Trans Africa Safaris

ZAMBIA: PRE-DEPARTURE INFORMATION

QUICK FACTS

Area: 290 587 sq miles
Capital City: Lusaka
Government: Republic
President: Rupiah Banda
Prime Minister: George Kunda
Languages: English, Nyanja, Bemba, Lunda, Tonga, Nkoya, Lozi, Luvale, Kaonde
Location: Zambia is landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west.
Population size: 11, 668, 000, Population density: 40 sq miles
Telephone code: +260 plus the city code and phone number
Time difference: GMT + 2 hours

BANKS/FOREIGN EXCHANGE

Banks are open 8:15am to 2:30pm Mondays to Fridays.
There is an ATM machine outside Barclays Bank in Livingstone.

CLIMATE

Temperature - average daily maximum (in Fahrenheit) / Rainfall - av. monthly (in millimeters).

	Temperature Livingstone	Rainfall Livingstone	Temperature Luangwa	Rainfall Luangwa
Summer December to March	88	173	90	200
Autumn April to May	84	25	88	40
Winter June to August	79	2	85	0
Spring September to November	91	41	98	55

CLOTHING

Casual, comfortable clothing is suitable throughout the year Items should include:

Bush hat
T-shirts
Long-sleeved cotton shirt (gents)/long-sleeved blouse (ladies)
Shorts/skirts, jeans or safari trousers, tracksuit, swimsuit
Good walking shoes, sandals, warm jersey, jacket or parka (for game drives) and light rain gear in summer
Bright colours are not recommended – Khaki is fine. NO CAMOUFLAGE CLOTHING IS PERMITTED
Other suggested items are: good quality sunglasses, moisturizing cream, lip-salve, UV sunblock, torch, insect repellant, binoculars and camera

CREDIT CARDS/CURRENCY

Visa and MasterCard are usually accepted throughout Zambia, but American Express and Diners Club are not commonly accepted.

The currency in Zambia is the Kwacha, which is not available for purchase outside the country. Tourist activities are quoted and paid for in US dollars. US dollars and UK pounds are easily changed into Kwacha locally.

DEPARTURE TAX

For those passengers flying out of Zambia, there is a US$30 airport departure tax which has to be paid in person upon departure. Please ensure you have the exact amount of US Dollars. $50 and $100 notes are not accepted.

Departure tax on domestic flights is US$10.

DUTY FREE

400 cigarettes or 500g of tobacco
2.5l beer, wine or spirits

ELECTRICAL CURRENT

230 volts AC, 50Hz

HEALTH CONCERNS

Malaria prophylactic medication is required when visiting Zambia.

Tap water is generally safe to drink, but should bottled mineral water be preferred, this is readily available. Avoid drinking calm stagnant water as this may be infected with bilharzia. It is recommended that guests drink at least 3 litres of water per day to limit the effects of dehydration - this excludes tea, coffee and alcoholic beverages.

HOLIDAYS

2012
1 Jan	New Year’s Day
2 Jan	Public Holiday (day in lieu)
8 March	Women's Day
12 March	Youth Day
6 April	Good Friday
7 April	Holy Saturday
9 April	Easter Monday
1 May	Labour Day
25 May	Africa Day
2 July	Heroes’ Day
3 July	Unity Day
6 Aug	Farmers’ Day
24 Oct	Independence Day
25 Dec	Christmas Day

PASSPORT/VISA REQUIREMENTS

Visas are not the responsibility of Trans Africa Safaris. Please check with local authorities for all information pertaining to visa requirements.

Single Entry and Transit Visa: USD50
Double Entry Visa: USD80
Multiple Entry Visa: USD160

If you are staying in Zambia and wish to see the Falls from the Zimbabwean side, please purchase a double entry visa. US$20 payable on entering Zimbabwe.

Passports: The situation regarding blank pages in passports, for visits to Southern Africa, changes regularly. Please see the list of counties with their specific requirements below:

Passports must be valid for 6 months after your departure from Southern Africa

Please note pages headed “Endorsements, Observations” etc are not VISA pages.

For your visit to Zambia: 2 blank VISA pages
For your visit to Zimbabwe: 3 blank VISA pages
For your visit to South Africa: 2 blank VISA pages
For your visit to Botswana: 3 blank VISA pages
For your visit to Kenya: 2 blank VISA pages
For your visit to Mauritius: 2 blank VISA pages
For your visit to Mozambique: 3 blank VISA pages
For your visit to Namibia: 3 blank VISA pages
For your visit to Seychelles: 3-4 blank VISA pages
For your visit to Tanzania: 3 blank VISA pages

Without the above you could be denied entry

PHOTOGRAPHY

A good SLR (single lens reflex) or digital SLR camera with telephoto zoom lens is recommended for photography of birds and animals, as is colour reversal film (slides) if using film as this will give better quality pictures than regular film. A big memory card / abundant film and spare batteries as recommended as these are often not available at the bush camps/lodges.