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A 1905 steel arch over the Zambezi, shared by Zambia and Zimbabwe
Victoria Falls Bridge: History & Culture
The Victoria Falls Bridge is a steel arch across the Zambezi River, on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. It carries road, rail and pedestrian traffic. It is also the sole rail link between the two countries and one of three road crossings between them. The border posts sit at Livingstone on the Zambian side and at Victoria Falls town on the Zimbabwean side.
This page covers its history, what you can do on and under it, and how to reach it. Because the bridge belongs to both countries, you can approach it from either side.
The bridge grew out of Cecil Rhodes’ unrealised Cape to Cairo railway scheme. Rhodes reportedly told his engineers to build the bridge “where the trains, as they pass, will catch the spray of the Falls”. He died before construction began.
George Andrew Hobson designed the bridge, with stress calculations by Ralph Freeman. The Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company of Darlington, England, built it. Construction ran from 1904 to 1905 and took about 14 months. Sir George Darwin officially opened the bridge on 12 September 1905.
The bridge is 198 m long in total, and its main arch spans 156.5 m. It stands about 128 m above the river. Keep that figure separate from the bungee drop below. The jump is 111 m, which is the jump height and not the height of the bridge.
The bungee jump is the bridge’s best-known activity. Shearwater runs it, and the drop is 111 m with about 4 seconds of free fall. The jump takes place in no man’s land between the two countries. The weight limits are 40 to 140 kg.
Besides the bungee jump, operators on the bridge offer:
The bridge tour is a guided historical tour with access under the main deck. It suits visitors who want the story of the Cape to Cairo scheme and a look at the structure from below, without the jump.
You can walk onto the bridge and stand with one foot in Zambia and one in Zimbabwe. It is a simple, free-feeling way to appreciate the border setting, even if you skip the adrenaline activities.
The nearest airport is Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport (IATA: LVI), on the northern edge of Livingstone. It is about 5 km by road from the city centre and about 15 km from Victoria Falls.
You need a passport to reach the bridge. On the Zimbabwe side you receive a gate pass and walk about 15 minutes to the bridge. The pass does not permit entry to the other country.
The Zambian border post is at Livingstone. A passport is needed here too, because the bridge sits at an international border.
The bridge makes it easy to base yourself on either side. You can visit the Falls and both towns, Livingstone and Victoria Falls town, from whichever you choose. Stays, restaurants and wider things to do are best found on the Livingstone and Victoria Falls pages, so you are not working from two separate lists.
The bridge is a working border crossing, a piece of early twentieth-century engineering and an adventure venue in one. It was built so that passing trains would catch the spray of the Falls, and it still sits close enough to the Falls to share their setting. Whether you walk out to stand in two countries, take the guided tour under the main deck or jump 111 m, it is a natural stop on any visit to Livingstone or Victoria Falls town.
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Bungee jump (111 m, Shearwater); bridge tour under the main deck; border walkway; bungee swing; bridge slide
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