ESSENTIAL SAFARI GEAR – PACKING GUIDE
What to pack :: |
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Comfortable wash-and-wear clothing is most useful. The right safari clothing will give the best experience of your adventure in Africa; jewelery should not be part of this collection. Jackets and ties are only required in certain hotel restaurants and golf clubs. All hotels and most lodges offer quick laundry services, usually done within a couple of hours. It is not necessary to bring a separate change of clothing for each day and evening, and it is recommended that you keep luggage to a minimum. |
What to take along :: |
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- Anti-malaria prophylactics - Sunblock - Sunglasses - Comfortable walking boots - Sandals - Binoculars, camera and accessories (remember spare batteries) - Casual lightweight cotton, khaki or neutral coloured clothes for safari - Fleece or sweater and a warm jacket for game drives or cool evenings - Shorts & cotton T-shirts - Swimming costume - Wide brimmed hat - Personal toiletries, sun barrier creams and lip creams |
Maps & Field guides?:: |
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We recommend the following:- - Michelin Map No 955 – Africa Central & South, Madagascar - Robert’s Birds of Southern Africa – G L Maclean - Newman’s Birds of Southern Africa – Kenneth Newman - Field Guide to Mammals of Southern Africa – Chris & Tilde Stuart - Southern Africa Mammals – Robin Frandsen |
Videos & Photography :: |
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For photography of birds and animals a 300mm telephoto lens is recommended. Films & batteries are only available in larger cities and tend to be expensive. We recommend that you take along sufficient films and a spare battery for your camera. Participants must not take photographs of border posts or military/ police posts as this can lead to an unpleasant situation and even arrest. In most parts of Africa it is considered respectful to first ask permission before taking a photograph of the locals (eg the Masai in Tanzania) and in many cases, payment is expected. Some cultures believe that the camera steals their soul and we request your respect and understanding in their beliefs.Many people bring video cameras on safari. The power supply in the countries that we will be visiting are mostly 220-240 volts. It may be possible to recharge the video camera off the battery of the vehicle through a 12 volt cigarette lighter socket (this will be at the discretion of your safari guide & will not be allowed if there is a risk of draining the batteries). We recommend that you take along enough batteries and recharging equipment with cigarette lighter adapter. |
Food & Drinks :: |
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Please bear in mind that in certain areas it is not possible to obtain fresh fruit and vegetables. In summer (September – April), fresh produce will only keep for 2/3 days. Teas and coffees are readily available while in camp. Mineral water, soft drinks & alcoholic beverages are not included but may be purchased en route from local bottle stores or supermarkets. Please take along a bottle of your favourite drink/liquor.A continental breakfast consisting of cereals, bread, jams, tea, coffee and powdered milk is served in the mornings. Lunch is usually a cold picnic. Brunch with eggs and bacon is sometimes prepared when in camp. Dinner is a hot meal often prepared |
Facilities :: |
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Facilities (eg showers and toilets) in the remote areas that we shall be visiting are somewhat primitive and at times non-existent. PLEASE COME PREPARED! At times we will stay in camps with facilities (eg hot & cold running water, showers, toilets etc), at others we will bushcamp (providing our own facilities). Participants are usually very quick to adapt themselves to the conditions of the safari. |
ZAMBIA – Where to Stay, things to see and do
INTRODUCING ZAMBIA
The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered by the [British] South Africa Company from 1891 until it was taken over by the UK in 1923. The name was changed to Zambia upon independence in 1964. Dr. Kenneth Kaunda was the first Republican President for the independent state and the United National Independence Party (UNIP) was the ruling Party, until 1990. From 1972 to 1990, Zambia was a one-party state under Dr Kenneth Kaunda and UNIP. General multi-Party elections were held in 1991, 1996 and 2001 and a by-election in 2008, all of which were won by the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD). Frederick Chiluba of the MMD was the Second Republican President and was in power from 1991 to 2000. Dr Levy P. Mwanawasa of the MMD was the third republican President and was in power from 2001 until his death in 2008. The current and Fourth Republican President, Rupiah B. Banda (MMD) took over in 2008 after winning the October 2008 Presidential by-election.
THE PEOPLE
Zambia has over 73 different tribes, with a population of just about 10 million people, most of whom live in and around the urban centres. The population growth however, at 3.7 % p/a is among the highest in the world.
In the cities, especially Lusaka, where there is massive unemployment and poverty, the informal sector has been allowed to multiply. There is a growing number of thieves, pickpockets and beggars, but if you don’t walk around with anything obviously stealable, it’s quite safe and most will be more than willing to chat or give directions. For the most part Zambians are very friendly people.
There is no predominant ethnic culture and Zambians are fast becoming westernised. There is however, an attempt to maintain traditional customs with the revival of tribal ceremonies amongst the various tribes in different parts of the country. If any of these are taking place during your visit, they’re well worth attending
SAFETY
As far as personal safety is concerned, one could easily hitchhike alone throughout the country without a problem. Theft however is possible in the bigger towns and cities as it is the world over. Don’t walk around with things you can’t do without, like your passport or airline tickets. Carry minimum amounts of cash and keep it hidden or in a money belt and if possible, don’t leave your car unattended. This is less of a problem in the rural areas.
MEDICAL EVACUATION
Zambia has very comprehensive Medical Rescue Services.
CLOTHES
Zambia has mild winters and the summer days can get quite hot. Lightweight casual clothes can be worn all year round, with a jacket or jersey for early winter mornings and evenings. On safari keep clothes to a minimum and mostly of neutral colouring – khakis, browns and greens. A sunhat, sunglasses, sunscreen and insect repellent are a must.
LAUNDRY
Most hotels and lodges will offer a laundry service. For low budget travellers there are no coin operated laundromats at all so consider drip dry clothing and be prepared for hand washing. In most places one could hire someone to do your washing.
HEALTH
A yellow fever certificate is mandatory if you are travelling from an infected area. Vaccinations for cholera, tetanus and yellow fever are advised. Malaria is virulent in the low lying areas of the country which include most of the good wildlife destinations. Take prophylactics two weeks before arrival and continue two weeks after leaving. Your chemist or doctor can advise you of the most suitable drug available as certain drugs lose their effectiveness.
Tap water in the major towns is purified and perfectly safe to drink. In the more remote areas always boil it first, except if you’re staying at a lodge or hotel where drinking water is boiled already. Bottled water is readily available in the bigger towns. www.medicineplanet.com
PHOTOGRAPHY
Zambia is an extremely photogenic country. From panoramic scenery, wildlife and birds to people and vibrant ceremonies. Rich colour and good low lighting conditions abound. It is considered rude to take pictures of people without asking them first.. Keep your cameras in a dust resistant, padded case and out of the midday sun. A 200mm (or longer) telephoto lens will prove very useful on safari.
WHEN TO GO
Zambia’s three distinctive seasons provide visitors with different perspectives depending on the time of year.
- The Luangwa Valley for example is best for game viewing during the dry season from June to October, but the rainy season, with its spectacular profusion of greens and reds changes the landscape dramatically and the bird populations increase with the arrival of migrants from the north.
- The Victoria Falls are at their most spectacular between April and May after the rainy season but often the spray is so thick it is difficult to see the full width of the falls. To appreciate the magnificent rock formations and gorges, it is just as interesting to come when the water is low at the end of the dry season from October to December.
- Kafue National Park is best from May to October as is the Lower Zambezi. Ideal road travelling months are April to September as the heat is at it’s most bearable.
VEHICLE TRAVELLERS
If you’re doing a vehicle trip through Zambia it is a good idea to carry a range of tools and essential spares with you. Two spare wheels and a couple of spare tubes are a must due to the condition of the roads although most have improved vastly in recent years. Spare jerry cans of fuel and water, a tow rope, compressor, winch and a spotlight are useful items to have. Many of the villages along the main routes offer tyre mending services at a very reasonable fee. Road maps are available in Lusaka from the Map Centre in Nationalist Road or the Tourist Board in Lusaka Square, Cairo Rd.
ON SAFARI
Always remember that while some animals have become accustomed to the presence of people they are still wild animals. Keep your distance. It is illegal to feed any animal, make excessive noise to attract their attention, or deviate from designated roads for that closer photograph. Never get out of your vehicle except at designated points. Close all windows and zippers when you leave your room or tent and spray it with insect repellent.
The best way to get the most out of your safari is to take an active interest in everything going on around you, not just the number of species you can see in the shortest possible time. Ask all the questions you can think of and take reference books on not only wildlife but birds, insects and trees and read up about everything you see.
CAMPING
Zambia is a fascinating country to travel around by vehicle. Even though camping facilities are marginal, if you’re well prepared you can find some of the best, unexplored and remote places in the country and very often have them all to yourselves. Be fully equipped for spending the night with no facilities at all except perhaps a nearby river. Have a bucket for washing pots and clothes, all cooking gear and all the food you need for the whole journey apart from fresh vegetables. Meat is not always available in the remoter areas so bruch up on your vegetarian meal making skills! Most villages will sell onions, tomatoes, potatoes, bread, sugar, salt and oil. You can buy just about anything you need for your journey in Lusaka, but tinned food is pricey. Always have at least twenty litres of drinking water in the vehicle at all times as well as spare jerry cans of petrol. It is best to boil all water before drinking it.
Be very careful in towns and villages not to leave your vehicle open and unattended. People with little are easily tempted. You should have no problem sleeping outdoors in designated camping areas or remote places along the way, but like anywhere in Africa, get into the habit of locking things away before you go to sleep.
ACCOMMODATION
Zambia has a wide range of standards when it comes to places to stay – from five star hotels and first class luxury lodges, to rustic bush camps, guesthouses and campsites. Foreigners must pay in hard currency except for the smaller guesthouses. Not all of the small town hotels are equipped to take travellers cheques or credit cards. Be aware of the ‘extra’s’ added onto your bill – 10% service charge and 17.5% VAT. See Listings for Hotels. Camps or Lodges options at each destination.
CURRENCY
It’s best to come into the country with either travellers cheques or dollars or pounds which can be exchanged at any of the many Bureaux de Change in the main Towns. If you are offered an exchange on the black market at the borders, exercise extreme caution as they are notorious for cheating you without you even realising it. Travellers cheques attract a commission when changing to other currencies.
The Zambian currency is the Kwacha and it fluctuates quite regularly.
In 2011 – 1 US$ buys you 4800 Kwacha . Nobody uses ngwee coins any more as they are worthless.
Most used denominations are K500 and K1000, K5000, K10 000 and K50 000 notes
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
NATIONAL FLAG
The flag of Zambia was hoisted for the first time at midnight on the 23rd October, 1964, symbolising patriotism and the nation’s natural resources. An eagle in flight over three stripes of red black and orange on a green background. Red represents the struggle for freedom, black, the people of Zambia, orange the country’s mineral wealth and green the wildlife and environment. The eagle in flight symbolises the freedom in Zambia and the ability to rise above national problems.
NATIONAL BIRD
The Fish Eagle
GETTING AROUND
By Air
Proflight flies to Mfuwe (South Luangwa) and Livingstone and charters. Avocet has various routes as well. Sky Trails specialises in Northern Zambia. 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.
Domestic departure tax from airports is $8 per person.
By Bus
Long range Buses frequently leave from Lusaka to all the main towns.The intercity bus terminal can be found one road up from Cairo rd at the station.
Minibuses and taxis, local transport - all painted blue - can be jumped on at pretty much any juncture. They’re not expensive and you can always find a minibus that won’t cost too much to buy all the seats in it to get your own private minibus to wherever you want to go but you’ll have to negotiate so be sharp about the value of money.
By Road
Zambia has 38 763kms of roads, 8200 kms of which are tarred and another 8000 kms all weather gravel road. The rest range from reasonable to bad dirt roads. If you’ve come into Zambia without a vehicle, you can hire a chauffeur driven vehicle to get around town or around the country. See Car Hire Companies
Be really careful, especially if travelling at night for road markings are usually non existent. There is much road rehabilitation finally being done so perhaps this won’t be as bad in the near future. Do watch out for animals in the road, vehicles without lights pedestrians, unannounced roadworks, bad drivers and broken down trucks with no warning triangles. If you see a branch in the road, slow down immediately – these are improvised warning triangles and there’s bound to be a truck or car in the middle of the road up ahead. Never leave a car with anything visible in it in Lusaka, if possible make sure you have an alarm system or steering wheel locking device. Car theft happens, but avoidable if you’re careful.
The gravel roads on the minor routes are fine to drive without a four by four, but if you’re doing a long trip around the country there are wonderful remote places to go to that would require 4×4 durability.
Unleaded petrol and diesel is available at most of the major towns, but gets more expensive as one gets further from the railway line. If travelling in the more remote areas be sure to take extra supplies as availability is not always guaranteed. If it’s an emergency, try the local markets. They sometime have cans of petrol for sale.
Be sure to have all your vehicle papers on hand as you’re bound to encounter a few roadblocks and if you ever need to stop, pull well off the road.
By Train
Zambia has three main internal train lines,
1. Livingstone / Lusaka
2. Lusaka / Copperbelt,
3. Kapiri Mposhi to the Northern border with Tanzania.
The main train station is in Dedan Kamathi Rd. in central Lusaka, one road east of Cairo Rd.
The Kitwe-Lusaka-Livingstone (The Day Train ) line runs daily, leaving Kitwe at 20h00 arriving in Lusaka at 7h35, leaving for Livingstone at 8h05 and arriving there 18h00. This is called the ordinary train and stops at every station along the way. It leaves Livingstone everyday at 09h00, arriving in Lusaka at 20h10, leaves Lusaka at 21h10 and arrives in Kitwe and 8h50.
There is also an express train (The Zambezi Express) leaving Livingstone on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 14h30, arriving in Lusaka at 11h00 the next morning! Yes, 18 hours to travel 570kms – but although this sounds like wasted time – it’s actually a great option because everyone else will be catching the bus so you’ll probably have the whole of first and for around $10 you have a bed for the night and can see a bit of real Zambia along the way. It leaves Lusaka on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 19h30 and arrives in Livingstone at 6h10. Fares are very reasonable and although the trains are a little shabby and unkept, the linen is clean and they are and reliable give or take an hour. Make sure you book a family compartment, first class, although they’re not much better than second class, and bring all your own food as well as drinking and washing water. Seats can be prebooked at the station or by phoning 228023 in Lusaka, 321001 in Livingstone and 224027 in Kabwe.
The Tazara Line from Kapiri Mposhi to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania leaves every Tuesday and Friday at 16:00 and takes 2 days. On Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, a train leaves from Kapiri Mposhi to the border town of Nakonde and back, stopping at all main towns along the way. Bookings for the Tazara line must be done a week in advance at Tazara house, opposite the market in Independence Ave on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Tel: +260 1 220646. To be safe, ask the station police to escort you to a taxi.
BEFORE YOU GO
Visa guidelines:
If one is not a citizen of a country that is exempted from having to apply for a visa then one must obtain a visa either at the port of entry or at a Zambian Mission abroad. This page contains visa guidelines for different types of visitors. Each visitor to Zambia must determine the main purpose of their visit . This will determine what sort of visa one needs, and where to obtain this visa.
Citizens of specific countries (see “Exception Country” chart at bottom of this page) have specific rules that supersede the guidelines below.
Once one has determined the purpose of one’s visit to Zambia and understand the basic guidelines, one can proceed to the Visa Fees section to determine how much one must pay for a visa upon application.
Visa Application procedure and forms can be found here
Please read carefully each section below that corresponds to the main purpose of one’s visit to Zambia:
All tourists shall pay the prescribed visa fees.
If the purpose of your visit is BUSINESS, the following guidelines apply:
Consultants and other experts that are entering Zambia to conduct business with an organization in Zambia can obtain a visa at the port of entry. A “business” visitor must produce an invitation letter from the inviting institution. Business visits by a single individual cannot exceed 30 days in a 12 month period.
If the purpose of your visit is PRIVATE, the following guidelines apply:
Nationals of countries, which require visas to enter Zambia for the purpose of visiting friends or relatives, should be issued with visas at Zambian Missions abroad or ports of entry. Those nationals who may wish to obtain such visas well in advance should apply for them to the Chief Immigration Officer – P. O Box 50300, LUSAKA-ZAMBIA, and zambiavisa@zamnet.zm or immighq@zamnet.zm.
