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Zambia Practical Travel Tips


Getting There

The policy of required visas to enter Zambia changes frequently. Journeys2Africa recommends checking with respective embassies prior to travel.
 

The town of Livingstone (near Victoria Falls), as well as Lusaka enjoy daily flight from Johannesburg’s Oliver Tambo International Airport in South Africa. There are also direct flights between Lusaka and London. The Luangwa Valley can be reached by flights to Mfuwe, with scheduled departures from South Africa. Arrivals via Lilongwe in Malawi are quick and convenient.

Self-drive tours are recommended for seasonsed safari enthusiasts.

Zambia is an enormous country and careful route planning is essential. Entry into Zambia from neighbouring countries includes Livingstone (access from Zimbabwe), Chipata (access from Malawi), Ndola (accessfrom the DRC) and Katima Mulilo (access from Namibia). The Kazungula Ferry is a great experience, operating throughout the day from Botswana. There are also regular ferry services across Lake Tanganyika in the north, travelling from Tanzania.
 

Weather
Zambia is substantially wetter than most southern African countries, and the location and elevation of the tropic belt of south central Africa results in a moderate to tropical climate.
 

Zambia enjoys three distinct seasons:
April to August is cool and dry,
September to October is hot and dry
November to March is warm, accompanied by the wet rainy season.
 

Temperatures range from 73ºF (23ºC) in winter (April – August), to 86ºF (30ºC) in summer (November to March). Summers can be very humid. In the river valleys of the Zambezi and Luangwa, October is the hottest month.
 

Language
English is the official language and is widely spoken.
 

Currency
Based on a decimal system, the Zambian currency is known as the Kwacha and is divided into 100 Ngwee. Coins are seldom used.
 

All businesses will accept payments in major foreign currencies, with US Dollars, Euros and South African Rands most widely accepted. Traveler’s cheques in US Dollars or South African Rands are recommended and there is no shortage of Bureau de Change outlets in towns, airports or hotels.
 

Most major cards (especially Visa and MasterCard) are accepted. It is important to note that remote villages will not have credit card facilities. Cash is king when travelling through rural Africa.
 

TMs are available in Lusaka and some of the major towns. Banking hours vary but are usually 8.30am to 2.30pm on weekdays, as well as mornings of the first and last Saturday of the month.
 

Journeys2Africa Travel Tip: In the more remote villages, locals will prefer payment in Kwacha as unscrupulous moneychangers often cheat them.
 

Local time
Throughout the year Standard Time in Zambia is two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, one hour ahead of Central European Winter Time, and seven hours in advance of Eastern Standard Winter Time in the USA.
 

Electricity
All electrical appliances operate on 220 volts. Outlets are designed for square 3 pin, 15 amp plugs.
 

Photo equipment
On safari, a minimum zoom lens of 200 millimetres is recommended for African wildlife photography. Bear in mind that large lenses and elaborate equipment is cumbersome on safari, particularly walking trails.
 

Be mindful of your maximum permitted luggage on a fly-in safari. Often the 12kg luggage limit includes safari attire, hand luggage and safari equipment!
 

On safari in the more remote areas, camera chargers, adapters, spare camera film and batteries are essential.

Don’t forget your photographer ethics! It is considered rude to photograph local people without their consent and it easily offends the local Botswana people if you do.
 

Do not film any military installations, airports or border crossings.