Lusaka

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Quick Facts

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Coordinates

• Latitude: -15.40884
• Longitude: 28.2824

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Introduction

Lusaka Saturday Artisans Market

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Lusaka is the capital and largest city in Zambia. It has a population of about 1.2 million and the city is located in the south central part of the country, on a plateau at an elevation of roughly 1300 meters above sea level. It is the commercial and administrative centre of the country and functions as a major transport hub for other places in the country. Lusaka is not one of the prettiest, but it does have some some sights interesting enough for travellers, including a lively and colourful market scene.

Neighbourhoods

Roughly, the good neighbourhoods are in the east, and poor ones in the west. Lusaka city centre is purely the administrative capital, and becomes a ghost town after 6pm. It is not recommended to walk around alone after that. The main road, Cairo Road, is lined with banks, offices and shops. Lusaka's 3 main bus stations are right in the centre of town- Kulima Tower, City Market and Millennium station. The upmarket areas of Kabulonga, Rhodes Park and Thorn Park have some nice restaurants, and Northmead is famous for bars and nightclubs. The poor areas, compounds, in the west include Matero, Kanyama and John Laing. The area south is called Chawama, a large, sprawling compound.

Sights and Activities

• Kamwala Market for fabrics, clothes, shoes etc.
• Soweto and City Market provide a great feel for everyday Zambian life and are great for food, fabrics, and every possible nik-nak you can imagine. (Do not display any money, phones etc here or you will have them pickpocketed)
• Kabwata Cultural Village- the cheapest place to buy carvings, jewellery, clothes made from local materials, masks etc. the same items are sold at the Sunday Market infront of Arcades Shopping Centre every week, but at sligthly higher prices. Take a minibus from Kulima Tower towards Burma Road, and ask to be dropped off at Kabwata.
• Lusaka National Museum.
• Freedom Statue.

Lusaka has 2 western-style shopping centres, Manda Hill and Arcades, right next to each other on Great East Road on the way to the airport. Both have South African chain restaurants, such as Rhapsodys and Ocean Basket, and a popular Irish Pub. Arcades also has a bowling alley as well as Zambia's only cinema complex, showing pretty much only American blockbuster films.

Events and Festivals

Weather

Because of its elevation, Lusaka is less hot than the lower areas of Zambia. In general though it is warm and still relatively humid. Rainy season is from November to March, with a peak in February with over 250 mm of rain. The warmest month is October with average day temperatures of 28 °C, but some temperatures close to 40 °C are possible. In July, nights can be chilly or even cold, but it rarely really freezes.

Getting There

By Plane

Lusaka International Airport (LUN) is located near the capital and Zambian Airways flies from here to and from Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg and Lubumbashi (Democratic Republic of Congo). Other airlines are mainly flying to neighbouring countries, but British Airways flies to and from London.

By Train

Centrally located in Zambia, north of the capital Lusaka, Kapiri Mposhi is the starting point of a two nights trainride to Dar es Salaam on the Tanzanian coast. From here you can travel further by boat or plane to the tropical island of spices, Zanzibar. This so called TAZARA Railway (Tanzania-Zambia Railway) operates scheduled services twice a week, leaving in both ends of the line on Tuesdays and Fridays around 16pm, arriving on Thursdays and Sundays at 9.30am in Zambia, but after noon in the other direction in Dar es Salaam.

By Car

By Bus

Buses and minibuses depart to/from Lusaka every day from all corners of the country. Lusaka intercity bus station is about 500 metres off the main road, Cairo Road. If you arrive by bus, come out of the bus terminal, turn right, and take the first right again on Freedom way to reach the South End roundabout, the start of Cairo Road. If you arrive late, taxi is advisable- there are plenty available (they're practically a nuisance) and a taxi to Kuomboka and Chachacha backpackers should not cost more than 15000 kwatcha. Bargain right, and you will get it for 10000.

By Boat

Getting Around

By Car

Lusaka's traffic is often girdlocked and can stand still for up to an hour during rush hour. It is not possible to cross from west to south etc. in Lusaka, which means the centre is always crammed. Streets and neighbourhoods are usually well-marked.

By Public Transport

Minibuses are frequent and depart when they are full; usually, they fill up in a matter of minutes. The conductor will shout out the destination as there are no signs/numbers on buses. Conductors will usually happily direct you to the right bus, as the stations can be very confusing! Lusaka has 3 bus stations in the centre: City Market, Kulima Tower and Millennium. Buses only go from the centre to east, west, north or south, which means you might need to pass through one of the stations and change. Prices change all the time according to how the kwatcha fluctuates, so it might be an idea to check with a fellow passanger. Conductors do not always have change so try to have small notes.
It is polite to move further down in the bus as people leave, so more can fill up at the front. Let the conductor know you want to be dropped off by knocking on the bus window, or by telling him you are "dropping".

By Foot

Lusaka city centre is easy enough to walk around, if you don't mind the hawkers. Distances between neighbourhoods are big, but some of the suburbs are nice and leafy to wander through.

By Bike

Eat

If you fancy a change in your maize-filled diet, try an indian restaurant, which there are plenty of. One of the nicest ones is Mahak, on Great East road, between Lusaka city centre and Manda Hill shopping centre. An all you can eat vegetable thali is about 2-3 USD.

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

Keep Connected

Internet

Arcades shopping centre has a fancy internet cafe (200 kwatcha per minute) but you can find cheaper ones around Kulima Tower centre, next to the bus station. These tiny places charge 100 kwatcha a minute, and, surprisingly enough, are usually more reliable.

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Post

The main post offce is at the north end of Cairo Road on the right side (if walking up). Note that they are usually closed for lunch between noon and 2pm. There is also a smaller post office on Freedom Way, parallel to Cairo Road.