September 2
The hotel had a nice breakfast
buffet and we took the 7:00a shuttle to the airport for the 10:45a – 11:45p flight
to the VFA Airport. We waited in the Slow Lounge for our departure time at
10:00.
It was a short flight (1 hour 30
min) and they served a small meal and beverages. (good thing as we would have had no time for lunch before leaving for our tour)
We breezed through immigration
having filled out the KAZA UniVisa form (multi-entry) with their App and paid
our $50pp fee in person. (it could have been online, but we had the $100 set aside) The KAZA visa was for Zimbabwe and Zambia as we would
be crossing the border a couple of times during our stay.
We got our luggage and our guide MJ
was waiting for us to take us to Ilala Lodge where we would spend 2 nights. It
was only about a 20 minute ride and we got checked in and taken to our rooms where
we had about 30 minutes to change into swimwear & coverups and meet MJ at
2:00.
Ilala Lodge is the closest hotel on
the Zimbabwe side to the falls. Ilala Lodge Hotel | The Closest Hotel to Victoria Falls
MJ drove us to the border of Zimbabwe
and Zambia where we went through immigration on both sides. MJ left us at the
border, and we were met by Harasol (SP) our driver in Zambia for the Livingstone
Island, Devil’s Pool & High Tea.
Livingstone Island is a seasonal;
exclusive island located right on the edge of Victoria Falls on the Zambian
side. It is famous for being the exact spot where David Livingstone first
viewed the falls in 1855, and it is the launching point for guided tours and
seasonal swims in the legendary Devil's Pool.
Only during the dry season, can you swim in natural rock pools separated from the drop by a submerged rock wall, allowing you to peer directly over the edge of the waterfall. Unfortunately, high safari season is not the optimal time to visit the falls as they are the driest and the huge walls of water are not seen this time of year.
We signed our lives away, freeing
them of all responsibility if the unthinkable happened. We waited our turn for
the 5-to-8-minute speedboat ride through the Zambezi channels to the island.
We were met by the chef who double checked if anyone had any dietary needs before preparing our high tea after our Devil’s Pool experience.
We stowed our things in a locked
trunk and had a short walk on the island on the way to the pool.
They asked if everyone knew how to
swim and only a couple of us didn’t. The guides couldn’t have been more
helpful. They really care about your safety. The first part of the walk was
slightly challenging as there were large and small rocks in different depths of
water and holding everyone’s hand didn’t work well. (daisy chain style) Hard to
be pushed and pulled when your feet aren’t ready at the same time. Tom and
Cathy were the smart ones and turned around and we kept going. Once we got to
the ropes it got harder. For the younger set I’m sure it was a piece of cake
but for those of us over 70 (we were the oldest ones doing it).
At one point the guide had me grab
his shoulders and hang on while he took me to the spot where we would wait our
turn for the Devil’s Pool. Other than banging my legs on rocks, it helped me a
lot and another guy was helping the other one that doesn’t swim.
Once there, we chatted with a few
of the other couples, and the guides called us one at a time for the swim to
the edge. Greg went first and easily swam out to the two guides that would hold
your feet down. (they naturally want to pop up out of the water) They did a
photo shoot (with my cell phone) and then it was my turn and the guide had me
hang on to his shoulders to take me to the edge. We did a couple’s shoot next
and then another guide threw out a rope with a buoy to pull him back. It got my
photo shoot, and it was hard to roll over and lift arms out of the water as the
current was strong. There is a natural lip that keeps you from going over the edge.
It was an exhilarating experience. Once everyone was done with their turn we
needed to return by rope and then walk over the rocks. I made a comment that
anyone contemplating doing this shouldn’t wait until they are in their 70.s One
guy asked if it was OK to ask my age and I said 73 and he said that was his Dad’s
age and he went into full “take care of mama” mode and helped me from behind and
the guide had me in front. I told the guide I was sorry that I was so high maintenance
and he responded with a big smile and said, “but you’ll have the best memories”.
I nearly cried at his kindness.
Greg got a deep cut (J shaped) by
his elbow and was bleeding a lot as it ran down his arm and down his leg. I bumped
the same knee twice on a rock and that hurt but no cuts or bruises. I got a
huge bruise on my shin that didn’t hurt. When we got back, they got a chair and
sat Greg down and cleaned out his cut and got it bandaged.
The High Tea had lots of choices,
and everything was very good. It was now time to walk back to the boats for the
ride back to the mainland.
We did the immigration process in reverse and MJ was waiting to take us back to the hotel.
We were still pretty full from the High Tea but were told that there were appetizers at the bar so we went to order something light. We were told that “it was over” and we could get fries. We asked can we order anything else and he responded we have fries. So, we ordered fries and they were so good that we got another order.
We checked out the artist market next to the hotel, but many things were closed that late and it was more “high end” and no magnets.
Tomorrow, we have a full day tour of both sides of the Falls and a Sunset River Cruise and dinner at The Eatery.
Online photos & videos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/qAjLNnEsEBHokiXM8
