Devil’s Pool: the swim at the edge of Victoria Falls

What exactly is Devil’s Pool?

At the top of the falls, the Zambezi runs over a shelf of basalt. One section of that shelf has a rock lip standing slightly proud of the drop, and behind it sits a pool. When the river is low enough, the current is gentle enough to swim in that pool, hold the lip, and look straight down roughly 100 metres into the Boiling Pot.

It is, in other words, an infinity pool with the worst possible safety record for anything you would call a hotel feature — and a flawless one as a guided activity, because you only go with guides who do this every day of the season.

When is Devil’s Pool open?

Roughly mid August to January, depending on the river. The pool needs low water: too much flow over the lip and it closes, no discussion. That is the same low-water window that makes the Zambian face run nearly dry from September to December and makes the gorge structure visible.

If you are travelling between February and July, Devil’s Pool will almost certainly be closed. That is also when the falls are at their most spectacular, so it is a fair trade — see the month-by-month water guide before you fix dates.

How much does Devil’s Pool cost?

You book Livingstone Island, and Devil’s Pool is part of being there. The 2026 rates on our price list are:

• Breakfast trip — about 2 hours, US$123 per person plus US$26 park fees.
• High tea trip — about 2 hours, US$163 per person plus US$26 park fees.
• Lunch trip — about 3 hours, US$173 per person plus US$26 park fees.
• Transfer to Livingstone Island — US$46 per person return, if you are staying on the Zimbabwe side.

The park fee is Zambian, not Zimbabwean, which brings us neatly to the passport question.

Can you do Devil’s Pool from the Zimbabwe side?

Yes, and most of our guests do. You cross to Zambia for the morning and come back the same day. You need your passport, and your visa needs to allow the crossing: the KAZA UniVisa covers Zimbabwe and Zambia on one entry, which is the tidy answer if you are seeing both sides anyway.

We book the island trip, the transfer and the border run as one arrangement, so the only thing you have to organise is whether you are brave enough.

Is Devil’s Pool safe?

It is an adventure activity at the top of a waterfall, so it carries real risk, and it is run accordingly: licensed guides, a fixed season, a limit on numbers, and a guide in the water with you at the lip. People have died at Victoria Falls swimming outside that arrangement. Nobody should go near the lip independently, at any water level, ever.

Within the guided trip, the main requirements are being able to swim comfortably and following instructions exactly. If heights make your knees interesting, the island trip itself — breakfast on the edge of the falls — is still worth doing without the swim.