The Victoria Falls Bridge crosses the Zambezi River just below the Victoria Falls and is built over the Second Gorge of the falls.

After David Livingstone recorded the existence of the Victoria Falls in 1855, people settled around the area called Old Drift, 10 km west of the Falls, a place where it was possible to cross the Zambezi River in a canoe or pontoon. When Cecil John Rhodes became the prime minister of the Cape Colony in 1890, he had a vision of a railway line from Cape Town to Cairo, connecting all British property in Africa. This meant crossing the mighty Zambezi River and Rhodes insisted that a railway bridge be built where the spray of the falls would fall on the trains crossing the bridge. In 1900 the building of the Victoria Falls Bridge began and the inhabitants of Old Drift moved nearer to the falls where the bridge was being erected. The bridge was completed in 1905 and with easy access by train, the falls became a popular tourist attraction. Victoria Falls were declared a World Heritage Site in 1989, and is one of the New Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

The bridge has a parabolic arch design and took just 14 months to build. It was opened by Charles Darwin’s son, Professor George Darwin. The bridge was built of steel and is the only rail link between Zambia and Zimbabwe and one of only three road links between the two countries. For more information visitors can visit the Victoria Falls Tourist Information Centre. (Nov-19).

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