BootsnAll Travel Community

Hello all,

I'm findin it a little difficult to get info on Zambia in terms of distances, driving, and overall info really! Anyone been and got tips? I fancy goin in October for two - three weeks hiring a 4x4 and goin to Luangwa parks and mebbe vic falls. Any tips would be cool n i can swop my tips on South africa as I spent eight months there and have been four times now, hence the idea to go to somewhere different!Kruger is lovely but bit 'easy'...

Ta in advance

Hi, hope you are planning to pop into Botswana as well while you are in vic falls. It is really woth it. as for Zambia, roads are great and the locals are even better. Give me a shout for more details, and i will email you.

Hi,

Not planning to pop over to Botswana but plans change! Will have multi entry visa. Have been to chobe for day trip from Namibia and really liked it. Any info on Zambia would be most welcome, you can post it on here if you like for all to see!

Kind regards,

Alan

HI Alan,

I spent a couple weeks in the Zam Bots area. I hopped a flight from Jburg to Livingstone and spent a couple nights at a place outside town called Jungle Junction which I cannot recommend enough. Sort of like 'The Beach' in the middle of the Zambezi river. They will pick you up from Livingstone. The falls are worth seeing for sure but the town is mostly a jumping off point for safaris and such.

If you are planning to got to Bots which is well worth it, everyone I met from Bots said it's a big pain to cross the borders with a car. Better to have someone transfer you across the border and then pick up a cheap charter flight from Kasane further in or get a car there. Bots is very dusty and drives are long tho so you shouldn't mess around with driving yourself.

One crucial thing that I discovered however was that it is VERY difficult to get money in those places even from banks! It sounds ridiculous but they won't cash travellers checks (too much fraud), the ATMs are often out of service and the machines to get cash advances from your credit cards seem to be down all the time. Also, some of the smaller bureaux de changes run out of local cash so you will need to go to a bank. Of course these are generalizations but be prepared and get as much local currency as you can right away to avoid having to go to the bank if you can and definitely don't ever go on a Friday! Also most atms do not take MasterCard so BRING VISA!!

Good luck and have a great time.

Hi,

Thanks for the info, I was thinking of taking dollars in cash and lots of it, risky but what else can you do? Change a load on the first day and then change at lodges mebbe. Got visa but would rather not use it!

Zambia is a wonderful country but i'm partial after living there for 10 years. its about 5-6 hours from lusaka to vic falls. but definitely see it and go bungee jumping and rafting! lower zambezi is a pretty park as well. kafue national park as lots of cats. i watched a leopard for about a hour there. haven't made it to luangwa. its about 13 hours drive from lusaka i think. its better to fly. i hope that helps a bit. i can't help with prices as we always got the local discounts.

quote:

Originally posted by Smills71:

One crucial thing that I discovered however was that it is VERY difficult to get money in those places even from banks! It sounds ridiculous but they won't cash travellers checks (too much fraud), the ATMs are often out of service and the machines to get cash advances from your credit cards seem to be down all the time. Also, some of the smaller bureaux de changes run out of local cash so you will need to go to a bank. Of course these are generalizations but be prepared and get as much local currency as you can right away to avoid having to go to the bank if you can and definitely don't ever go on a Friday! Also most atms do not take MasterCard so BRING VISA!!

Good luck and have a great time.

Actually, when I was in Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia a few months ago, all the ATM worked out just fine. There are a lot Barclays (a British bank) and Standard Charter in these countries. I withdrew money from ATMs in Livingstone and a mall in Lusaka. So it should not be difficult to get Zambian money (Kwacha)...　

Also, I highly recommend South Luangwa National Park. There are so many hippos and elephants in the park and it is far less crowded than parks in South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania. However, the road from Lusaka (the capital) to the Park is horrible. I guess flying there is more comfortable, but possibly very expensive.

I stay in a campsite called "Wildlife Camp" just outside the Park (and next to the Luangwa River). We could hear the hippos all the time. Accommodation in the park is much more expensive, such as 3 to 400 per night. So it really depends on your budget to decide how you would like to travel.

Hi People,

can any of you recommend a nice hotel for 2 nights in lusaka...i fly in and want to chill by the pool and unwind before my overland trip begin

not too expensive but still nice
thanks