Chirundu is a small border town situated in the hot and humid Zambezi Valley, on the banks of the Zambezi River. It’s located on the T2 highway which links up to the A1 highway in Zimbabwe and is thus one of the busiest border crossings in Zambia; it sees trucks transporting goods from the large harbour in Beira in Mozambique, as well as trucks from South Africa and Zimbabwe. Chirundu means ‘people following one another in a line’ which refers to the queues of people waiting to cross the Zambezi River!

There are two bridges crossing the Zambezi river at Chirundu. The Otto Beit Bridge, financed by the Beit Trust and completed in 1939, is a single lane steel suspension bridge. As truck transport surpassed rail freight, a need arose to build a second bridge, one which could bear heavier loads and ease congestion by handling traffic in both directions. This second bridge, called the Chirundu Bridge, was completed in 2002. The Otto Beit Bridge was initially closed to traffic but later reopened in 2005 for pedestrians and passenger vehicles to ease congestion on the Chirundu Bridge. Maintenance on the old suspension bridge is however ongoing and it’s mostly closed to traffic.

About 15 km west of Chirundu you’ll find the Chirundu Fossil Forest which has petrified trees dating back some 150 million years. It’s a national monument but not well signposted. Look out for a plaque indicating the Chirundu Forest Reserve, or use the T4A GPS maps to navigate to the location.

BORDER INFO:
In 2009 new border facilities were built to turn Chirundu border post into a one-stop border post (OSBP) in an attempt to ease congestion. It’s important to note that if you’re travelling from Zimbabwe into Zambia, you first cross the bridge over the Zambezi River and then proceed with all formalities (both exiting Zimbabwe and entering Zambia), on the Zambian side of the border. If you’re travelling from Zambia to Zimbabwe, you will again first cross over the Zambezi into Zimbabwe, and proceed with all formalities on the Zimbabwean side of the border.

EMERGENCY SERVICES:
Tow-in services: Try: +27(0)97 473 7848 / +260(0)96 676 1647 (Based in Lusaka).

NOTE: Visitors to Zambia are advised to have their own personal travel insurance. Local police, hospitals, clinics etc. cannot be relied upon.
Please note that any emergency numbers indicated on our data will be for the local police, hospital, clinic etc. and most of the times, don't work. Many tourism sites show the numbers like 999 for police, they often don’t work.

If you have a medical problem when in Zambia, Specialty Emergency Services has a Call Centre (24 hours). Phone them on 737. This company has offices in Livingstone, Lusaka and Kitwe. But they will fly anywhere to assist if visitors have the right insurance. If you want to check your insurance, contact SES on [email protected]. (http://ses-zambia.com/). (2019).

MECHANICAL REPAIRS:
Gwabi Lodge may have a mechanical repair shop.
There are a number of guys in Chirundu (on the side of the road) that can do minor repairs.

SAFETY WARNING:
Special care should be taken when driving the Chirundu / Lusaka road as it’s particularly busy with transport vehicles and pedestrians alike, and is notorious for accidents.

SHOPS & SERVICES:
Chirundu town doesn’t offer much of interest for tourists, but it’s a convenient place to shop and refuel if you’re on your way to a nearby lodge to do some tiger fishing or game viewing.

There’s a Shoprite in town, as well as several banks and fuel stations.

TYRE REPAIRS/SALES:
Tyre repair is also done on side of the road. 2nd hand tyres available, and some new.

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