Best Haunted Hotels: Victoria Falls River Lodge
Marvel as elephants, hippos and African buffalo roam past your room then have a conversation with an ancient Shona tribe member. This area and hotel is rich in energy and history.
The town and area around Victoria Falls is bursting with life. The locals are lovely, taking so much pride in their land. They have incredible reverence for the animals and rightly so. The animals roam free here. While private reserves are fenced, the majority of the land is free – including on the resort at the Victoria Falls River Lodge. My mother and I were told upon arrival that we can roam anywhere between 6am and 6pm. After sundown is when it really gets wild here, and while we didn’t take any chances or feel the need to break the rules, I did bring out my maglite one evening while sitting onthe deck. It was dark and the only light to be seen was that of the moon glancing off the river. It was after sunset, about 10pm and the only sound to be heard was that of the evening insects chirping in the wood. Amazingly, the light began turning on and off on command right away.
For ghost hunting, I use a mini maglite that twists on and off. This is important, as a click on/off doesn’t work. I twist it so that it’s just barely turned off, but easy for a spirit to use energy to jump the circuit and turn the light on and off at will. I use yes and no questions and allow the spirit to use the light to answer — yes (light on) and no (light off). Read more on my method of ghost hunting in this post.
The Victoria Falls Spirit: The Shona Outcast
To be honest, I didn’t expect to find such a powerful spirit in such a peaceful place.
I was amazed at how quickly the spirit was able to gain and keep control of the light, turning it on and off on command. Below are the yes and no answers I was able to write down as I had this enigmatic conversation with a lonely woman who had lived hundreds of years ago unfolded to my delight and dismay.
I’m so glad you’ve come to talk to us. And I’m amazed you’re able to control the light so quickly. Have you spoken to people like us before?
No (light remained off)
Did you work here at Victoria Falls River Lodge?
No (light remained off)
Are you a man?
No (light remained off)
Are you a woman?
Yes (light turned on - I waited and told her to turn the light off again so I could continue asking questions.)
So you are not a man?
Yes (light turned on).
Thank you. I had to verify you do indeed have control. And it seems you do!
The light turned on.
So you did not work here at the hotel?
Yes (light turned on).
I decided to start at the beginning. According to Wikipedia, the Shone people were the first to settle the land.
Are you of the Shona people?
Yes
The Shona people were the first tribe of Zimabwe and lived in the area between 1000 and 1200 B.C. Wow, I thought. We’re talking to a person who was here long ago.
Did you live here with a tribe?
No
You were not part of a tribe?
Yes
But you didn’t live here with them?
Yes
Were you out cast for some reason?
Yes
So you lived alone?
Yes
Were you outcast because you were a witch?
No
Were you outcast because you had a sickness?
Yes
Did people fear your sickness?
Yes
Did you die fairly young?
Yes
Were you a man?
No
Were you a woman?
Yes
Sorry, I had to ask again just to verify. With a light like this I hope you understand we want to make sure we’re getting things right.
Light turned on and kept bouncing as if she was speaking to us and the light was emulating her voice.
But this it he land your tribe lived on?
Yes
Do you visit because it’s sacred tribal land where your people lived?
Yes
Do you like the people that come here and stay at the hotel?
No
Is it because not everyone understands and respects that land?
Yes
I agree with you, not everyone is as respectful. Hopefully you think we are and that’s why you’re talking to us.
Yes (the light went bright here, not sure if it was because we were just cool people or because so many aren’t but we started making jokes about the couple who had stayed in the hut before us and she seemed to like and agree with them).
Maybe I can tell the lodge to get better guests (we laughed).
Yes! (the light went bright at that and started flickering again as if she was talking)
Were you in your 20s when you died?
No
30s?
No
40s?
No
50s?
Yes
Well I guess people didn’t die that young back in your day. I didn’t think people lived so long. I should stop assuming people died young.
Yes! (again the light went bright in agreement)
Did you farm your own land?
Yes
Were elephants a problem?
Yes
We heard they are prone to tramping in gardens.
The light went bright again in strong agreement. We laughed.
Did you fish in the river?
Yes
Did you make a raft or simple boat?
Yes
Wow! You made a boat?! That’s amazing!
The light flickered on and off like she had much to say about it. This happened a lot during our conversation.
At this point we started asking her which fish she liked to eat:
Catfish - yes
Triggerfish - small blink
Bream - bright light
Sardines - nope
Killifish - yes
Humpback largemouth - yes
I bet crocs were a problem
Yes
Did you eat crocodile?
Strong light in agreement on this one (can you imagine killing a croc for food?!!)
Did you weave baskets?
Yes
Did you make beautiful, creative baskets?
No
I guess you wouldn’t have a lot of free time to be making creative baskets.
Yes (in agreement she did not have time get creative with her baskets, and rightly so).
Did you sleep in trees?
No
I guess you wouldn’t be very safe in trees. Baboons sleep in trees.
Yes
And leopards.
Yes! (very bright light on this one)
Did you have a safe place to sleep, like in a cave?
Yes
Was your cave close to the tribal land here?
No
Was your cave far?
No
Was your cave less than half a days walk from here?
No
Was your cave a days walk from here?
Yes
Was your cave down river, towards the falls?
No
Was your cave up river?
Yes
Are you with your family in afterlife?
Yes
I feel like we have hard lives but it’s the accumulation of the experiences in many life’s that give us lessons.
The light went on in agreement
Are there other spirits here in this area with you?
No
The night is beautiful and peaceful here.
The light stayed off.
Perhaps the night was not a good time for you.
The light went on in agreement.
It was probably dangerous with all the animals. I bet you don’t like it.
Bright light in agreement again.
Were you killed by an animal?
No.
Was it your disease that killed you?
Yes.
At this point, we had been conversing for quite awhile. I was tired and I was sure she must be getting tired as well. Her energy was so lovely. I was feeling incredibly blessed to have been witness to her story. This lovely, strong, powerful woman who had lived her entire life alone, in a dangerous land, and made it to over 50 years old. This woman was a force to be reconned with. Why had she chosen me to talk to? I couldn’t imagine. I said goodnight and thanked her in the only way I knew how.
You are a lovely spirit. I’m so glad you came to talk tonight. I’m going to bed now. I’m glad you have found your family in the afterlife. Thank you for sharing yourself with me.
The next day I mapped the approximate location of her cave and asked the trackers at the lodge about he area. They were unaware of any cave. But the land has changed dramatically due to the flow of the river, so who knows. Interestingly, the area she cited as a days walk north along the river is one of the better known and used fishing holes.
I’ll never forget my beautiful, solitary Shona spirit “warrior princess” who came to tell me her sad story. I hope I was able to give her some comofort that she was not alone nor forgotten.
