DESTINATION ZAMBIA

Environment

Zambia sits on an undulating plateau, sloping to the south. Areas of high ground include the Copper Belt Highlands and the Nyik Plateau on the border with Malawi, which contains Mwanda Peak (2150m/7050ft), the country's highest point. Zambia's main rivers are the Zambezi, which rises in the west of the country and forms the border between Zambia and Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe; the Kafue, which rises in the highlands between Zambia and Democratic Republic of the Congo; and the Luangwa, which flows from the north into the Zambezi.

Zambia's great wildlife parks are home to every beast known to the National Geographic and then some. Aside from the marquee names like lion, elephant, hippo, buffalo, zebra, and giraffe, commonly sighted critters include warthog, mongoose, honey badgers, baboons, African striped weasels and Lichtenstein's hartebeests. Zambia's varied birdlife includes ostriches, hornbills, woodhoopoes and starlings.

Most of Zambia is moist savanna woodland, where broadleaf deciduous trees grow far enough apart to allow grasses and other plants to grow on the woodland floor. In the wetter north you'll see sprawling branches of stout baobab trees, some thousands of years old. Bushveld covers much of the drier south-west.

Along with much of Southern Africa, Zambia's altitude creates a temperate climate. There are three distinct seasons: cool and dry from May to August, hot and dry from September to October, and rainy between November and April (summer). Rainfall is higher in the north of the country than in the south.

History

In the 18th century, Portuguese explorers following the routes of Swahili-Arab slavers from the coast into the interior became the first known European visitors. After the Zulu nation to the south began scattering its neighbors, victims of the Difaqane (forced march) began arriving in Zambia in the early 19th century. Squeezed out of Zimbabwe, the Makalolo people moved into southern Zambia, pushing the Tonga out of the way and grabbing Lozi territory on the upper Zambezi River.

The celebrated British explorer David Livingstone travelled up the Zambezi in the 1850s, searching for a route into the interior of Southern Africa, hoping to introduce Christianity and European civilisation to combat the horrors of the slave trade. Livingstone's efforts attracted missionaries, who in turn brought hunters and prospectors in their wake. In the 1890s much of Zambia came under the control of the British South Africa Company (BSAC), which sought to combat slavery and prevent further Portuguese expansion in the area.

Under the BSAC, the area became Northern Rhodesia in 1911. At the same time, vast copper ore deposits were discovered in the north-central part of the territory (the area now called the Copper Belt). Large-scale mining operations were set up and local Africans employed as labourers. They had little choice: they needed money to pay the hut tax introduced by the Europeans, and their only other source of income vanished when much of their farmland was appropriated by European settlers.

The colony was put under direct British control in 1924; Lusaka became the capital in 1936. Settlers began pushing for federation with Southern Rhodesia and Nyasaland (Malawi) - an arrangement delayed by WWII, finally coming about in 1953. Meanwhile, the influence of African nationalism spread throughout the country. Kenneth Kaunda founded the United National Independence Party (UNIP) in the 1950s, advocating the end of British rule. That rule ended in 1963, when the federation dissolved and Northern Rhodesia took the name Zambia, after the Zambezi River. Independence came too late to halt the haemorrhaging of money occurring under the Brits. Taxing Zambians to the bone, the British spent most of that money on Southern Rhodesia - a drain that continued to plague the country well into the 1990s.

Following independence, Kaunda led Zambia for 27 years, a feat he accomplished by declaring the UNIP the only legal party and himself as the sole presidential candidate. Calling his mix of Marxism and traditional African values 'humanism', Kaunda rapidly bankrupted the country with a bloated civil service and a nationalisation scheme wracked by corruption and mismanagement. Falling copper prices accelerated the slide, and by the end of the 1970s Zambia was one of the poorest countries in the world. Not content to fiddle at home, Kaunda stuck his nose in the domestic political spats of several of his neighbours, who promptly restricted Zambia's imports and exports by closing its rail routes to the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

Desperate by the mid-1980s, Kaunda turned to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), whose severe conditions for aid - withdrawing basic food subsidies and floating the currency - sent prices skyrocketing and touched off nationwide riots that killed thousands. A further round of price hikes in the early 1990s led to more rioting, but this time Zambians demanded a cure rather than a salve: bring back multiparty democracy. Kaunda capitulated with an amended constitution, legalised opposition parties and full elections in October 1991. When labour leader Frederick Chiluba won a landslide victory as president, Kaunda had the good grace to bow out peacefully. Chiluba immediately began to woo the IMF, the World Bank and private investors, introducing austerity measures that drove food prices up and the value of the kwacha down. Chiluba also set about reforming the civil service and reprivatising or closing failed government enterprises.

With Chiluba's popularity plummeting, Kaunda briefly threatened to return to the political stage, but Chiluba effectively eliminated all serious opposition and triumphed handily. Two independent election monitors who dared to suggest that the election was neither free nor fair were arrested, and journalists were suspended for showing insufficient enthusiasm for Chiluba's victory. A group of dissatisfied army officers staged a failed coup attempt in October 1997, to which Chiluba responded by declaring a state of emergency for several months and charging over 100 people with treason.

Economic Profile

Culture

A lot of traditional Zambian music is heavily rhythmic, usually played on drums, whistles and thumb pianos, and nearly always to accompany dancing. One of the most popular styles, however, is an import from the Democratic Republic of the Congo - the rumba.

Porridge is the staple dish in Zambia, commonly made from maize (nshima) or sorghum. It's typically eaten by dipping your right hand into a communal pot of porridge, rolling it into a ball and plunking it into a sauce of meat or vegetables. Fish is a local specialty. Popular freshwater varities include bream, lake salmon and Nile perch.

Events

Facts for the Traveller

Visas: Most visitors need visas, which are good for three months, plus an International Health Certificate showing proof of a yellow fever vaccination within the past 10 years.
Health risks: Cholera, malaria, polio, typhoid, yellow fever
Time: GMT/UTC plus two hours
Electricity: 220/240V, 50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric (see conversion table)

Money & Costs

Relative costs:

• Budget meal: US$1-5
• Moderate restaurant meal: US$5-10
• Top-end restaurant meal: US$10 and upwards

• Budget room: US$2-10
• Moderate hotel: US$10-75
• Top-end hotel: US$75 and upwards

You can find a foreign exchange (forex) bureau in most large towns, and they'll generally give better rates than the banks. Cash advances can be had in Lusaka, but don't expect to get cash for plastic in other towns. There's no black market worth bothering with, and most street moneychangers will rip you off.

Tipping is illegal. You'll find a 10% service charge added to your bill in most restaurants. Bargaining is common and expected.

When to Go

Attractions

The capital is in the southern part of the country, about 100km (62mi) from the Zimbabwe border. It's accessible by air, rail and bus.

Livingstone

Livingstone is located about 300km (185mi) south-west of Lusaka, and is accessible from the capital by bus or train.

Victoria Falls

Souvenir hunters can raid the line of curio stalls near the falls, where there's an excellent selection of crafts and the sellers are keen to barter - that 'Just Goa' t-shirt might fetch you something really nifty. Nearby are an archaeological site and a small museum with exhibits on the dig showing that humans and their ancestors have inhabited this region for 2.5 million years. The falls are 11km (7mi) south-west of Livingstone, and the best way to reach them is by bus or hired car.

South Luangwa National Park

Off the Beaten Track

There are a number of places to stay in the park, including campsites, chalets and lodges. Most are along the Kafue River. The park is about 200km (125mi) west of Lusaka and is accessible by car, though the roads are generally horrible and most visitors who can afford it fly in by chartered plane.

Siavonga & Kariba Dam

Siavonga is a great spot to take in the view, but don't go in the water - or even too close to the shore: the lake's positively crawling with crocodiles, and they make lunch out of 20 to 30 people every year. Siavonga is about 100km (62mi) south of Lusaka; buses make the four-hour run between them daily.

Ngonye Falls

Activities

The Zambezi River offers outstanding canoeing, white-water rafting and bungee jumping. For calmer sorts, the wide, smooth sections above Victoria Falls have lots of islands to explore and mini-rapids for a taste of adrenaline. For those with steelier nerves, the rapids below the falls are among the world's wildest - and safest, due to the deep water, steep canyon walls and lack of mid-stream rocks. Most rafters take a swim during their trip. Birdwatching is superb in Zambia. Lochinvar National Park boasts over 400 species, including flamingo, pelican, tern, coot, osprey, falcon and Denham's bustard. In the moist savanna in the northern parts of the country, you'll find the yellow-throated leaflove, West African thrush, wooly-necked stork and purple-coated cuckoo shrike. Other top places are Chete Island on Lake Kariba and the Chembe Bird Sanctuary, just outside of Kitwe.

Getting There & Away

The most fabulous way of entering Zambia is over the Victoria Falls Bridge from Zimbabwe. Buses run regularly between Harare and Lusaka; the trip takes about nine hours. The other main border points with Zimbabwe are Chirundu and Kariba. From Mozambique, most travellers enter Zambia at Cassa Catiza. From Malawi, the main crossing point is east of Chipata, on the main road between Lusaka and Lilongwe. The only crossing point between Zambia and Botswana is the ferry across the Zambezi river at Kazungula, about 60km (37mi) west of Victoria Falls. From Namibia, buses run regularly between Livingstone and Windhoek, crossing the border at the Zambian village of Katima Mulilo, near Sesheke.

Getting Around

Crowded conditions and long hauls over potholed roads make travelling by bus wearisome. All the lines are privately owned, but prices are relatively standardised and most routes run fairly regularly. Minibuses are available for shorter runs and tend to be faster and slightly more expensive than regular buses. The train is a good alternative if you don't plan on going far from the Livingstone-Lusaka-Nakonde corridor. There's another branch to Kitwe. The Lusaka-Livingstone route has an express three times a week and a local daily.

Recommended Reading

• Kakuli by Norman Carr is a memoir of a lifetime spent working with animals and people in the South Luangwa National Park.
• Delia and Mark Owens have made a name for themselves by relentlessly fighting poachers. Their Survivors' Song details their efforts in North Luangwa National Park.
• If you're thinking of driving in Zambia or spending some time in the national parks, Chris McIntyre's Zambia is a good resource.

• Malawi, Mozambique & Zambia
• Africa - the South
• Africa on a shoestring