Info & addresses
British Council
If you are in Lusaka for any length of time then the British Council (tel: 01 228332) runs a good library, with lending and reference sections, from its offices in Heroes Place off Cairo Road. Joining fee is £4 (US$6) for books, and £10 (US$15) for videos.
Car repairs
Repairs used to be difficult to arrange as spare parts were in poor supply. However, in the last few years this has changed considerably as (particularly) Toyota have moved into Zambia. Their main centre, for parts, sales and service, is towards the north end of Cairo Road (PO Box 33438; tel: 229109/13 or 221635, fax: 223846). One of the most highly recommended places for car repairs is Bundu Auto Repair Services (BARS) on Kachidza Road, off Lumumba Road, close to Hooligans and the timberyard; contact Musa on cell: 096 287633.
Alternatively, for other makes of vehicle, garages include the impala service station (po box 31407; tel: 238275 or 238284; fax: 238285) on the Great North Road just past the roundabout at the end of Cairo Road, which now specialises in tyres and wheel-balancing, and Autoworld (PO box 31407; Tel: 223207 or 237716/9; Fax: 223323) on Freedom Way, near the corner with Ben Bella Road.
Emergencies
For a serious medical condition don't hesitate to use the emergency number given with your medical insurance. As a failsafe, many adventure/safari companies, lodges and camps also subscribe to an emergency medical evacuation service. Good travel insurances will also cover you for use of their service, although authorisation for this in an emergency can take time. Their regional offices are:
Health International/Medical Air Rescue Service (MARS) Cairo Rd North End (next to Barclays Bank), PO Box 35999, Lusaka; tel: 01 236644 or 702664 for emergencies, or 231175/6 for general enquiries; fax: 231081 or 224833; email: marsintl@zamnet.zm
Specialty Emergency Services MedRescue The Grove, PO Box 31500, Kafue Rd, Lusaka; tel: 01 273302–7; fax: 273181/273301; email: med@zamnet.zm
For less life-threatening conditions, your embassy or hotel can be of help, as both will be able to recommend a doctor. A sick foreign traveller will usually be accepted by one of the well-equipped clinics used by the city's more affluent residents without too many questions being asked at first. Proof of comprehensive medical insurance will make this all the more speedy, so try:
Health Centre Lusaka 8238 Nangwenya Rd, Lusaka; tel/fax: 01 254819; cell: 97 773012.
A branch of the Czech Republic Health Centre, HCL is a modern clinic with general practitioners, surgeons and a paediatrician, as well as a pharmacy. It runs a 24-hour service, including house calls, and operates a flying doctor service. The clinic is located 200m from Manda Hill, off Addis Ababa Rd. The clinic is a member of IAMAT.
Corpmed Clinic Cairo Rd (north end, behind Barclays Bank); tel: 01 222612 or 226983. This is probably Lusaka's best-equipped hospital and is managed by MARS (see above). It has a very modern trauma centre, its own ambulance service, and a laboratory. There's a doctor on duty 24 hours, though the clinic routinely opens for non emergencies Mon–Fri 08.00–16.00, and Sat 09.00–11.00.
Primary Care Services Ltd Katopola Road and the Great East Road; tel: 01 253858. This also has a dental surgery, tel: 01 261247
Monica Chiumya Memorial Clinic off Buluwe Rd, near Lake Rd, Kabulonga; tel: 01 260491
Care for Business
Addis Ababa Bd; tel: 01 255727–30, 291489
ZCCM Clinic 2192 Nsumbu Rd; tel: 01 252292, 252286; dentist tel: 01 254702, 096 439523
Alternatively, the
University Teaching Hospital on the Ridgeway has a department for emergencies (tel: 01 254113), though it is now sadly overstretched and best avoided if possible.
Travel agents
Cairo Road, and now the suburbs too, have so many travel agents that you'd think the capital's residents do little but travel. However, attentive and efficient service isn't so common, and at present only a few, such as Voyagers, are used to the demands of overseas clients.
Most safari arrangements are best made as far in advance as possible. Unless you are travelling totally independently (driving or hiking, and camping everywhere), you should book with a good specialist tour operator before you leave home. This will also give you added consumer protection, recourse from home if things go wrong – and most importantly it'll get you into the places you want to visit.
If you are in Lusaka and need to arrange something urgently, then try to get a personal recommendation of a good local agent. Many have their own favourite properties or trips, and will recommend those, regardless of what would suit you best. You will certainly have to accept that there is little choice in the camps that are left.
However, if you are stuck then your best bet would be to contact one of Lusaka's better travel agents:
Juls Ltd 5507 Libala Rd, Kalundu, Postnet 79, P Bag E891, Lusaka; tel: 01 292979/293972; fax: 01 291246; email: julscar@zamnet.zm; www.zambiatourism.com/juls. With around ten years' experience, Juls works regularly with international organisations and can organise all domestic and some international travel arrangements
Kachelo Travel Plot 31H, Sable Rd, Kabulonga, PO Box 30946, 10101, Lusaka; tel: 01 263973, 260817, 265569; fax: 01 265560
Steve Blagus Travel 24C Nkwazi Rd, PO Box 31530, Lusaka; tel: 01 227739/40, 227285; fax: 01 225178; tlx: ZA 43320
Voyagers Suez Rd (100m from the Holiday Inn), PO Box 37609, Lusaka; tel: 01 253082–4; fax 01 253048; email: travel@voyagers.com.zm; www.zambiatourism.com/voyagers
Zambian Safari Co Farmers House, Cairo Rd, PO Box 30093, Lusaka; tel: 01 228682/3; fax: 01 222906, 224915; cell: 097 782698; email: reservations@zamsaf.co.zm
Further information
There are few really useful sources of information about Lusaka, except for the excellent monthly The Lowdown. These super booklets approach 100 pages in length and have independent reviews of restaurants, lots of topical articles and letters, and a fair sprinkling of humour. At only Kw2,500 (US$0.50) per copy, you can't afford not to buy a copy if you see one – even if you're only passing through the capital. Seek them out at hotels, larger supermarkets, service stations, bookshops in Lusaka and Shoprite outlets across the country. From outside Zambia, you can check out their website at www.lowdown.co.zm.
For information on Zambia as a whole, drop into the Zambian National Tourist Board on Cairo Road, just to the side of Shoprite (tel: 01 229087–90; fax: 01 225174; www.zambiatourism.com). Open Mon–Fri 08.00–13.00, 14.00–17.00; Sat 08.00–12.00.