Bungee Jumping

111 Metres of Pure Freefall

The Victoria Falls Bridge bungee jump is not the highest in the world, but it may well be the most spectacular. The 198-metre steel arch bridge, designed by George Andrew Hobson and completed in 1905, spans the Second Gorge of the Zambezi between Zimbabwe and Zambia. From the jump platform at the centre of the bridge, you look straight down 111 metres to the Zambezi River, with the spray of Victoria Falls rising behind you and the walls of the basalt gorge framing the scene.

The Jump

The Walk Out

The experience begins in no-man's land — the stretch of bridge between the Zimbabwean and Zambian border posts. You'll be fitted with a full-body harness and ankle attachments while the jump crew talks you through the process. Then comes the walk to the platform — a narrow metal gantry that extends out from the bridge over the gorge.

The Moment

Standing on the edge of the platform, looking straight down at the tiny ribbon of river 111 metres below, is where the real bungee experience happens. The crew will count down from five. Some people jump immediately. Some need a moment. A very few decide not to jump at all (and that's perfectly okay — you'll get a full refund).

The freefall lasts approximately four seconds. Four seconds doesn't sound like much, but when you're falling headfirst towards a river at 160 kilometres per hour, it feels considerably longer. The cord catches you in a gentle deceleration (the modern bungee cord is engineered to eliminate the harsh "snap" of early bungee), and you'll bounce several times before hanging suspended above the river.

The Recovery

After the bouncing settles, the crew lowers a retrieval line. You'll be winched back up to the bridge — a process that takes about five minutes and provides extraordinary views of the gorge, the river, and the falls.

Safety

The Victoria Falls Bridge bungee operation is run by Shearwater Adventures and has an impeccable safety record spanning over 20 years and hundreds of thousands of jumps. Equipment is inspected before every jump, and the bungee cord is calculated for each jumper's weight. The operation has been certified by multiple international adventure activity standards bodies.

Requirements

• Minimum age: 14 years (parental consent required for under-18s)
• Minimum weight: 40 kg
• Maximum weight: 140 kg
• No pregnant women
• No recent neck, back, or heart conditions

Combo Options

Most operators offer combination packages that include the bungee jump with other gorge activities:

• Bridge Swing — a 70-metre arc swing from the bridge, offering a different sensation from the vertical bungee drop
• Zip Line — a 425-metre zip line that carries you across the gorge at speed
• Bridge Tour — a guided walk along the bridge with historical commentary, but without the jump

The Victoria Falls bungee jump is not about conquering fear — it's about choosing to step off a perfectly solid bridge into 111 metres of empty air. That decision, and the four seconds that follow, will stay with you for the rest of your life.