The border between Namibia and Zambia is defined by the mighty Zambezi River, a frontier that serves as the final link in the Walvis Bay-Ndola-Lubumbashi Development Corridor. This 225-kilometer border is a critical economic artery, connecting the mineral wealth of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo to Namibia’s deep-water port on the Atlantic coast.
Your crossing will be at the Katima Mulilo border post, where the impressive Sesheke Bridge spans the Zambezi. This bridge, opened in 2004, replaced a slow ferry service and transformed the route into a major highway for international freight. The crossing is the gateway to Namibia’s unique Caprivi Strip, a narrow panhandle of land that juts out to meet the Zambezi.
The border post is a modern and generally efficient facility. The process is straightforward, but the crossing is busy with a constant stream of heavy trucks carrying copper from the Zambian Copperbelt to the port of Walvis Bay. The town of Katima Mulilo is a bustling hub that serves as the administrative and commercial center for this remote and strategically important region.
This border is a testament to the power of infrastructure to unlock economic potential. The bridge and the high-quality Trans-Caprivi Corridor highway have created a vital east-west link across southern Africa, offering a faster and more efficient route to the sea for several landlocked nations. It is a journey through a landscape of wide rivers and lush floodplains, a passage shaped by modern commerce.