Some Info on Travelling from Lusaka to Tanzania on the Great North Road

Just south of Kabwe: FIG TREE CAFE owned by Anton Staal and family a delightful cafe for delicious home cooked food and cakes with cafe latte ;-)
 
10km south of Mkushi Town just 10km off the main road to your right: LOZA LODGE is a family run lodge on a farm by Caroline, Margaret and Anton Vidmar, ANYTHING you need they can help with and the lodge is lovely too with swimming pool !
 
80km south of Mpika: MUTINONODO WILDERNESS LODGE is 25km on good dirt road off to the right and well worth a few nights if you are birders and love to hike ;-) camping with meals at the lodge and full board is available !!
 
Mpika: CIMS RESTAURANT great for chicken and chips ;-) and there are new accommodation in town on the road towards Kasama a few km from the turn off !
 
100km north of Mpika heading towards Nakonde ... turn off to the left at Shiwa Ngandu sign ... 35ishkm on good dirt is Kapishya Hot Springs nice stop over
 
In Nakonde (border with Tanzania) there is a safe clean and comfortable place to stay (it is accessible from the Zambian side but is on the tanzania side ...use this is you are late to clear customs I cant remember the name but ask anyone .... ) If you do clear nakonde border and it is late dont drive on to mbeya stay at the border ... right there on the main road on the Tanzania side is a guest house clean and safe ! you can leave the car in the Tanzania customs gates for car safety !!
 
give yourself an hour to an hour and half from Nakonde to Mbeya, the road is good and just this side of Mbeya town is UTUNGULE COFFEE LODGE a fantastic place to stay with swimming pool ... aim to reach here if possible and not stay at Nakonde  
 
The road from Lusaka to Serenje is great bar a few big holes, the 320km from Serenje to Mpika will take up to 5hrs as it is not good has a lot of holes that they are starting to mend, the road from Mpika to Nakonde has a few big holes but otherwise is fine !
 
Watch out for the driving after sun set, the overnight coaches take up the whole road, dont dim lights and are road hogs, also there are a lot of trucks.

Courtesy - Claire Powell - www.ThorntreeSafaris.com