Lusaka (population 3.3 million in the city proper, 4.7 million in the metropolitan area) is the capital and largest city of Zambia — the most rapidly growing capital city in southern Africa and one of the fastest-growing cities on the continent. Lusaka was a small railway siding settlement (established 1905 on the Cape to Cairo Railway of Cecil Rhodes) that replaced Livingstone as the capital of Northern Rhodesia in 1935 (the British colonial administration moved the capital inland for reasons of centrality and the availability of groundwater). Zambia is the most copper-dependent economy in the world (copper accounts for approximately 70% of Zambia's export earnings; Zambia is the world's 7th largest copper producer (approximately 800,000 tonnes/year)); the copper economy created both Lusaka's dramatic post-independence growth and its persistent vulnerability to copper price cycles. The city has a remarkably young population (the median age in Zambia is 17 — the youngest in the world; 50% of Lusaka's population is under 18) and a vibrant arts and music scene (the Lusaka music scene: Afropop, Zambian hip-hop (the 'Zed' music scene), and Zambian Copperbelt kalindula (the traditional music of the Copperbelt)). Zambia's exceptional wildlife heritage (Kafue National Park — the largest national park in Zambia and the third-largest in Africa (22,400km²) — is within day-trip range of Lusaka; the South Luangwa National Park (the best game park in Zambia) is accessible from Lusaka by air). Best months: May–October.
Lusaka National Museum (Independence Avenue; the most important cultural institution in Zambia; originally established as the Rhodes-Livingstone Museum (named after Cecil Rhodes and David Livingstone — the two most important British figures in Zambian colonial history) in 1934 in Livingstone (the colonial capital); moved to Lusaka in 1966 after independence (the museum was renamed the Lusaka National Museum as part of the 'Zambianisation' of colonial institutions)): the collection: (1) the archaeological collection (the most important archaeological collection in Zambia: Broken Hill Man (Homo rhodesiensis / Homo heidelbergensis) — the most complete early human skull from sub-Saharan Africa, found at Broken Hill (Kabwe), Zambia in 1921 (the Broken Hill skull, dated to approximately 300,000 years BP, was one of the most important early hominin discoveries in Africa; the original skull is in the Natural History Museum, London); (2) the ethnographic collection (the traditional material culture of the 73 ethnic groups of Zambia)); (3) the independence history (the UNIP (United National Independence Party) and Kenneth Kaunda's leadership of the independence movement and the post-independence period). Adults ZMW 50.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideCity Market (the largest and most important market in Lusaka: located in the Old Town area between Cairo Road and the bus station (the Kulima Tower bus station); the City Market has approximately 5,000 permanent stalls and is the main distribution point for: fresh produce (vegetables from the Zambia Agriculture Development Programme farms), dried fish (the kapenta (Limnothrissa miopaxia — the Zambian Lake Tanganyika sardine: a small (8–10cm) freshwater fish that forms the most important protein source for Zambian families; the kapenta is dried in large quantities on the shores of Lake Kariba and Lake Tanganyika and distributed throughout Zambia as dried kapenta (similar to the Congolese dried sardine)); and the chitenge (the Zambian cotton fabric — the brightly printed cotton cloth worn by Zambian women as a wrap skirt, head cover, or baby-carrying cloth; the chitenge is the most important single item of Zambian material culture)); the market vendors (predominantly young women — the 'market mammies' (the term borrowed from West African English) who control the informal retail economy of Lusaka)). Free to browse.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideKabwata Cultural Village (Burma Road, Kabwata suburb — 5km from the city centre by taxi (ZMW 50); the most important cultural heritage site in Lusaka): the village (the Kabwata Cultural Village is a living craft and culture centre established in the 1970s to preserve and display the traditional crafts, music, and architecture of all 73 ethnic groups of Zambia): the crafts (the most important crafts of Zambia displayed and sold at Kabwata: (1) the Tonga pottery (the distinctive red-slipped pottery of the Tonga people (the most important pottery tradition in southern Zambia)); (2) the Luvale (Lovale) mukanda masks (the initiation society masks of the Luvale people (from the northwestern Zambia — the Barotseland area): large, elaborately carved wooden masks used in the mukanda boys' initiation ceremonies; similar to the Chokwe masks of Angola and DRC but with distinctly Luvale features); (3) the Mbunda and Luchazi weaving (the basket weaving traditions of the western Zambia peoples); (4) the copper jewellery (the Copperbelt copper-wire and sheet-copper jewellery making tradition)). ZMW 20.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideManda Hill (the most upmarket shopping and dining area in Lusaka — the Manda Hill Mall (the largest mall in Zambia: anchored by Shoprite, Pick n Pay, and a cinema complex); the area around Manda Hill has the finest restaurants and bars in Lusaka: (1) the rooftop bars of the Latitude 15° hotel complex (the most fashionable hotel in Lusaka (named for the latitude — Lusaka is at exactly 15°S)); (2) the Rhapsody's restaurant (the premier restaurant in Lusaka for grilled game meat and continental cuisine)). The Lusaka nightlife: the 'Zed' music scene (Zambian afropop and hip-hop: the most internationally successful Zambian music genre of the 2010s–2020s; artists: Macky 2, Slapdee, Roberto, Chef 187 — the biggest names in Zambian 'Zed' music; the music is in English and Nyanja (the lingua franca of Lusaka, spoken by approximately 40% of the population as a first or second language)). Free to walk; drinks ZMW 50–120.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideNshima (the national food of Zambia and the most important staple of all 73 Zambian ethnic groups: a stiff white maize porridge made from white maize meal (mealie meal) cooked to a dense, smooth consistency that can be formed into balls with the hand (the traditional Zambian eating technique: a small ball of nshima is pinched from the communal mound, shaped into a cup in the palm, and used to scoop the accompanying relish); the relishes: (1) kapenta relish (dried kapenta sardines fried with onion, tomato, and groundnut (peanut) in sunflower oil — the most common everyday relish of the Zambian household); (2) ifisashi (the most important Zambian vegetable dish: leafy greens (usually rape (Brassica napus var. pabularia) or pumpkin leaves (the leaves of the field pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima))) cooked with ground peanuts (groundnuts) and tomato — a rich, nutty, slightly sweet sauce); (3) chicken (braised whole-chicken Zambian style: slow-cooked with onion and tomato until fall-off-the-bone tender)). Best nshima in Lusaka: Marlin Restaurant (the oldest traditional Zambian restaurant in the city centre). ZMW 100–200 dinner.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideLilayi Elephant Nursery (Game Management Area south of Lusaka — 20km from the city centre by taxi (ZMW 200); the elephant calf rescue and rehabilitation programme of Zambia (a partner of the Game Rangers International (GRI) and the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust network)): the nursery (orphaned elephant calves from all over Zambia are brought to the Lilayi Nursery for rescue, rehabilitation, and eventual release to a wild elephant population; the calves (ranging in age from newborn to 3 years) are bottle-fed with a specially formulated milk replacement (22 litres per day for a newborn calf — elephant calves grow extremely rapidly; the milk formula is the most technically demanding aspect of elephant rescue (elephant milk has a very different composition from cow's milk: higher fat content, different protein structure, and specific micronutrients that must be replicated)); visitors (can watch the daily feeding and mud bath (09:00–11:00 daily; the only scheduled visitor time); the mud bath (the elephant calves' daily mud bath in the red Zambian clay — both a skin-protection activity (the mud protects the elephant's sun-sensitive skin) and a play activity (the calves chase each other, roll in the mud, and practice their trunk coordination))). ZMW 300 visitor fee.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideKafue National Park (22,400km² — the largest national park in Zambia and the third-largest in Africa (after the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana); 120km west of Lusaka (2 hrs by road — the Kafue National Park southern boundary is accessible in a 2-hr drive from Lusaka, making it the most accessible large game reserve from the Zambian capital)): the wildlife (the park has one of the most complete large mammal communities in Africa: (1) elephant (approximately 6,000–8,000 elephants in Kafue); (2) lion (the Kafue lion population is one of the largest in Zambia); (3) leopard (the Kafue has the highest leopard density in any Zambian park); (4) the Kafue lechwe (Kobus leche kafuensis — the Kafue subspecies of the lechwe antelope (an antelope adapted to floodplain and wetland environments (the Kafue Flats — the flood plain of the Kafue River system) that can only survive in the specific conditions of the Kafue Flats)); (5) the sitatunga (the swamp antelope); (6) wild dog (the Kafue has a recovering wild dog population)). Organised day trip from Lusaka: USD 150–250 per person.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideHenry Tayali Visual Arts Centre (the main contemporary art gallery in Zambia — Showgrounds, Great East Road; named for Henry Tayali (1943–1987) — the most important Zambian visual artist of the 20th century: a painter and sculptor who developed a distinctly Zambian figurative style combining traditional Zambian iconography with expressionist and social realist techniques; the Henry Tayali style (the most characteristic element: the use of the chitenge fabric patterns as abstract compositional elements in the background of figurative paintings — a technique that created a distinctly Zambian visual identity)): the centre (the gallery has rotating exhibitions of Zambian contemporary art (painting, sculpture, ceramics, textile art); it is the primary sales venue for Zambian artists; the courtyard sculpture garden has permanent installations by the most important Zambian sculptors)). Free.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideZambian Zed music ('Zed' is the Zambian colloquial name for Zambia (from the country code ZMB) and the name of the urban music genre that developed in Lusaka in the 2000s–2010s): the genre (Zed music is a fusion of: American hip-hop (the influence of American hip-hop (particularly East Coast hip-hop of the 1990s and early 2000s) is the most audible element of Zed music); Zambian traditional rhythms (the kalindula rhythm of the Copperbelt — a fast, percussive style using the kalindula bass guitar (the Zambian home-made bass guitar: a 2–4 string instrument built from a petrol can or wooden box)); and Nyanja (the Lusaka lingua franca — most Zed music mixes English and Nyanja lyrics in a 'code-switching' style (the rapid alternation between English and Nyanja that characterises Lusaka vernacular speech))); the best venues for live Zed music: Alliance Française de Lusaka (the French cultural centre on Longolongo Road — the most reliable venue for live music in Lusaka; free or ZMW 50–100 cover), Golf Club (the Lusaka Golf Club has Saturday night live music). ZMW 50–100 cover.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideVictoria Falls day trip (Livingstone, Southern Province — 465km south of Lusaka by road (7 hrs) or 1 hr by flight (Proflight Zambia: ZMW 800–1,500 one-way; Zambia Airways; or charter): the most practical day trip from Lusaka): Victoria Falls (Mosi-oa-Tunya — 'the Smoke that Thunders' in Kololo (Lozi): the largest waterfall by total area of water curtain in the world (UNESCO World Heritage Site 1989; the falls span the full 1,708m width of the Zambezi River and fall 108m (354 feet) into the Batoka Gorge below); the waterfall was 'discovered' by the British missionary David Livingstone (1813–1873) on November 16, 1855 (Livingstone was the first European to see the falls; he named them 'Victoria Falls' after Queen Victoria; the local Kololo name (Mosi-oa-Tunya) had been in use for centuries before Livingstone arrived)). Proflight Lusaka–Livingstone return: ZMW 1,600–3,000 (€70–130). Victoria Falls park entry: USD 20.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideMosi-oa-Tunya National Park (the Zambia side of Victoria Falls — the 'Rain Forest': the spray from the falls creates a permanent rainforest in the gorge (the constant fine mist from the 500 million litres of water per minute (peak flow in April–May) creates a microclimate that supports ferns, mosses, and palm trees (the Borassus palm — the African fan palm that tolerates the constant spray) in an otherwise dry savanna landscape)): the viewpoints (the Zambia side viewing path (a 1.5km rainforest path with 16 numbered viewpoints overlooking the falls from directly opposite the main curtain): the most dramatic viewpoints: (1) the Knife Edge Bridge (a suspension bridge (30m above the Boiling Pot — the churning pool below the falls) that gives the closest accessible view of the eastern falls); (2) the Boiling Pot (the riverbank pool directly below the falls where the water churns and boils in the vortex created by the falling water); (3) the main viewing platform (the closest point on the Zambia bank to the main Victoria Falls curtain (the Falls Gate viewpoint — 50m from the lip of the falls)). USD 20 park fee.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideLivingstone (the town of Livingstone — the colonial capital of Northern Rhodesia until 1935): the town (the most interesting colonial-era townscape in Zambia: the Main Street (Mosi-oa-Tunya Road) has the original 1920s–1930s colonial buildings (single-storey arcaded shops, the colonial post office, the colonial court buildings — the High Victorian Gothic style imported from Britain); the Livingstone Museum (the most important museum in Zambia (one of the oldest in sub-Saharan Africa — established 1934): the David Livingstone collection (the original maps, journals, and personal effects of David Livingstone including the hat he was wearing when he 'discovered' the falls in 1855)); the Mukuni Village (the traditional Leya chieftaincy village adjacent to the falls — the Leya people have lived at the falls for approximately 3,000 years; the Mukuni Chief is the traditional custodian of the falls; the village has a living museum of Leya traditional culture: pottery, weaving, and the traditional beer (the chibwantu — the Leya sorghum beer))). Free to walk.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideZambezi River sunset cruise (the Zambian standard for ending any Livingstone day: a 2-hour sundowner boat cruise on the Upper Zambezi River (the section of the river above Victoria Falls — the calm, broad river before it drops into the gorge)): the wildlife (the Upper Zambezi is exceptional for hippo and crocodile viewing from the boat: (1) hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius — the most abundant hippo population on the Zambian Zambezi; the Upper Zambezi has approximately 1,500 hippos in the stretch between Livingstone and the Falls (the highest density of hippos in Zambia)); (2) Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus — the largest crocodiles in southern Africa; the Zambezi crocodiles are significantly larger than those in the Luangwa or Kafue); (3) the Livingstone birds (the African fish eagle, the saddle-billed stork, the giant kingfisher (Megaceryle maxima — the largest kingfisher in Africa, bright blue-and-chestnut, 46cm), the carmine bee-eater (the most spectacular bird on the Zambezi)); the sunset (the Zambezi sunset (the most famous sunset experience in Zimbabwe/Zambia: the broad river, the dead trees (the dead mopane and fig trees standing in the river from the 1965 dam construction), the hippos surfacing at dusk, and the red-orange African sunset)). USD 35–50 per person.
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