Unlocking the power of underwater worlds

Mosi-oa-Tunya – that’s what Victoria Falls is called by locals, meaning ‘The Smoke that Thunders’. The name evokes the Zambezi River’s mighty roar as it plunges off 100m high precipices, sending billowing clouds of spray high into the sky.

Watching the world’s largest waterfall in action is thoroughly invigorating – and research tells us so. The rapid collision of water charges the air and when it hits our bloodstream, the resulting reactions can relieve stress, boost energy and improve mood.

Anyone staying at Matetsi Victoria Falls, benefits from an aerial perspective too, aboard the ‘Flight of the Angels’. As the helicopter swoops over the falls, remember the words of explorer David Livingstone on first seeing this place: “A sight so wonderful that Angels must have gazed down on it in flight”.

Water’s shifting states stimulate the senses in varied ways, and Grenada’s waterborne attractions run the gamut of emotions. A tubing excursion on the Caribbean island’s Balthazar River sets adrenaline levels pumping, testing participants’ mettle and promoting mental clarity.

Feel-good endorphins flood the body when hiking up Turfton Waterfall, buoyed by a spirit-lifting soundtrack of cascading water and verdant jungle backdrop.

The tempo switches to a more restful pace at Grand Etang Lake, formed from a volcanic crater and set within a national park. Meditating on its tranquil, tree-fringed shores, contemplate the fathomless depths of the ‘bottomless lake’ – so-called because Sonar has been unable to locate its deepest point.

Water and spirituality are deeply intertwined – think of baptisms, pilgrimages to sacred rivers, or ablutions before worship. The Ancient Mayans were no different.

For this civilization, cenotes weren’t only vital sources of drinking water, but also portals to the underworld, symbols of re-birth and transformation. Venturing into these otherworldly chambers needn’t require an odyssey, though.

There are 10,000 cenotes dotted across the Yucatán Peninsula alone and Rosewood Mayakoba runs excursions to its favourite three. Hear about both the mythology and geology of these subterranean sites, naturally formed millions of years ago by collapsing bedrock. To the metronomic drip of water and flutter of bat wings, meditate on the marvels of Mother Nature and after a cooling dip, just maybe, emerge transformed.