Flights
Lusaka is reached with one connection from Europe — Johannesburg, Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Dubai or Istanbul. Livingstone, for Victoria Falls, has its own airport with regional flights; many visitors fly instead into Victoria Falls town in Zimbabwe and cross the border.
When to come — it matters more here
The waterfall changes character entirely with the season, and choosing wrong is the commonest disappointment:
- February to May: peak flow. Overwhelming volume, spray visible for kilometres — and you will see very little of the rock face through it, and get soaked.
- June to August: the balance most visitors want — high water, good visibility.
- September to December: low water. The Zambian side can reduce to a trickle, but this is the only period when the Devil's Pool at the lip is safe to swim.
For game viewing, the dry season from June to October concentrates animals at water. The wet season, from November to April, makes many South Luangwa camps inaccessible.
Getting around
Distances are long and the road network is limited; domestic flights and charters are the normal way to reach South Luangwa and the remoter parks. Long-distance coaches connect the main towns. Self-driving is feasible on the main routes with a four-wheel drive, and not at night.
Orders of magnitude
| Return flight from Europe | €700 to €1,200 |
|---|---|
| Mid-range hotel night | $60 to $150 |
| Safari camp, full board | $200 to $700 per person per night |
| Domestic flight Lusaka–Mfuwe | $200 to $350 |
What holds everywhere
- Insurance covering medical costs and repatriation stops being optional as soon as local healthcare is limited. Check it actually covers the destination: many policies exclude areas under adverse travel advice.
- Carry cash. In much of the world cards work in the big cities and nowhere else. Check the ATM situation and your bank's charges before leaving.
- Leave margin on connections. A tight transfer on a thinly served route is expensive: the next flight may be tomorrow, or in three days.
- The real budget runs over two years, not one trip: repeated flights, paperwork, translations, legalisations, any support sent. It is always underestimated.