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Livingstone Travel Guide

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Africa : Central Africa : Zambia : Livingstone
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Livingstone, the capital of Zambia before it was moved to Lusaka, is in the Southern Province of Zambia.

Contents

Get in

By plane

Livingstone has its own small airport, and flights arrive daily.

By bus

Relatively comfortable luxury buses (called the "Euro-Bus) travel between Lusaka and Livingstone, for around Zambian Kwachas 60.000 (appr. US$ 13,-) tickets may be purchased one day in advance at the bus depot in Lusaka. These buses transport you in 5,5 hours to downtown Livingstone (total distance 470 km), near a taxi rank. It is also possible to catch a minibus from Lusaka, for about the same price.

By car

If you are aching to rent a car and drive yourself around Zambia, this might be the trip for you. The roads between Livingstone and Lusaka are among the country's best, and the trip involves only one right turn.

For the international driver, roads lead into Livingstone from Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe). You can buy a temp. import permit at your port of entry, for 1 month, 3 months or longer. Also a Zambian third party insurance is mandatory, next to reflective stickers or reflectors at the front of your vehicle (white) and at the back (red). Dimensions must be 5 x 5 cm, however rectangular is permitted as well.

Get around

The city of Livingstone -- where the bulk of the accommodation, restaurants, niteclubs, etc. are located -- is relatively small. Most likely, you will be comfortable walking around town. However, if you prefer not to, taxis prowl constantly.

The city sits about 5 miles from The Falls, making it just long enough to not want to walk. However, taxis and minibuses are happy to take you there (or back) for about $1 per person be prepared to haggle to get the right price of course, journeys to 5* hotels tend to cost substancially more than the average journey but are still relatively inexpensive

See

Victoria Falls, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the most amazing sights in the world. Twice as tall as Niagara Falls, and several times longer, Victoria Falls affords visitors a once-in-a-lifetime sightseeing experience.

Thanks to a well-designed park, visitors can touch the waters of the Zambezi just meters before it plunges over the falls; cross the falls on narrow bridge that provides spectacular views; and shoot rolls and rolls of film, without feeling their photos are redundant.

Do

Victoria Falls is becoming an adventurer's paradise. In recent years, many "extreme sports" have appeared, including:

  • White Water Rafting -- boasting several Class V rapids, the roiling waters south of the Falls provide 18 of the world's best rapids. Several outfitters (Bundu is a popular choice; it's offices are located in Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe)) have popped up in the past few years to take the courageous down the river. The rafting, itself, can be physically exhausting, but the climb out of the canyon at the end of the trip is the real beast -- it's long, steep, and difficult. The cost is well worth it (about $100 for the day) and includes lunch, dinner, and beer.
  • If rafting doesn't sound like fun, or you want to do something different, you can body board the first few rapids (it is advisable that you be able to swim fairly well or you won't get the most out of it)
  • Bungi Jumping from the bridge spanning Zambia and Zimbabwe is very popular. The location affords a spectacular view of the Falls -- behind you, on the Zam side -- and the Victoria Hotel -- in front of you, on the Zim side. The cost is about $100 per jump.
  • Livingstone Island a trip to Livingstone Island is unmissable. An island situated in the Zambezi river, 2 or 3 feet from the top of the Victoria Falls on the Zambian side. Trips leave from the Royal Livingstone Hotel and cost about $45 including breakfast. You will have the opportunity to stand in shallow water, 2 inches (literally) from where the water gushes over the edge of the falls, and swim in Devil's Pool, a reasonable current-free pool a couple of feet from the top of the falls, close enough to lean over the edge. This makes fantastic photo opportunities with a permanant rainbow from the mist of the falls behind you. This MAY only be availible during UK Summer months due to water levels. Book with a reputatble company as this is obviously a dangerous activity and unregistered access to the island is illegal (ask at your hotel or hostel).
  • The Zambezi Swing is a relatively new outfit, featured on the first season of The Amazing Race. For about $100, this South African group lets you abseil, rap jump, do a zip line, and -- the highlight -- a gorge swing. While Bungi Jumping is over in a few minutes, these guys let you play all day.
  • Del-Air offers helicopter pleasure flights over the Falls, for about $100 per person. This is a spectacular way to see the Falls. Just as important, however, it's a neat way to get to see the Zambezi River -- look for alligators attacking prey! -- and to see exactly how the River has moved over time. It's truly awesome to see how nature has carved away at the landscape.
  • Another company offers microglider rides over the Falls. This provides a much closer view of the Falls than the helicopter ride, but it does not give you as broad of a view. The microgliders do not fly on windy days.
  • Several companies provide a sunset booze cruise on the Zambezi, above the Falls. For $25, you get a two-hour cruise, all the drinks you can throw back, a little game-viewing, and a braai (BBQ) afterwards. The trip can be really crazy or really mellow, depending on who's scheduled on your trip.
  • The Livingstone Museum costs about 15 cents is worth breezing through. Most notable (read: curious) among the information is the fact that Zambians did not have access to a wheel until Europeans brought one in the 19th Century.
  • Finally, there are several game parks nearby, many of which are well-worth the visit. Livingstone boasts the only white rhino in Zambia, and there are only 6 of them. Ask your guide why they sport no horns.

Buy

Livingstone provides an inexhaustible supply of curio vendors, women selling fabrics, boys selling cool drinks, girls selling jewelry, and so on. You could easily spend all your money here. Be aware, though, that since this is a popular stop for tourists unfamiliar with bargaining, prices might be somewhat higher here than in other places. A savvy bargainer, however, can still strike gold although indistinguishable souvenirs are much cheaper outside Livingstone (on the roads to Lusaka for example)

If you Bungee Jump, Raft the Zambezi, or do any of the other "extreme activities," you've got to buy the t-shirt. It is a badge of honor in Africa, and a great way to tell others how tough you are. You can also buy photos and often videos of the extreme activities...try to get a look at the photos/video before buying (this is certainly possible with the bungi). Whilst the bungi videos are sometimes not videoshop quality you WILL be able to show your friends how great you are - to acompanying music.

Eat

Considering Livingstone is such a tourist destination, you can be certain that Western-style meals are easy to find -- everything from pizza, to burgers, even burritos! However, many of these restaurants seem to open and close rapidly. One "old horse" that has been around for a while is located about one-quarter of the way between Livingstone and the Falls, on the right-hand side; they double as a plant nursery. They are not open for dinner. Others include:

  • Hippo's Restaurant, adjacent to Fawlty Towers Backpackers, is very good and features al fresco dining in a very romantic setting.
  • Grubby's Grotto offers a bad name but great food.
  • The Funky Munky On the same road as Fawtly Towers guesthouse, is an excellent, quality restaurant with some very nice pizzas.
  • The Livingtone Safari Lodge offers you a complete different setting and quality food at a proper price. They support the orphans of Livingstone by operating their lodge.
  • Bar and Grill in Town opposite the main banks, an american style restuarant with good food in plentiful servings

If you're interested in a more authentic African meal, there are local restaurants willing to serve you; look around.

Drink

Every hostel, hotel, and resort in Livingstone features its own bar. If you want to get a cold one, you won't have to look far. There are also a number of niteclubs downtown, where tourists and locals alike dance to local and Western music.

Steptone which was reputadely full of "mafias" although "they don't pick toruble with tourists", as well as a open-air club adjacent (across the road) and the bar and grill has a disco later on again next door in the centre of town were all very good. There is also a casino a short taxi-ride away where the drinks were slightly more expensive.

Sleep

There are a number of places to sleep in Livingstone.

===Luxury=== -- over $200/night.

  • The Zambezi Sun, located between Livingstone and the Falls, offers a number of restaurants and accommodation types. You may recognize it as the location of a recent World's Strongman Competition.
  • The River Club on the Zambezi River is 18 km upstream of the Falls on the River.
  • Stanley Safari Lodge overlooking the Zambesi, the Falls and the Elephant Drinking Place. Very luxurious.

===Mid-Range=== -- between $20 and $200/night.

  • Tree-tops features treehouses on stilts, overlooking the Zambezi.

===Budget=== -- under $20/night.

  • Fawlty Towers is a "classy" hostel, with a terrific pool, in downtown Livingstone, it is possible to camp by the pool if there are no rooms (or you're really short on cash) and it offers pancakes (crepes) every day at 3pm, as well as a bar and comfy lounge area with a TV, the staff are very helpfull and will make phone calls for you to help book trips and activities
  • Jolly Boys provides dorm beds for $6/night and features a large pool and a roofed viewing platform which lets you see the steam from the Falls on a good day. There are also hammocks and mangoe trees if you feel like just lazing around. Look for the man who bills himself as "The Grumpiest Overlander in the World."
  • Gecko's is also a good, no-frills place to sleep ($6/night).

Get out

You can catch a bus in Livingstone in Lusaka airport or alternatively, You can catch a bus in Livingstone that will take you through the desolate Southern Province to the Zambia-Namibia border. (If the bus breaks down, be prepared to wait; bring water and a snack. However, for the independent traveler, this is the fastest, cheapest, most memorable way to Namibia.) The bus will drop you in Sesheke, a small, dusty village on the Zambian side of the Zambezi River.

After crossing the Zambezi River by ferry or dugout canoe (!), you'll be in Katimi Mulilo, on the eastern tip of the Caprivi Strip. The ferry is taken out of service due to the new bridge which opened early 2004.

Stay safe

Generally, Livingstone is a fairly safe town. They want to continue to attract foreign currency, so they are careful to make travelers feel safe. However, be careful about walking downtown at night, especially if you've been drinking. There are very few streetlights, and many of the locals are very poor. Try not to annoy the taxi-drivers, particulary late at night when some have been drinking

Other

It is important not to rely on your bank card to withdraw money from ATMs, especially if you do not have a VISA card

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