Zambia

Currency: Zambian kwacha

Official language: English

The Great Rift Valley, which cleaves the earth from the Lower Zambezi River in Southern Zambia to the headwaters of the Nile in Egypt, is now known to be one of the cradles of the human race, and Zambia’s present population lives on lands that have been inhabited by our forebears for uncountable aeons.

Archaeologists have established that in the northern African Rift Valley, the civilizing process got underway at least 3 million years ago, and crude stone implements, similar to some of that age found in Kenya, have also been found beside the Zambezi River.

Early stone age sites have been unearthed in many parts of Zambia, the most significant being at the Kalambo Falls in the North and at Victoria Falls in the south. At the former there is evidence that primitive humans began using fire systematically some 60,000 years ago. At the latter, a complex has been fully exposed showing the development of skills from the most distant past (this ‘dig’ is enclosed at the Field Museum at the Victoria Falls).

The skull of Broken Hill Man, dated to 70,000 years ago, gives an indication of what humans of that period looked like.

It was during the next phase – the middle Stone Age – with its refinement in the manufacture of tools, differentiation between populations, and burial of the dead, that modern man probably emerged in Zambia, at least 25 000 years ago.

We may imagine family groups of small-statured people living near water and sustaining themselves by hunting the abundant game as well as gathering fruits, tubers and honey from their surroundings (some skulls show serious tooth decay caused by honey?) They would often be on the move, following the antelope as they migrated with the seasons. By 15,000 years ago, the Late Stone Age commenced.

In Zambia, the climate is tropical or sub-tropical depending on altitude, with a hot, humid, and rainy season from mid-November to March and a dry season from April to mid-November. The driest months are June, July, and August, when it practically never rains.

Visitors to Zambia must obtain a visa from one of the Zambian diplomatic missions unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries or countries whose citizens are eligible for visa on arrival. Visitors may alternatively obtain an electronic visa. All visitors must hold a passport valid for at least 6 months.

There’s no better way to truly experience Zambia than traversing its vast landscapes at your own pace, with your own itinerary. You have an unlimited option of organised tours, and self-drive safaris, but you can also use Zambia’s vast network of public transport to get around.

Enjoy the combination of both when booking a houseboat or river adventure or experience an unrivalled view of Victoria Falls by air. Whatever your chosen mode of transport, you’re bound to enjoy the ride when exploring beautiful Zambia.

Transport systems, permits, and car hire:

Air Charter / Scheduled 

Bus Services

Car Rental

Train

Before you leave on your holiday, there are at least four health-related things you should do. Please check the handbook for specifics, but for now, here’s the short list:

Step 1: Check with the CDC for their recommendations for the countries you’ll be visiting.

Step 2: Have a medical checkup with your doctor.

Step 3: Pick up any necessary medications, both prescription and over-the-counter.

Step 4: Have a dental and/or eye checkup. (Recommended, but less important than steps 1-3.)

HEALTH REQUIREMENTS:

A Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate is now a mandatory requirement for all persons entering Kenya. Kenya, like other countries in Africa, sits in a malaria prone area in the African tropics. Anti-Malarial Prophylactics are highly recommended – kindly consult with your physician on this before travel. Whilst contracting Malaria is not necessarily imminent, we also recommend you bring insect repellent, long pants and long sleeved tops for the cooler evenings, as well as sleeping under a mosquito net. Additional recommended, but not mandatory, vaccinations include Typhoid, Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B as well as Tetanus.

DO

• Get up and explore on the plane–you never know who you might meet.
• Take brief walks to meet others in different parts of the plane–it might come in handy if you need to swap seats.
• Bring your own entertainment (an e-reader and/or and MP3 player is helpful)–don’t rely on the in flight entertainment to be awesome.
• Expect to hear one (or more) crying babies.
• Be openminded. Be ready for ANY experience.
• Expect to be asked for money in exchange for carrying your bags outside the airport at Lousaka. Be polite when you tell them no.
• Make sure there is toilet paper in the stall before you use the bathroom (see Brittney’s post on 6/24)
• Keep checking on status of flight during any layover.
• Talk to those around you, but do it respectfully.
• Bring snacks to supplement the food (that “was beef” but may not necessarily still be).
• Be ready to talk about LearnServe International…everyone asks because of the t-shirts. And they love to hear our plans!

DON'T

• Spill your drink on your neighbor and then be rude about it!
• Fall asleep with your mouth open–at least when Jeremy has his camera ready.
• Start a conversation until the very end of the flight so that you are not obligated to talk the whole time.
• Get locked in your new room with no way to get out until your roommate returns.
• Overwhelm the touchscreen of your in flight entertainment–you’ll be frozen on a still screen of a pool game for the final 8 hours of the flight like Nadja.
• Pack necessary medicines in your checked bags like Jon.
• Sleep on the aisle–you WILL get pummeled by the food cart. BEEF OR FISH! BEEF OR FISH!
• Expect the same physical boundaries that we respect in the US when flying with a majority of travelers from another culture.
• Repeatedly kick the seat in front of you THROUGHOUT THE DURATION of a long flight.
• Go to sleep when they are about to serve food…especially when you are anxious about flying in the first place like Jerome.