Bloukrans Bridge

The Bloukrans Bridge carries the N2 over a deep river gorge on the border between the Western and Eastern Cape, a concrete arch built between 1980 and 1983 with a main span of 272 metres, the longest single-span arch bridge in Africa. Since 1997 it has carried something else: a bungee operation from a platform under the roadway at the centre of the arch, 216 metres above the river, which the operator bills as the world's highest commercial bridge bungee; it held that title for about two decades, until higher bridge jumps opened in China, and jumps from towers, Macau's among them, go higher still. Getting to the platform is part of it - you walk out along a catwalk slung beneath the road deck with the gorge open below, which some people find harder than the jump. There is a bridge walk for people who want the catwalk without jumping, and a viewing deck on the western side where you can watch. The gorge itself is forested and steep.

What you'll find

• The 216-metre jump - for years the highest bridge bungee anywhere and still billed that way by its operator, from under the road deck.
• The catwalk - a walkway slung beneath the bridge to reach the platform.
• The 272-metre arch - the largest single-span arch bridge in Africa, finished in 1983.
• The viewing deck - a place to watch jumpers without paying to jump.

When to go

All year. Two to three hours if jumping, less to watch. Book ahead in peak season.

What to expect

The catwalk out is more frightening than the jump for many people, and there is no way back except walking it. Weight and health restrictions apply. Weather can suspend operations. Watching is free but the viewing deck is a distance from the platform.

Nearby

Storms River Mouth is east; Nature's Valley and Plettenberg Bay are west.

Key facts