Zambian Travel Advice
Zambia is wonderful friendly and peaceful country. Here are a few tips and pointers to help with your travel to what is our home and playground.
Visas & Passports
At the time of writing, the single entry visa charge for UK, most Europeans, US and Canadian citizens costs USD$50. This can generally be paid at your point of entry, whether this is Livingstone airport or road border posts on the Victoria Falls Road Bridge or Kazungula Ferry. A double entry visa can also be purchased for USD$80 at your point of entry. Passports must be valid for at least 6 months upon entry into Zambia.
Money & Currency
The local currency is called Zambian Kwacha. You are unable to purchase this outside of Zambia. We recommend carrying USD as these are widely accepted in Zambia. You can change money with Goverment registered money exchangers and also at the banks such as Barclays and Standard Chartered on the main street. Hotels and backpackers will exchange but give a less favourable rate.
USD$1 = Zambian Kwacha 10
GBP£1 = Zambian Kwacha 14
ZAR1 = Zambian Kwacha 0.80
What will your money buy you? A beer is around 20 Kwacha and a meal, depending on what you choose and where you eat between 50 and 80 for a main course.
There are several ATM's in Livingstone. You can withdraw cash on a VISA or Mastercard at these machines. You can exchange money at banks or the registered Foreign Exhange Bureaus on the main street.
Communication With Home
Zambia is well set up with reliable phones, postal facilities and e mail and internet (although this can at times be frustratingly slow!) You can get a pay as you go SIM card but will need to show a passport as ID.
Landlines are relatively cheap and of good quality. You can call from the Post Office for around $1 per minute back to UK and Europe. If you are staying for more than a week, it might be worth contemplating bringing your cell or mobile phone and getting a local SIM card.
You can get post sent to you at our Post Office box (although if it arrives after you leave we accept no responsibility to forward this to you) You can find our address on the Contact Us page. Post to Europe takes around 10 days to 14 days airmail.
Most backpackers and lodges have wireless internet. It can be very slow. But common sites such as Gmail and Facebook are not too bad.
Health
We recommend you make a visit to your Doctor or Physician prior to your trip so they can recommend what innoculations are recommended as these can vary between country and heath services. You will require anti-malarial medication although the likelihood of you getting it is VERY slim. Thois does not mean you do not need to take it. We suggest Meflaquine or Malarone as a prophylaxis (preventative) but more importantly, be smart! Cover up in evenings, sleep under a mosquito net in town at your backpackers and apply Deet or similar.
We recommend bottled water in town (you water bottles can be re-filled at many of the lodges) and all water etc on our river trips is treated. Watch dehydration carefuuly! You should be drinking around 4-5 litres per day. The sun is harsh and you will also need a good waterproof sunscreen.
Food in town is generally pepared hygienically, but people can get travellers diarrhea which can in the short term be unpleasant. Good fluid intake is essential. We are on hand and medical facilities are excellent in Livingstone.
