By Road
The main overland routes from the south to Zambia are; via Harare in Zimbabwe through the border at either Kariba or Chirundu; via Bulawayo and across the Victoria Falls Bridge; via Botswana across the ferry at Kazungula near Livingstone.
Zambia can be entered from Malawi at the Mchinga/Chipata border, or further north at Nyika Plateau or Chitipa.
The Tanzanian entry point is through the Tunduma/Nakonde border post onto the Great North road,.
Access from Congo D.R. is via the Lumbumbashi - Chingola road, but there is no access from Angola as yet.
Road borders all open at 06h00 and close at 18h00 except Victoria falls which closes at 20h00.
To bring a vehicle into Zambia one must obtain a temporary import permit (TIP), at the border, or depending on the country of origin, a carnet de passage. If the driver is not the owner of the vehicle they must have a letter from the owner authorising the use of the vehicle in Zambia. You must also purchase third party insurance at the border. Have your vehicle papers on hand at all times as road blocks are fairly frequent.
By Bus
There are buses from Dar es Salaam and Mbeya in Tanzania to the border, where Zambian buses can be caught to the Copperbelt and Lusaka. From Malawi, a private bus company runs the Lilongwe - Lusaka Route. Booking in advance is essential. (See listings section for Buses)
The Intercape Mainliner and Translux have services to and from Johannesburg in South Africa. Their combined timetables make possible daily departures.
By Boat
Zambia is one of the five countries bordering Lake Tanganyika and a ferry operates from Burundi to Tanzania to Zambia and back once a week, arriving and leaving the port of Mpulungu every Friday.
By Train
One can catch a train from South Africa to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, then take the ferry train across the bridge to Livingstone (two trains daily) and another train to Lusaka, the Copperbelt or the Northern Province.
From Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, the Tazara line runs through to Kapiri Mposhi, where you can catch another train to Lusaka or Kitwe on the Copperbelt. Customs and immigration are conducted on board.
