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General Information
Road closed due to Obstacles Ahead!
border, and have vehicle papers readily accessible
at all times considering that roadblocks and check-
points are fairly frequent.
Car Hire
There are many car hire companies in Lusaka, Ndo-
la, and Livingstone, offering a small range of vehi-
cles. Some offer a flat weekly rate, but most charge
a daily rate plus mileage, insurance and petrol. Most
cars come with a chauffeur and thus can be expen-
sive. You can find long-term car hire from individuals
or very small (un-official) car rental companies for
much cheaper rates.
(See Business Resources section)
BY BUS
Getting to Zambia:
There are buses from Dar es Salaam and Mbeya in
Tanzania to the border, where Zambian buses can
be caught to the Copperbelt and Lusaka. From Ma-
lawi, a private bus company runs the Lilongwe - Lu-
saka Route. Booking in advance is essential. (See
Business Resources for Buses)
The Intercape Mainliner and Translux have services
to and from Johannesburg in South Africa. Their
combined timetables present the option of daily de-
partures.
Travelling within Zambia
All the bus companies within are privately owned,
but prices are relatively standardized and most ser-
vices run fairly regularly. Minibuses are available for
shorter runs and tend to be faster and slightly less
expensive than regular coach buses.
Crowded conditions and long hauls over potholed
roads make travelling by bus wearisome. The buses
are fairly old and most of the time their advertised
“air conditioning” does not work. However travel-
ling by coach is a comfortable travel option provid-
ing travellers with fairly decent and relatively clean
conditions aboard the bus.
Long range Buses frequently leave from Lusaka
to all the main towns. CR Coach will take you to
Chipata, Livingstone, Ndola, and Mongu. There are
buses from Dar es Salaam and Mbeya in Tanzania,
to the Copperbelt and Lusaka, as well as from Li-
longwe and Harare to Lusaka. Other privately owned
companies run domestic services over a number of
routes.
The Lusaka Inter-City Bus Terminus, the main bus
station in the city, is located on Dedan Kimathi Rd,
just north off of Independence Avenue and behind
the Cairo Rd Shoprite.
Local town minibuses are painted blue and can be
jumped on at pretty much any juncture. They’re not
expensive and you can always find a minibus that
will allow you to pay a fee to rent out the entire
minibus allowing you to travel in your own private
minibus to wherever you want to go. However, you’ll
have to negotiate a decent price and understand the
value of their service vs. a taxi service.
Roads and major infrastructure improvements are a
major focus of the government