A road trip across Zambia is worth the risks
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. 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 price. Road maps are available in Lusaka from the Map Centre in Nationalist Road or the Tourist Board in Lusaka.
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 remote areas so bring substitutes. 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 20 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 get into the habit of locking things away before you go to sleep.
ACCOMODATION
Zambia has a wide range of accommodation – from five-star hotels and luxury lodges to cheap guesthouses and campsites. Foreigners must pay in hard currency except for the smaller guesthouses. Not all of the cheaper / remote ones are equipped to take travellers cheques or credit cards.
