Swimming at the edge of Victoria Falls

08 febrero 2008

It may look insane, but the guy at the picture is not a Photoshoped silhouette placed over a fake landscape. He's swimming at the Devil’s Pool, a natural rock pool at the very top of the Victoria Falls, at Zimbabwe, with a height of about 100 metres.

The Victoria Falls is a waterfall situated in southern Africa between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe. From September to December, due to low water levels, it is possible to swim at the edge of the falls in a naturally formed safe pool, accessed via Livingstone Island.


From Virgin Media : “Life on the edge swim; ... a small jump (what felt like the leap of death) lands you in a small rock pool at the edge of the Falls. As you stand this close to such raw, natural beauty, you can barely hear yourself screaming above the sound of the water rushing down while adrenalin pumps through your body turning it into a shaking, excitable mess. You realise why the not-eating-before-swimming rule has always stuck".


From Wikitravel: You will have the opportunity to stand in shallow water, 2 inches (literally) from where the water gushes over the edge of the falls, and swim in Devil's Pool, a reasonable current-free pool a couple of feet from the top of the falls, close enough to lean over the edge. This makes fantastic photo opportunities with a permanent rainbow from the mist of the falls behind you".

As you can see, pictures taken by Flickr users show smiling families and groups swimming at the pool. No one of them seem to be scared, they're just having a good time.

Many of you may think it is a trick. Well, another Flickr user took pictures from the other side, and this is the result ("Putting the maniacs into context" - he says):




[Via] / See also: Niagara Falls Daredevils

Now, in Fogonazos: The largest natural mirror in the world

30 Respuestas ( Deja un comentario )

  1. Maarten dijo...
  2. Este comentario ha sido eliminado por el autor.
  3. Maarten dijo...
  4. It is certainly not a trick! I swam in devil's pool and it really is an extraordinary experience. While me and my companions entered the pool gently and with care, the locals where jumping and diving right at the edge of the Falls.
    A little further from the pool we encountered an elephant.

  5. Anónimo dijo...
  6. I have done it as well. The ability to go in the pool makes up for the less impressive volume of water during the low season.

    The crazy thing is how you get there. Go to the edge of the river just above the Falls and there are locals just standing around waiting to take people. When I went in 2003, I paid USD 10 though many other wanted more. You can definitely shop around.

  7. Anónimo dijo...
  8. In '93-'94 I spent 18 months travelling around Africa between jobs (5 USD/day - just do it!). Swam in the pool too, tho I don't remember locals requesting $ - times change I guess. Don't forget to bungie jump off the bridge and raft the Zambezi while there...

  9. Kevin dijo...
  10. thrilling...!!
    Awesome experience ...!!

  11. Big Fat Rat dijo...
  12. Haha,

    the girl with the red swimming suit is actually my wife.

    I was wondering why the photo count of that flickr pic has gone up so fast recently and I found out that the clicks were coming from your blog. Nice one!

    Cheers,
    Fritz
    http://travelrats.blogspot.com

  13. Antinous dijo...
  14. It might look dangerous, but it's a lot safer than running against Robert Mugabe in the next election.

  15. Anónimo dijo...
  16. i could not help but wonder what the experience of the pool was like for the first person to jump into it at the edge of the waterfall!

  17. Unknown dijo...
  18. hehe its my youtube video doing the cannonball :)

    my video suddenly hit 250 000 views today and got two honors for most watched australian travel video!

    as others have said, it is a truly unforgettable experience. and one of the best parts of being at the falls during low water. along with great whitewater rafting.

    VIVA LA AFRICA!

  19. Anamika Anyone dijo...
  20. Wow!!!

  21. Anónimo dijo...
  22. ...[Via]...

  23. Unknown dijo...
  24. And now the clicks for the pictures are going to go way, way, WAY up.

    Here comes Fark!

  25. Zahra Billoo dijo...
  26. Wow. This is amazing! Let's organize a trip out from LA!

  27. Dave dijo...
  28. Dang...I get dizzy looking out a third-floor window.

  29. Anónimo dijo...
  30. An African safari is a great experience. I would definately recommend this to anyone looking for an african adventure. Nice photos even though they make my stomach turn just looking at them.

  31. Anónimo dijo...
  32. What about waves from flash floods?

  33. Anónimo dijo...
  34. Oh, it's not a trick. Anyone can go in there. Please kill me before I get to that stage where logic takes over and I’m like, “What? I need to impress others with my travel stories and pictures. Nobody cares anymore about my Alps stories - it's off to Victoria Falls to create more blog photos and stories.”

  35. dijo...
  36. That's the first picture of a lovely young lady in a swimsuit that MADE MY BALLS HURT!
    Well, hurt in a scary sort-a way.

  37. Anónimo dijo...
  38. Wow, This looks real scary.

  39. Anónimo dijo...
  40. This must be a great experiance, I must go there.

  41. Nicole dijo...
  42. This is amazing. I went to Zambia and a few other countries in Southern Africa for my honeymoon. We went to Victoria Falls. But I had no idea you could swim there. Those pictures are amazing. You should post them on this new travel site I found, baraaza.com.

  43. Anónimo dijo...
  44. I love sexleksaker!

  45. Anónimo dijo...
  46. Wow!
    How it works???

  47. Anónimo dijo...
  48. Wow.. this is amazing. I would like to organize a tour soon with my friends.

  49. cheap Hotels dijo...
  50. Amazing Pics!!!! Thats not a trick they are real pictures in my opinion

  51. Wood blinds dijo...
  52. That's really a fantastic post ! Interesting ,I added to my favorite blogs list..Thanks

  53. wool rugs dijo...
  54. I love the pictures. I would like to go there sometime to try it for myself.

  55. Mika dijo...
  56. Wow... amazing !

  57. Rob Edgar dijo...
  58. That is awesome. I could see doing that but I would not take my kids in there.

  59. Anónimo dijo...
  60. How do you get out of the pool? Just sayin'.

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