Thomas van Tonder at the highest bridge in Africa, the Bloukrans Bridge. Later this month he will attempt to cross suspended under the arch with monkey bars

Urban Climbing

Red Bull Bridge Bars: Thomas van Tonder at Bloukrans Bridge

Thomas van Tonder will attempt over 600 monkey bars beneath Africa’s highest bridge. Follow Red Bull Bridge Bars: the build, the training, the attempt.

Written by Jazz Kuschke

1 min readPublished on 13.10.2026 · 07:38 UTC

Africa’s highest bridge spans a gorge on South Africa’s south coast, 216 metres above the Bloukrans River, and it already draws people who want to test their nerve. Soon it will host a very different kind of test. South African obstacle course racing (OCR) world champion Thomas van Tonder will attempt to cross more than 600 monkey bars suspended beneath the arch of the Bloukrans Bridge, by hand, without setting foot on the bridge. The arch climbs, flattens and falls away, and Thomas says he does not know if he can do it. This is Red Bull Bridge Bars. Follow the build, the training and the attempt here as the story unfolds.

The Challenge (and the reasons behind the attempt)

Thomas could have taken the easy line, straight across the top of the bridge. He chose the arch: a climb, a flat crown and a descent, each asking for something different. “This is by no means something I know I can do,” he says, “which means it’s the right challenge.” Becoming a father sharpened that, because for Thomas “the process is where the value is.” Read the full story here.