Business hours: Weekdays 08:00 - 17:00, Saturdays 08:00 - 13:00. Most banks open from 08:30 - 14:30 on weekdays, 09:00 - 11:30 on Saturdays. Many shops stay open later.
Foreign exchange: Travellers’ cheques, dollars or pounds may be exchanged at any authorised bank or bureaux de change in the main towns. Travellers’ cheques attract a commission. To avoid additional charges, travellers are advised to take travellers’ cheques in US Dollars, Euros or Pounds Sterling.
Credit cards & ATMs: Accepted by most hotels, restaurants, travel agencies and the larger stores. There are ATMs in Lusaka as well as the larger towns. Standard Chartered and Barclays banks have ATMs which accept Visa cards.
VAT: VAT refunds are offered to tourists, who are issued with an export tax invoice (VAT 263) when purchasing goods, both of which must be presented at the designated exit points of export for verification. Duty Free: The following items may be imported into Zambia without incurring customs duty: 400 cigarettes or 500g of tobacco; one bottle of spirits/wine and 2.5 litres of beer; 1 oz bottle of perfume.
Visa requirements: Visitors must have a valid passport. Visas are required, except for citizens of countries which have visa abolition agreements with Zambia and citizens of some Commonwealth countries. Please confirm with Zambia’s embassies or high commissions abroad.
Health requirements: Visitors from or passing through a yellow fever and cholera zone (most of tropical Africa and South America) must be able to produce a valid International Certificate of Vaccination. Precautions: cholera, malaria, tetanus. Tap water in the major towns is purified and safe to drink. Transport
• Road – Traffic keeps to the left and the general speed limit is 100 kilometres on main routes and 65 kilometres in built-up areas unless otherwise indicated. Visiting drivers must hold an International Drivers Licence. SADC licences are also valid. A person driving into the country on business can have their car admitted without having to pay duty, provided they will not use it for hire or commercial purposes. Coach travel is available to a variety of regional destinations, while long range buses frequently leave from Lusaka to all the main towns and mini-buses and taxis are available for local transport. Road borders are open 24-hours a day, with the exception of Chembe, Kazungula, Kariba and Chirundu, which are open from 06:00 to 18:00 hours. Victoria Falls Bridge is open until 20:00 hours.
• Air – Four international airports, namely, Lusaka, Livingstone, Mfuwe and Ndola, with several secondary airfields and airstrips in Chipata, Kitwe, Kasama, Mongu, Solwezi and Mansa.
• Rail – Zambia has three main internal train lines, from Lusaka to Livingstone, Lusaka to the Copperbelt, and from Kapiri Mposhi to the northern border with Tanzania. Main train station in central Lusaka, Dedan Kamathi Road. Communications: There are three mobile telephone operators, and public telephones are available in most public buildings. Internet service is widely available in Copperbelt, Lusaka, Kabwe and Southern Province, with a number of Internet cafes in Livingstone and Lusaka and many offering broadband connections. Postal services are fairly well organised in Zambia. Dialling code: Direct dialling to Zambia +260 followed by area codes: Lusaka, Kafue (01); Chingola, Kitwe, Ndola (02); Livingstone (03); Kasama (4); Kabwe (05);etc, plus subscriber's number. Direct dialling to neighbouring countries requires four sets of numbers: first the international prefix 00, then the country code, the city code, and the number. |
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Travel Facts 
