Travel advice & practical information for travelogue:

'Camping safari in Zambia'

Useful addresses

Washington

Embassy of Zambia
2419 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington DC 20008
Telephone: (202) 265-9717
E-Mail: info@zambiainfo.org

London

Zambia Embassy
2 Palace Gate
Kensington
London W8 5NG
Tel.: (020) 7589 6655
Fax: (020) 7581 1353
Web Site: www.zhcl.org.uk

Paris

Embassy of Zambia
63 rue Pierre Charron (5ème étage)
75008 Paris
Telephone: (0)1 56 88 12 70/72
Fax: (0)1 56 88 03 50

Visa

You need a visa to visit Zambia.

General information

Zambia has a special place among the countries of southern Africa. Namibia is empty, uninhabited and touches you with its landscapes of an otherworldly beauty. Botswana is impressive because of its beautiful nature reservations like the Okavango Delta and the Kalahari Desert; it offers unequalled opportunities to see wildlife. But Zambia with its unspoiled river valleys and also famous game parks, offers also the opportunity to get to know the friendly population of this enormous country. For us, that was an important reason to choose this country for our fourth Africa trip.

Our route went from the famous South Luangwa National Park to the rarely visited Luangwa North Park. After leaving the stunning Luangwa Valley, we travel to the highlands of Zambia and via Mutinondo Wilderness to the vast marshes of Bangweulu. As in our earlier trips, we camped in the wild or in simple Bush Camps.

It's possible to drive yourself, but that takes thorough preparation. A four wheel drive is a must and you should also bring a GPS. Get gas while you can, gas stations don't always have fuel.

It's impossible to avoid roadblocks. If things go to slow for your taste, remain friendly and exchange niceties, jokes, etc.: it could save you time and somtimes money.

Money

Compare car rent

In many places there are no ATMs. It's best to bring dollars (in small denominations) and traveler checks.

If you know which places you are going to visit, you can find out online if and where there are ATM's that you can use with MasterCard and Cirrus or Visa

Health

Zambia is a malaria region, so bring malaria medication. There are also shots you need, so get information.

It's preferable to buy bottled water. Water from local wells can be used if the water is purified with for example Micropure. In some villages the water tastes bad, because of iron; in the next village it can be much better.

If your in the bush for longer than a week, bread that you brought will become moldy. Baking your own bread in the ashes of your campfire is more work (you have to bring flour and yeast), but you'll have delicious, fresh bread every day.

Be careful when you buy "freshly frozen meat": you never know how many power outages there have been and how often therefore the meat was defrosted.

When in doubt about the freshness of eggs, do the "sink or float" test: a fresh egg sinks in water, a bad egg floats. Make a game out of it and the sales person and the waiting customers will love it.

For up-to-date information, see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Zambia. Consult your family doctor as well.

Safety and security

Traveling in some countries brings risks with it. That shouldn't always be a reason not to go there, but part of a thorough preparation should be to inform yourself about possible risks.

A source of information is the CIA FactBook web site. Also always consult your own country's Foreign Department web site.

Plan your trip to Zambia online

Through online reservation systems like À la Carte Vacations you can book airline tickets, hotels, rental cars and holiday houses. You can build a fly-drive itinerary with maximum flexibility, book a flight plus a hotel hotel for a night or weekend. Without the limitations of package deals from travel organisations and most times for a much better price.

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Off The Beaten Track travel magazine - travel information & travel advice Zambia