Zambia - Facts at your finger tips |
|
|
|
|
Visa and immigration requirements. Visas are obtainable on arrival at the frontier. Visas are not required by visitors from Ireland or Commonwealth countries with the exception of citizens of Britain, Cyprus, Ghana, India, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Sir Lanka and Pakistan that need visas. We can assist in obtaining a visa exemption. Passport details must be submitted through the incoming tour operator but the exemption cannot be guaranteed. The traveller must have money available to pay for the visa on arrival, if the exemption has been refused. Cost of visa varies from US$25 to US$ 60 depending on country of origin. Health requirements. Malaria prophylactics are recommended. Yellow fever immunisation is not needed for Zambia, but an immunisation certificate is helpful. Tetanus, typhoid and hepatitis vaccinations are, as for all trips, not a bad idea. Customs. International travellers over the age of 18 may import the following items duty free: 200 cigarettes or 225 gm of tobacco, 1 litre spirits, 1 litre beer n 1 litre wine and a reasonable quantity of consumer goods to meet the travellers immediate needs. International flights. British Airways has flights to Lusaka from Heathrow, South African Airways has daily flights to Lusaka and also through South African Express on to Ndola, Nationwide offers services from Johannesburg to Livingstone and Lusaka. British Airways/Comair also serve the SA to Zambia route, Ethiopian Airlines has flights into Lusaka, as does Kenya Airways/KLM. There is no national flag carrier for Zambia. Internal routes are served by various small private companies. Departure Tax. When leaving Zambia on an International flight a US$25.00 departure tax is levied. A US$8.00 is levied for domestic flights. Departure tax has to be paid only in US$. Currency. The Zambian currency is the Kwacha, abbreviated to ZK it is divided into 100 ngwe. Due to the high inflation rates the ngwe has disappeared. The word Kwacha means 'dawn'. Currency regulations. There is no limit on the amount of foreign currency, which can be brought into the country though it should be declared on arrival to prevent any restriction on the same amount being taken out when departing. A black market exchange rate is available but is illegal. It is advisable to bring either US$ or Euro currency, avoiding $100.00 notes and all US currency printed before 1998. Credit Cards. Major hotels, restaurants and car hire companies do accept credit cards, but away from the Hotels and Lodges their use is very limited. Credit cards can also be used to draw cash in the main bank branches but the procedure can take a day or two. There is a percentage charged on all credit card transactions. Communications. The telephone system in Zambia is rather poor and often frustrating but usually in the urban areas it is possible to make international calls. GSM cell phones work in Zambia, even if the country is only partially covered. Cards can be purchased at the airport and the more modern three band phones will connect to the international network. Telephone services are not available in most Parks. Languages. There are many local languages spoken in Zambia, the most used is Nyanja similar to Malawi's Chewa. English is the official language and is widely understood. Energy. Supply is based on the 220/240 volts system, using "British type" square bayonet three-point plugs. Electricity is not widely available in most of the tourist destinations. It is advisable to check before departure and to make arrangements with the lodge manager to recharge batteries. Medical. Insurance should be purchased before arriving in the country. Emergency evacuation by air is now possible. It is worth carrying a sterile first aid kit (including syringes) as well as a full supply of medicines as availability in Zambia is not guaranteed. Photographic equipment. In Zambia availability of film, batteries and video tapes is limited and when available it is expensive so it is advisable to bring adequate supplies. Time and daylight hours. Zambia time is Greenwich Mean Time plus two hours, the same Central Africa Time as South Africa. Day light varies by about an hour between winter (May to August) when there are 11-day light hours, and summer (January to March), when there are 12-day light hours. Climate. Zambia has three seasons: May to August, cool and dry September to mid-November, hot and dry. Mid-November to April, hot and humid. How to dress in the bush. During the day time light clothes such as T-shirts are the right choice. For the evenings a warm light jacket is sufficient (excluding the month of September and October). We advise to take a warm jumper or jacket for the cold morning drives during the month of June and July. During the evenings at the bar and dining room, guest should dress casually smart. Laundry services are available in all Lodges and bush camps and will return your items within 24 hours, allowing you to take less clothes on your Safari. During walking safaris it is advisable to wear neutral colours that blend in with those of the bush, since they are less visible to wild animal. Make sure you take a pair of comfortable shoes as safari boots or trainers. Dietary preference. All clients that require special dietary arrangements should kindly notify of their requirements at the time of making the booking. |