Zambia: Travelling

Entry Requirements

Passport and Visa Service: Zambia e-Visa

For Further Information: List of Zambian embassies abroad

Check IATA Travel Website for visa requirements and health advices.

Organising Your Trip

Transportation From Airport to City Centre:

Airport	Distance	Taxi	Bus	Train	Car Rental
Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (LUN) in Lusaka	26 km/16 Miles NE of the City	Average fare from the airport to the city is USD 20 - 20-30 mins	30 minutes	n/a	available
Livingstone International (LVI)	6 km/4 Miles NW of the city	To the city USD 5, 10-15 mins	Various tour companies run shuttle buses into the city and to other locations	n/a	available

Major airlines

Name	Type	Domestic Flights	International Flights
Proflight Zambia	Charter	Yes	No
Corporate Air	Charter	Yes	No

You Can Consult The EU Air Safety List. Look Also at the rating of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Visiting

Different Forms of Tourism

Historical: Zambia offers a variety of historic sites, including: the Ayrshire Farm Rock Engravings, the Gwisho Hot Springs (where human skeletons from late Stone Age can be found), the Kalemba Rock and Kundabwika Rock paintings, the Niamkolo Church in Mpulungu (the oldest surviving church building in the country) and the Castle Hotel in Lundazi.
Cultural: Zambia has several museums. The main ones include: the Maramba Cultural Museum (displaying arts, crafts and culture of Zambia) and the Livingstone Museum (historical) in Livingstone, the Moto Moto Museum (culture and folklore) in Mbala, the Lusaka National Museum (historical and cultural) and the Victoria Falls Field Museum (natural).
Nature: Zambia has 20 national parks and around 30% of its territory are reserved for wildlife. Among the most important reserves there are the South Luangwa National Park, the Kafue National Park, Lower Zambezi National Park and the Nsumbu National Park. Visitors could see animals such as elephants, leopards, lions, giraffes and zebras.
Zambia's main attraction are the Victoria Falls, at the border with Zimbabwe. During the peak of the rainy season, more than five hundred million cubic meters of water per minute plummet over the basalt cliffs, over a width of almost two kilometers, into a gorge over one hundred meters below. Columns of spray can be seen from kilometers away. Several activities can be experienced at the Victoria Falls park, including kayaking, bungee jumping, hydrospeeding and rafting.
Religious: The Niamkolo Church is the oldest surviving stone church in the country and has been declared a national monument in Zambia. Other religious sites include the Cathedral of the Child Jesus in Lusaka and the Cathedral of St. Theresa in Livingstone.
Thermal: Zambia is not rich in mineral and thermal water, however the country has some hot springs, like those of Kapishya, a natural hot spring surrounded by lush tropical vegetation and tall raffia palms.
Beach: Although totally landlocked, Zambia has several lakes whose beaches became a tourist destination. The most important are Lake Kariba, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Mweru.
Winter Sports: The climate of Zambia is not suitable for winter sports.
Outdoor Activities: Zambia has 34 game management areas. South Luangwa, Kafue and Lower Zambezi rank among the finest game parks in the world. The country's national parks can offer a wide array of outdoor activities, such as safaris, fishing trips, kayaking, bungee jumping, hydrospeeding, abseiling and rafting.
Shopping: The Kabwata Cultural Village in Lusaka is a good place to buy local handicrafts, along with jewellery, paintings, drums and handbags (produced locally). Tribal Textiles, 20km away from Mfuwe, is a factory that produces bags, wall hangings, bed linens and sarongs through the collaboration with local artists.

Top Highlights in the Main Cities
Lusaka National Museum
Livingstone Museum

Top Highlights of the Country
Victoria Falls
Devil's Pool
South Luangwa National Park

Tourism Organisations: Zambia Tourism

Living Conditions

Health and Safety

Health Precautions: There are no specific vaccination requirements to enter Zambia (except for vaccine against yellow fever which is required from travellers over one year of age arriving from countries with a risk of yellow fever transmission and travellers having transited more than twelve hours through the airport of a country with risk of yellow fever transmission). Nevertheless, WHO and foreign ministries of various countries recommend the following vaccines before entering the country: Hepatitis A, Malaria, Typhoid, Hepatitis B and Rabies.
For Further Information on Sanitary Conditions: CDC - Health Information for Travelers to Zambia
For Further Information on Safety Conditions: U.S. Department of State - Zambia Travel Information
Government of Canada - Zambia Travel Advice
OSAC - Zambia Crime and Safety Report

Emergency Numbers

Emergency	999
Police	991
Ambulance	991
Fire Brigade	993

Time Difference and Climate

Time and Time Difference: It is %T:%M %A In Lusaka (GMT+2)
Summer Time Period: There are no Daylight Saving Time clock changes in Zambia.

Map of the Time Zone

Time zone

Type of Climate: Located in southern Africa, Zambia has a tropical or sub-tropical climate. The country is almost entirely covered by a plateau, which tempers the climate, making the temperatures generally acceptable throughout the year. There are three seasons: cool and dry from May to August, hot and dry from September to November, and warm and wet from December to April. In the warm wet season, frequent heavy showers and thunderstorms occur, followed by sunshine (the wettest areas being the northern ones). During the cool dry season, night frosts may occur.
Hotel reservation websites: Zambia Meteorological Department

Average Annual Temperatures and Rainfall

Climate

Eating

Food Specialties: Zambian cuisine is typically rich in starchy roots, cereals and foods such as beans, soups and stews. Nshima, a stiff porridge prepared from pounded white maize, is usually eaten with hands and served with a relish (such as ndiwo - made from fish or meat boiled with vegetables - or ifisashi - vegetarian stew with peanuts, vegetables, spinach and cabbage). Other typical plates include: biltong (spiced dried meat), sautéed insects (such as grasshoppers, flying ants and worms) and seafood from the lakes (like kapenta, a small sardine).
Drinks: Main drinks include traditional maize-made beers like mosi and chibuku. The most common non-alcoholic drink is the munkoyo, which is made from munkoyo tree roots and maize meal.
Dietary Restrictions: Some tribes still have their dietary taboos: for example, in the Bemba culture it is taboo for a bride to eat eggs because it believed it may affect her fertility; or in the Lozi group newlyweds are served porridge off of a stone to bless the couple.
Muslims (around 1% of the population) normally do not eat pork meat (unless it is “halal”, which means it is permissible or lawful in traditional Islamic law) nor drink alcohol.

Paying

Domestic Currency: Zambian Kwacha
ISO Code: ZMW
To Obtain Domestic Currency: Forex bureaus are available all over the country. Informal money changers are also common (especially at the southern African border posts), but be careful of fake bills.
ATMs are available within major towns. Visa cards are more readily accepted than MasterCard or American Express cards.
Possible Means of Payment: According to the Zambian law, payments within the country can only be made in Kwachas, even when the price is quoted in USD. However some establishments will accept USD.
Most hotels, restaurants, travel agencies and the bigger shops will accept credit card payments.

Speaking

Official Language: English
Other Languages Spoken: In Zambia several languages are spoken, mostly from the Bantu family. These include Bemba, Nyanja, Lozi, Tonga, Kaonde, Luvale and Lunda.
Business Language: English

Useful Resources

To Find a Job: Glassdoor Zambia
Go Zambia Jobs
Careers24 Zambia

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