Dona Ana Bridge

The Dona Ana bridge was completed in 1934 to carry the railway between Beira and present-day Malawi across the Zambezi at Sena, replacing a river ferry, and at around three and a half kilometres it was for a long time the longest railway bridge in Africa. It was damaged, converted to a single-lane road bridge for a period, and has since been restored to rail use. Standing at either end, the line of trusses running out across the river is the whole point.

History

Before the bridge, goods from Blantyre reached Beira by rail to the Zambezi and then by river steamer or ferry, a journey of two to three weeks; a line from Beira to Murracca, opposite Chindio, was finished in 1922, but the ferry crossing remained. The bridge, built in 1934, was then the longest railway bridge in Africa, and after years as a road bridge it was reopened to rail in 2009 (Wikipedia, Dona Ana Bridge).

The main sights

• The span - around three and a half kilometres of truss bridge across the Zambezi.
• The Zambezi - the river at its widest in this stretch.
• The rail line - the restored coal route from Moatize to the coast.
• The trusses - the 1934 steel structure running to the far bank.

When to go

May to September is the cooler dry season and the clearest. The river is highest between January and April. Morning and evening light along the span is the best.

What to expect

It is a working railway bridge and walking on it is not permitted. There is no viewpoint, no facilities and nothing else at Sena. The roads to reach it are poor.

Nearby

Caia is south on the Zambezi, and Tete is upriver.