Kazungula Bridge Opens

While much has been said about how the opening of the new Kazungula bridge, which connects Zambia and Botswana, will facilitate flow of trade in Southern Africa, the bridge is also strategically poised to grow tourism in the surrounding Kaza area through easier connectivity for travellers.

The 923m Kazungula bridge, which cost US$260m and crosses the mighty Zambezi River between Zambia and Botswana near the convergence of the Chobe River, provides a new thoroughfare in Southern Africa near the point where Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia converge. The new bridge is expected to alleviate bottlenecks of traffic from some of Southern Africa’s busiest border posts, including Beitbridge, which connects South Africa and Zimbabwe, and Victoria Falls Bridge, which connects Zambia and Zimbabwe.

From a tourism perspective, the Kazungula bridge has been built right in the middle of the Kavango Zambezi (Kaza) Transfrontier Conservation area, which is the largest protected conservation area in the world. Kaza was established as conservation partnership between Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Angola. The area is unique, as it is not only a protected conservation area for animals, home to around 60% of Africa’s elephant population, but is also a place where more than two million people live side by side with wildlife in an unfenced environment.