By Air 

Zambia is accessible by air through Kenneth Kaunda International Airport – Lusaka; Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula – Livingstone; and Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe – Ndola. There are flight connections from Lusaka the Capital to major cities and towns such as Livingstone, Ndola and Solwezi.

By Road

Zambia is accessible by road from most countries in the region (15 countries) such as Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe just to mention a few. Some road borders are open 24 hours while the others close by 6pm. Locally, there is a wide network served by several private bus companies providing coach travel services.

Road Conditions

Most roads have been tarred and are in a very good condition. In remote areas, some roads are non-tarred but serviced with gravel.

By Train

Zambia’s rail network connects to Zimbabwe and Tanzania. There are regular scheduled train services running locally and regionally. The local train service is run by Zambia Railways. The regional train services include TAZARA and the annual tourist services – Blue Train and Rovos Rail from South Africa to the Victoria Falls.

By Water

The MV Liemba cruises to three countries namely Burundi, Tanzania and Zambia at Mpulungu Harbour.

Hours

The bank operational hours are 09:00 to 15:30 hours Mondays to Fridays; and 09:00 to 11:30 hours on Saturdays. International banks in Zambia include Barclays and Standard Chartered. There are several other banks, local and regional, with services throughout the country namely ZANACO, ABSA, FNB, Finance Bank, Ecobank, UBA, Access Bank.

Automated Teller Machines (ATMs)

These are available at major cities and towns throughout the country. They accept major debit and credit cards such as Visa and Mastercard.

Business hours

Government offices are open from 08h00 to 17h00, Monday to Friday, closed from 13h00 to 14h00 for lunch. Shops are generally open from 08h00 to 17h00, Monday to Friday although some stay open until 19h00 and on Saturdays.

There are several new shopping malls in Lusaka, Livingstone, Ndola and Kitwe which open throughout the weekend and house a number of regional and international brand retail shops, and supermarkets.

Zambia has three distinct seasons. December to April: warm and wet, May to August: cool and dry. September to November: hot and dry. Average temperatures in summer range from 25° C to 35° C and in winter from 6° C to 24° C.

Extreme hot days are usually experienced in the month of October.

Currency

The Kwacha (ZMW) is the local currency. There are coins are in denominated in 5n, 10n, 50n and K1 while paper notes are in denominations of 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100.

Currency regulations

There is no limit to the importation of foreign currency, provided it is declared on arrival through a currency declaration form.

Credit Cards

Most hotels, restaurants, travel agencies and the bigger shops will take both debit and credit cards – Visa and Mastercard.

Communication

Postal services are fairly well organised in Zambia. Telegrams are less certain. 

Internet Services are available almost throughout the country. The mobile network providers provide up to 4G and fibre network is available in major cities and towns.

Public telephones are available but limited to post office buildings. Some internet cafes also provide this service.

International dialling is available. The prefix is 00 before the international country telephone code.   

Customs

Travellers may, for their own consumption, import 2.5 litres of duty free beer, wine or spirits and 400 cigarettes or 500gms of tobacco.

Coach travel

See Accessibility By Road above.

Car Hire

There are many car hire companies in Lusaka and a few in Ndola, Kitwe and Livingstone, offering a range of vehicles. Some offer a flat weekly rate, but most charge a daily rate plus mileage or daily fixed rate, insurance and petrol.

Public transport

There are many taxis available. Prices are negotiable. There are buses serving both local and regional destinations.

Domestic Air Services

Currently there are scheduled flights to Livingstone, Mfuwe, Solwezi and Ndola. Services scaled down due to COVID-19, schedule subject to change. Check for updated information on the website.

Proflight Zambia and Zambia Airways serve the domestic air network and a few air charter companies.

Various air charter companies will fly to any of the many airstrips around the country and most of the tourist areas accessible by air.

International Flights

Airlines serving Zambia are: Emirates, Qatar Airways, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Air Tanzania, and RwandAir. More airlines expected to restart their services to Zambia as COVID-19 eases. Check the website for updates.

Departure Tax

Departure tax is prepaid and is embedded is your air ticket under the code JI.

Drivers Licence

Visiting drivers must hold an International Drivers Licence or a SADC Licence.

In Zambia, one drives on the left-hand side of the road. The general speed limit on national highways is 120km/h, secondary roads 100km/h and in urban centres 65 km/h unless otherwise indicated.

To bring a vehicle into Zambia one must obtain a temporary import permit (TIP) or, depending on the country of origin of the vehicle, a carnet de passage. If the driver is not the owner of the vehicle, they must have a letter of authorisation from the owner for use of the vehicle in Zambia. Your local AA office should be consulted before leaving for Zambia to check whether any of these conditions have changed.

Some of the information contained herein may change from time to time, it is advisable to check with Zambian Tourism Board for updated information.

Fuel

Petrol and diesel are available in all major cities and towns, spare fuel is advised if travelling to remote areas as the commodity may not be available at times. Unleaded petrol and low sulphur diesel (Diesel 500) are used in Zambia.

Insurance

Third party insurance for vehicles must be purchased at the border on entry for a nominal fee.

If you don’t have a dedicated travel insurance policy, you should check if your regular cheap home insurance includes any travel cover, such as lost items while travelling. Travel insurance policy is available from major insurance companies locally.

The following items may be imported into Zambia without incurring customs duty:

400 cigarettes or 500g of tobacco; One bottle of spirits and wine and 2.5 litres of beer (opened); 1oz bottle of perfume.

Note: Souvenirs may be exported without restriction but game trophies such as tooth, bone, horn, shell, claw, skin, hair, feather or other durable items are subject to export permits.

Emergency Numbers

• Emergency – 999
• Police – 991
• Lusaka, Central police station – 0211 220006
• Lusaka, Central Fire station – 0211 220180
• Lusaka, Ambulance service – 0211 220180
• National telephone operator – 100
• National directory – 102
• International operator – 090
• Ambulance – 991
• Fire brigade – 993
• Hospital UTH – Lusaka
  – General Line – 0211 251200
  – Casualty Direct Line -0211 254115
• Livingstone Central police 0213 3 323575/
  320116
• Livingstone Fire station- 0213 324043

Health Requirements

Visitors from or passing through a yellow fever and cholera zone (most of tropical Africa and South America) must produce a valid International Certificate of Vaccination. Air travellers who only pass through the airports of such a zone are exempt from the requirement. See Health International/ MARS, and Speciality Emergency Services for Medical Rescue Services.

Medical services

There are several private hospitals and clinics in most major cities and towns including Livingstone.

Medical Insurance

Medical insurance should be purchased before leaving country of origin and should include emergency air evacuation coverage if you’re spending any time in remote parts of the country. There are two medical rescue organisations.

Chemists / Pharmacies

Travellers should carry an adequate supply of their prescribed medicines although chemists in the major centres carry a wide range of medicines and first aid accessories.

Language

There are over 73 local dialects spoken in Zambia. The official language is English.

 All media and business is in English and most Zambians speak it fairly well. Bemba and Chinyanja are most commonly used local languages.

Membership to International and Regional Organisations

INTERNATIONAL: Commonwealth, GATT, ILO, IMF, NAM, UN, WB, WHO

REGIONAL: African Development Bank, Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA) AU, Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Media

Magazines: Lusaka Lowdown Maps of Lusaka, reviews of accommodation and restaurants, consumer affairs, articles on tourism and other Zambian issues, life in Lusaka, regular features, interesting links and an archive of back issues.

Daily Newspapers:

• Daily Mail
• Times of Zambia

There are several offline and online media.

Radio Stations: ZNBC, 5 (FM), Radio Phoenix, QFM, Hot FM, Christian Voice, to mention just a few. Several other radio stations run on Frequency Modulation (FM)

TV: ZNBC national broadcaster, Muvi TV, TBN, Mobi TV, QTV and Satellite TV

Public Holidays

• 1st January New Year’s Day
• 8^th March International Womens Day
• 12th March Youth Day
• Good Friday (Easter)
• Holy Saturday (Easter)
• Easter Monday
• 1st May Labour Day
• 25th May Africa Freedom Day
• 1st Monday of July Hero’s Day
• 1st Tuesday of July Unity Day
• 1st Monday of August Farmer’s Day
• 24th October Independence Day
• 25th December Christmas Day

Entertainment / Clubs

There are several sporting and social clubs in the major cities, the options get fewer in towns and other areas. Memberships either long or short term may be required. Most will charge a temporary membership fee.

Religion

Zambia was declared a Christian nation in 1991, however, there is freedom of worship in Zambia with several religion being practised.  Christianity is followed by over 60% of the population.

Security

Zambians are very friendly and helpful and the country is generally safe. However, it is important to exercise caution and avoid suspicious places.

 There are police stations in all towns to address any security concerns.

Time

Zambia is two hours ahead of Universal Central Time (UCT), one hour ahead of Central European Time, seven hours ahead of Eastern USA time and ten hours ahead of Western USA time.

Tipping

In some establishments service charge is on your bill, if not it is advisable to tip 10% of the total bill for good service.