Zambia the plateau in a curve north east to south west, extended west into the heart of the plateau by the deep valley of the Lunsemfwa River. Hills and mountains are found by the side of some sections of the valley, notably in its north-east the Nyika Plateau () on the Malawi border, which extend into Zambia as the Mafinga Hills, containing the country's highest point, Mafinga Central (). The Muchinga Mountains, the watershed between the Zambezi and Congo drainage basins, run parallel to the deep valley of the Luangwa River and form a sharp backdrop to its northern edge, although
R3 road (Zimbabwe) in Zimbabwe connecting Zambia and South Africa. The first is from Lusaka to Beitbridge via Victoria Falls and the other is from Lusaka to Beitbridge via Chirundu, Zimbabwe. The Chirundu Route is shorter but not the fastest. For Trans-African Highway transporters, both Zimbabwean routes are slower and costly. Together with the R5 Highways it forms part of the Beira-Lobito Highway which is the Trans-African Highway Network route number 9. The A1 Highway is currently under rehabilitation together with other regional road corridors in Zimbabwe. Most highways in Zimbabwe are more than 30 years old, outliving their 20-year life span, and