Take your next road trip to new heights, literally, and travel across one of Southern Africa’s mighty and impressive bridges.
Bloukrans Bridge, Garden Route
Standing at 216m above the Bloukrans River and 451m long, the Bloukrans Bridge is a significant landmark for any road trip along the Garden Route. The bridge took three years to build and was completed in 1983. Bloukrans Bridge is one of the world’s highest bungee jumps, behind a 220m bridge in Switzerland and a 233m bridge in China.
Van Stadens Bridge, Eastern Cape
One of South Africa’s most notorious bridges, the Van Stadens Bridge stands at 140m tall, over the arched Van Stadens River, this bridge is joined to the N2 and carries travellers between Knysna and PE. Barricades have been put in pace along the bridge to prohibit history from repeating itself.
Paul Sauer Bridge, Eastern Cape
Also known as the Storms River Bridge, this iconic arch is located on the N2 between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. The bridge was first opened to the public in 1956 and has a height of 120m and a length of 100m. This bridge is particularly special as it was one of the first arch bridges to be constructed in South Africa and was the highest bridge until the Bloukrans Bridge was built.
Umtamvuna Bridge, KwaZulu-Natal
Connecting KZN and the Eastern Cape is South Africa’s largest steel suspension bridge. Located just South of Port Edward, it lies at 30m above the Umtamvuna river and measures 206m in length.
The Nelson Mandela Bridge, Johannesburg
With a length of 295m, the Nelson Mandela Bridge is a marvellous spectacle at night time, lighting up to the colours of the rainbow. The bridge took 18 months to build and was completed in 2003. It crosses over 42 railway lines, which meant it proved challenging for constructors to build without disrupting railway traffic. The bridge stands at 27 metres above land.
Maputo-Katembe Bridge, Mozambique
The drive from KZN to Mozambique has been drastically reduced since the completion of this bridge in 2018. The trip originally took 6 hours from Maputo to the South African border in Kosi Bay and now only takes 90 minutes. Measuring 3km in length and standing 141 metres tall, Africa’s largest suspension bridge is certainly an impressive structure and very much welcomed by road trippers.
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