luck!  For all I'd ever heard about the Devil's Pool, why news of the Angel's Armchair never reached me is a bit of a mystery. It's the bigger brother, offering what I would consider to be an even better view as well as the chance to cliff jump from 8, 4, or 2 meters. Just my kind of detour.  

Another 30 or so minutes and we were right back at the island. Only this time, our guide took us to a stomach-tossing picture spot. There's nothing like looking new friends in the eyes and telling them to hold your legs down as though their lives depended on it. Returning to the Devil's pool at sundown presented an entirely new reason to fall in love with the place.

 

Boating back to mainland there was a lot of hugging, smiling, and spontaneous laughing. Tongabezi's Livingstone Island tours crystalize the Livingstone experience in all its profound beauty.

For more information about Livingstone as the Gateway to Africa's Wonders, please go to http://www.livingstonetourism.com