Arrival
by Rail
There are two points of entry into Zambia. One
is via the Tazara line from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, which only goes as far as Kapiri
Mposhi. From there, one can change trains (and stations) for the journey to Lusaka. There
are two trains a week running in each direction. The schedules are unreliable and should
be confirmed prior to travel. First second and third class (not recommended) are offered.
Dining is not available and very often neither is water. Expect full immigration and
customs checks when crossing the border. The other line is from Zimbabwe, via Victoria
Falls town to Livingstone. Trains run every second day from Livingstone to Lusaka.
Arrival
by Road
Zambia can be entered by road from Congo D.R,
Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Botswana and Namibia. : All road borders are open
24 hours a day except for Chembe, Kazungula, Kariba and Chirundu, which
are open from 06h00 to 18h00. Victoria Falls Bridge is open untill 20h00.
Arrival
by Water
The only water access to Zambia is on Lake
Tanganyika . The MV Liemba, one of the world’s oldest operating steam ships, runs
scheduled services from Bujumbura in Burundi, via Kigoma in Tanzania and docks at Mpulungu
in Zambia. The ferry takes vehicles, cargo and passenger in first, second and third class
(not recommended). Compartments and meals are available. Delays of up to twenty four hours
are possible.
Banks
Operational hours
are 0815 to 1430 hours Mondays through to
Fridays and 0815 to 1030 hours on 1st and
last Saturdays of the month.
Business
hours
Government offices are open from 08h00 to
17h00, Monday to Friday. Closed from 13h00 to 14h00.
Bank hours vary from bank to bank but most are open from 08h30 - 14h30 Monday to Friday.
Only some are open on Saturdays.
Shops are generally open from 08h00 to 17h00, Monday to Friday although some
stay open until 19h00 and on Saturdays from 08h00 to 13h00 although some
stay open til 17h00.
Climate
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.
Currency
The Kwacha has
denominations of 50, 100, 500, 1000, 5000 and 10 000, 20 000 and 50 000
kwacha notes.
As of October 2006 US$1 = K3845 but this rate fluctuates regularly and
sometimes quite dramatically.
Click here for the latest currency exchange rate
Basing the exchange on K4300 (though
it fluctuates often so check the rate today) - this is a handy guide to what your money is
worth
$10 = K43 000
$50 = K215,000
$100 = K43,000
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 credit cards. Most of the bigger banks will advance local
currency against a credit card. Standard Chartered, Stanbic and Barclays Banks
have ATM's which accept Visa cards for cash.
Chemists
/ pharmacies
Travellers should carry an adequate supply of
their prescribed medicines with them although chemists in the major centres
now carry a wide range of medicines and first aid accessories.. There are
some emergency chemists open after hours
or Sundays in Lusaka.
Clubs
There are a limited number of sporting and
social clubs in the major towns. Visitors are usually welcomed. Some charge a temporary
membership fee.
Communications
Postal services are fairly well organised in
Zambia and you should have no problem sending or receiving letters. Telegrams are less
certain. There are two commercial Internet servers in Lusaka and another on the
Copperbelt.
E-mail: There are several
Internet Cafes in Livingstone and Lusaka and time on line is very
reasonable. A popular one in Lusaka is at the Kilimanjaro
Coffee shop at the Manda Hill Shopping Centre with several computers, a
hotspot connections and great food!. Arcades shopping centre also has a
large Internet Centre and there are several in Cairo Rd.
Internet Service Providers are
Zamnet,
Coppernet,
Zamtel,
Microlink,
Iconnect,
Africonnect
and most offer
broadband or dial up connections now.
Public telephones are available in most public buildings,
ie. post offices, and most use tokens. International calls can also be made from a private
home or large hotel. (Note the surcharge at hotels is quite high). Direct dialling to
neighbouring countries requires 4 sets of numbers: first the international prefix 00, then
the country code, the city code, then the number. Incoming calls usually cost less than
outgoing calls from Zambia. To book an operator assisted international call, dial 090 or
093. Local directory assistance is 103. There are secretarial services along Cairo Rd in
Lusaka that offer telephone, fax and telex and email facilities for a fee.
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
There are buses from Dar es Salaam and Mbeya
in Tanzania, to the Copperbelt and Lusaka, as well as from Lilongwe and
Harare to Lusaka. Other privately owned companies run domestic services over
a number of routes There is a bus terminus behind Shoprite supermarket in
Cairo Rd.
Car Hire
There are many car hire companies in Lusaka
and a few in Ndola, offering a small range of vehicles. Some offer a flat weekly rate, but
most charge a daily rate plus mileage, insurance and petrol. Most cars come with a
chauffeur and are thus expensive. See
Car
Hire Companies for Rates.
Domestic
Air Services
Currently there are scheduled flights
available to Chipata, Kitwe, Livingstone, Mfuwe
and Ndola.
Zambian
Airways flies
to Livingstone, Mfuwe (South Luangwa), Victoria Falls and any charter flights
Proflight flies to Mfuwe (South Luangwa) and
Livingstone and charters.
Various
air charter
companies will fly to any of the many airstrips around the country and most of the
areas worth visiting are accessible by air.
Departure
Tax
Departure tax is
at airports is US$25 (international) and $8 (domestic), payable in hard currency. Travellers cheques are not acceptable.
Most tickets issued are now inclusive of
departure tax. You should check this when
buying your ticket.
Drivers
Licence
Visiting drivers must hold an International
Drivers Licence. Drivers licences from other countries are not valid except
SADC countries. New residents are
required to pass a driving test. A person driving into the country on business can have
their car admitted without having to pay duty, provided they will not use it for hire or
commercial purposes. They will also have to show that the car is owned by themselves or by
their company.
Duty Free
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, 220006
-
Lusaka, Central Fire station, 220180
-
Lusaka, Ambulance service 220180
-
National telephone operator 100
-
National directory 102
-
International operator - 090
-
Ambulance - 991
-
Fire brigade 993
-
Hospital
UTH - Lusaka
- General Line 251200
- Casualty Direct
Line254115
-
Livingstone Central police 03 323575/320116
-
Livingstone Fire station- 03 324043
Energy
Local current is 220v, 50 cycle AC
Government
The government of Zambia is elected in a
multi-party general election every five years. Up until 1991, when the first multy-party
elections were held, the country was ruled by Kenneth Kaunda in a one party state. The
Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) and their current leader Levy Patrick
Mwanawasa, are now the
ruling government for the third term. Their economic policy is to move Zambia from a centralised, state
driven economy to a more liberal open market economy that is private sector driven. The
Government has put in place the necessary incentives to encourage private investment which
includes privatisation of State owned companies, rehabilitation of strategic
infrastructure, a stable monetary policy and the recent enactment of the Competition and
Fair Trade Act.
Health Requirements
Visitors from or passing through a yellow
fever and cholera zone (most of tropical Africa and South America) must be able to 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.
International
Flights
Airlines serving Zambia are:
Zambian
Airways, Air Malawi, Air
Zaire, Air Zimbabwe, British Airways, Kenya Airways, , South African Airways, Ethiopian Airlines and Regional Air There are frequent services to and from Lusaka and a limited number to Mfuwe
International Airport in Luangwa Valley. The Airport is 24kms from the
centre of Lusaka.
Insurance
Third party insurance must be purchased at the
border for a nominal fee.
Language
There are over 73 dialects spoken in
Zambia, but the official language is English. All media and business is in English and
most Zambians speak it fairly well. Bemba is the next most commonly understood language,
followed by Nyanja Tonga, Luvale, Lozi, Mambwe and Tumbuka.
Membership
INTERNATIONAL: Commonwealth, GATT, ILO, IMF,
NAM, UN, WB, WHO
REGIONAL: African Development Bank, Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA)
OAU, 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.
Newspapers: :
.
Radio Stations: Mulungushi (FM), Phoenix,
Christian Voice, Trinity Broadcasting, Radio Icelengo, Voice of America, BBC and radio
Canada can be picked up on Short-wave
TV: ZNBC Evening broadcasts only, to major metropolitan centres in
English. Mnet and Satelite TV
Other Zambian Sites
Zambia
on Line (general Zambia e-zine)
Zambiz Business Directory
Lyrics Africa (Zambian music)
Medical
services
Medical services are underdeveloped and only
in Lusaka, Ndola and Livingstone can you find anything resembling western standards. There
are a number of small clinics in Lusaka which are better than the general hospitals, but
the clinics in the rural areas have little more than quinine, aspirin and band aids.
See
Speciality Emergency
Services. or
Hospitals
Medical
Insurance
Medical insurance should be purchased
before you leave your own country 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. (See listings)
Petrol
Petrol and diesel can be readily obtained in
all major towns, but shortages are common in the very remote areas so make sure you have spare
fuel for emergencies. Both petrol and diesel get more expensive the further away you are
from the line of rail. Unleaded petrol is now available at most BP stations
in the major towns.
Public
Holidays 2007
-
Monday
1st January New Years
Day
-
Monday
12th March Youth Day
-
Friday
6th April Good
Friday
-
Saturday 7th April
Holy Saturday
-
Monday
9th April Easter
Monday
-
Tuesday 1st May
Labour Day
-
Friday
25th May Africa
Freedom Day
-
Monday 2nd
July Heros
Day
-
Tuesday 3rd
July Unity Day
-
Monday
6th August Farmers
Day
-
Wednesday 24th October
Independence Day
-
Tuesday 25th December
Christmas Day
Public
transport
There are many taxis available. Prices are
negotiable. There is a good bus service to Chipata, Livingstone, the Copperbelt and
Harare, but they don’t always follow strict schedules. The main bus terminus is in
Dedan Kimathi road in Lusaka where one can enquire about timetables. Other private bus
companies offer more reliable services to Livingstone, Harare and Johannesburg.
Religion
There is freedom of worship in Zambia with
over 15 different churches. Christianity is followed by over 60% of the population.
Road
Conditions
Zambia has a total road length of 38763kms
tarred roads, 8592kms gravel roads and 21999 kms dirt roads. Zambia is notorious for
potholes and roadsigns are few, but there are major roadworks on some of the
main routes at the moment as the roads are finally being upgraded.. SOme of
the more remote roads require great care and caution while driving.
Avoid driving at night if possible as there are no roadmarkings and potholes and animals
occur when least expected. A 4x4 is recommended if you’re going anywhere off the main
routes.
Road
Rules
In Zambia, one drives on the left hand side of
the road. The general speed limit on national highways is 100km/h, secondary roads 100km/h
and in urban built up areas 65 km/h unless otherwise indicated.
Security
Petty theft is as common as any
major city where
unemployment is high. Be very awake when walking around carrying anything of value, there
are master pickpockets here and there. Never leave your vehicle unlocked and
never change money on the streets. For the most part, however, Zambians are very friendly
and helpful.
Time
Zambia is two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean
Time, one hour ahead of Central European Time, seven hours ahead of Eastern USA time and
ten hours ahead of Western USA time.
Tipping
Tipping is
discouraged as it is included as service charge on your bill.
Vehicle
permits
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. Otherwise, write to the Controller of Customs and Excise Headquarters, Box
60500, Livingstone, Zambia.
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