The former capital of Zambia, Livingstone owes its existence primarily to the Victoria Falls and was established as a staging point across the mighty Zambezi River. The town is named after Dr. David Livingstone, the first European to discover, name and publicize the falls.
History lovers will find Livingstone historically alive with 3 fantastic museums reflecting Livingstone’s past.
Many buildings from the first decade of the century are still in use. The town has preserved some of its colonial character, but is a typical African town with an easy-going charm unchanged since the beginning of time.
The Livingstone Museum is the country’s national museum and traces the entire history of man in Zambia. Follow the footsteps of Dr. Livingstone in this wonderful collection of memorabilia relating to his life as a missionary/explorer with personal letters, notebooks and maps reflecting his travels and thoughts.
The other museums are the Railway Museum and the Victoria Falls Field Museum, which stands on an archaeological site which shows that humans were living on that site some 2.5 million years ago. It also illustrates the history of the falls and the unusual geological conditions which led to the formation of the falls.
Situated about 10km from the city of Livingstone is one of the world' s seven natural wonders and one of the most spectacular natural sites in the world, "The Victoria Falls". The Victoria Falls Bridge connects Livingstone in Zambia with Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and a walk along this bridge allows one spectacular views of the eastern cataract and the main gorge.
As the pounding water crashes into the abyss below, it sends up a mass of fine mist which can be seen from 30 km away alerting one to the secret of what lies ahead. The sound of the falls roars across the plateau giving rise to the name “Mosi-oa-Tunya” used by the locals, or “Smoke that thunders”. In 1855, Doctor David Livingstone, upon seeing the Falls for the first time, wrote: "Scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight." Spanning 1700 m across and crashing some 108m down, in peak season over 9,000,000 litres per second cascade over the rocky cliffs.
Apart form the mighty spectacle of the falls, Livingstone also has many other activities to offer. From leisurely sundowner cruises on the upper Zambezi to some of the best white water rafting in the world through the turbulent gorge below. Tours through the rainforest, elephant back safaris and the highest bungi jump in the world are some of the activities to keep you busy. See more in the things to do section.
Southern Africa / Zambia / Livingstone
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Southern Africa / Zambia / Livingstone
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BEST TIME TO VISIT AND THINGS TO DO
1. Adventure Sports
Livingstone/Victoria Falls is an adrenaline junkies dream with white water rafting, abseiling, bungi jumping, river boarding and kayaking. The best time for rafting is between August and December. At 111m, the bungi jump at Victoria Falls is one of the highest in the world.
2. Bird Watching
Lochinvar National Park is a 450 km2 wetlands area with more than 428 recorded bird species. There are no dangerous animals in the park making it ideal for walking and animal spotting
The Luangwa Valley hosts more than 400 species with over 39 birds of prey and 47 migrant species. Near the end of the dry season, hundreds of large waterbirds including saddle bill storks and crown storks can be seen wading through the shallows,.
3. Fishing
Zambia has some excellent fishing areas. The Lower Zambezi offers excellent opportunities to fight the feisty tigerfish and the shores of Lake Tanganyika is also a great angling spot. Fishing is permitted throughout the year, but can become very uncomfortable during the hot, rainy season from October to February.
4. Game Viewing
South Luangwa National Park is rated one of the top game reserves in the world. This reserve is teeming with game and offers an intense game experience either by vehicle, by foot or by canoe. The best time for game viewing is in the dry season between June and October. North Luangwa is very wild and only a few operators have permission to take walking safaris through here. The park is noted for its massive herds of buffalo and large prides of lion.
At 22 400 km2, Kafue National park is the second largest national park in the world. This national park offers a great game experience, and can also offer fantastic birding and fishing. Best game viewing time is May to October.
Each November the remote Liuwa plain plays host to thousands and thousands of blue wildebeest arriving from Angola on their annual migration
The Lower Zambezi national park is a great place for walking and canoe safaris and is home to large herds of elephant, buffalo, waterbuck, lion and leopard
5. Victoria falls
Also known as “Mosi au Tunya”, the smoke that thunders, the Victoria Falls is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world and a world heritage site.
In February/March , the Zambezi floods creating the largest curtain of falling water in the world with over 500 million litres of water per minute falling into the gorge below. At this time of year the spray is too much to get a view of the falls from the ground and the best way to see the falls is from the air. Fixed wing planes and helicopters are easy to organise to take people for an aerial view of the falls. November/December are low water months where the water flow reduces to about 10 million litres per minute into the gorge. Reduced spray means you can view the falls from the gorge.
CAPITAL: Lusaka
CLIMATE:
Zambia has 3 seasons, summer, rainy and winter
Summer runs from September to November and is very hot and dry with temperatures reaching 40 c during the day
The rainy season runs from December to April and is hot and humid.
Winter season runs between May and August and is cool and dry with temperatures averaging 23 C
COMMUNICATIONS:
The international country code is + 260
Cell phone reception is limited to around major cities
Internet cafes can be found in Livingstone and Lusaka.
ELECTRICITY:
220/240 Volts. Two plug types are in use, the round 3 pin and the round 2 pin (both are used in South Africa as well)
LANGUAGE:
English is the official language and is widely spoken in all areas. Bemba is the next most commonly spoken language
TIME: GMT + 2 hours
ENTERING THE COUNTRY
AIRPORT DEPARTURE TAX:
USD50 to be paid on international flights and USD20 to be paid on domestic flights. These must be paid in USD or Pounds Sterling.
ARRIVAL BY AIR:
The two main international airports are Lusaka and Livingstone.
CUSTOMS:
Duty free allowance of 400 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco, 2 litres of wine and 1 litre of spirits, 50 ml of perfume and 250ml of eau de toilette. Game trophies are subject to export permits.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:
A valid passport is required to enter Zambia and the validity date needs to be atleast 6 months after the visitor intends to leave the country. Visitors may also be asked to produce outgoing travel documents and proof of sufficient funds to finance their stay. Please check for visa requirements before leaving for Zambia. Under certain circumstances visas can be obtained on arrival. All foreign currency should be declared on arrival.
DRIVING:
Driving is on the left hand side of the road. A visitors home drivers license is acceptable as long as it is in English. If it is in any other language, an international drivers license is required. Many areas of the country are accessible only by 4 x 4 vehicles, particularly in the game reserves.
HEALTH
Please check with your local doctor on which immunizations are deemed necessary and which malaria prophylactics should be taken. According to the World Health Organisation malaria exists throughout the year in the whole country. It is strongly recommended that you ensure that you have adequate medical insurance when visiting Zambia as medical facilities in Zambia are extremely limited and even basic drugs and clean needles can be in short supply. In most cases evacuation to South Africa will be required. Travellers on medication should ensure that they have sufficient supplies with them to cover their whole stay. Good first aid kits and clean needles are recommended.
MONEY
ATM’s: These are available in larger towns only, but should not be depended upon.
BANKS: A number of commercial banks operate in Zambia including: African Banking Corporation, Bank of China(Zambia), Barclays Bank, Cavmont Capital Bank, Citibank, Finance Bank Zambia, First Alliance bank Zambia, Indo-Zambia Bank, Intermarket Banking Corporation, Investrust Bank, Stanbic Bank Zambia, Standard Chartered Bank and Zambia National Commercial Bank. Most of these have branches throughout the country. Operating hours are 08h15 to 14h30 Mondays to Fridays and 08h15 to 10h30 the first and last Saturdays of the month.
CREDIT CARDS:
Most large hotels, restaurants and retail establishments in the main towns and cities accept Mastercard and Visa. American Express and Diners are less frequently accepted and you should not rely on using these.
CURRENCY:
The official currency is the Zambian kwatcha (ZMK) which has smaller units called ngwee. Zambia has 9 banknotes ( ZMK50 000, K20 000, K 10 000, K5000, K1000, K 500, K100, K 50, K20) and five coins (K10, K5, K1, 50N, 25N) in circulation.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE:
Cash and travellers cheques can be cashed at banks and Bureaux de Change. Neither of these will accept USD notes issued before 1990.
TRAVELLERS CHEQUES:
Travellers cheques are easy to cash provided you have identification and the original receipt to prove you are the person who purchased the travellers cheques.
The former capital of Zambia, Livingstone owes its existence primarily to the Victoria Falls and was established as a staging point across the mighty Zambezi River. The town is named after Dr. David Livingstone, the first European to discover, name and publicize the falls. 
