A Century of Engineering, Suspended Over the Gorge
Victoria Falls Bridge Tour: History Above the Zambezi
The Victoria Falls Bridge has spanned the Batoka Gorge since 1905, built where Cecil Rhodes insisted it be placed so that passing trains would catch the spray of the falls. A guided bridge tour takes you beneath the deck on the original maintenance catwalk, out onto the steel arch itself, and through the small museum that tells the story of how it was put up in fourteen months without a single span touching the water below. It is part history, part engineering, and part standing very high above a very impressive river.
What Is the Bridge Tour?
The tour begins on the Zimbabwean side with a short briefing and a hard hat, then takes you down onto the catwalk that runs underneath the road and rail deck. From there you look straight down into the gorge and across at the falls. Guides cover the bridge’s construction, the men who built it, the role it played in the region’s railway history, and the part it has played since in politics and trade between Zimbabwe and Zambia. The walking is short and the pace is easy, but you are working at height throughout.
Heights, Safety & Suitability
You will be harnessed and helmeted, and guides are with you at every stage, but there is no getting away from the fact that the catwalk is open, the gorge is directly beneath you, and it is a long way down. Anyone uneasy with heights should think carefully. Closed shoes with grip are essential, and loose items are best left behind rather than dropped. The tour is short, usually around an hour, and it combines naturally with a guided visit to the falls themselves on the same morning.
Safari Tours Featuring Victoria Falls Historical Bridge Tour
Plan Your Bridge Tour
The bridge tour sits well alongside a guided visit to the falls and a sunset cruise on the same day. Tell us your dates and we will build the day around it.