A Zambian Road Trip
A Zambian roadtrip is like none other! My husband and I were privileged to take three lengthy Zambian road trips, each time going a different direction. As we motored through these different areas of Zambia, we understood why Zambians call their country, the “real” Africa. Once you depart the capital of Lusaka, you will experience the typical thatched roof huts of the African bush. Also, within Zambia you are several different game parks, and experience the magnificent and world famous, Victoria Falls. The video above will take you with us on our three Zambian road trips and one additional visit.
A typical Zambian village scene. 
Mopani Copper Mine
A Landlocked Country:
Zambia was formerly N. Rhodesia, and it has approximately 17 million people. Because Zambia is landlocked, it is bordered by 8 countries: Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Angola, The Congo, Malawi, Tanzania, Namibia, and Botswana. Zambia and Zimbabwe are divided by Victoria Falls. Driving north from Lusaka toward the Zambezi River that borders The Congo, you drive through Kitwe, the location of Mopani Copper mine. This mine is the largest of its kind in the world. Because of its location on a high plateau, Zambia’s climate is “mild;” consequently, it is often referred to as the air-conditioned country.
Zambian Roadtrip One: 2014:
We drove approximately 300 miles south from Lusaka to Livingstone and Victoria Falls. We made this journey on fairly good roads. That was not the case on other Zambian road trips.
Zambian Roadtrip Two: 2015:
Our next Zambian Road trip was one year later. On this trip we drove approximately 370 miles north from Lusaka to Zambezi on the Congo border. These roads–especially around Kitwe and the copper mines–are some of the worst we saw in Africa. Although I believe the absolute worst roads we saw in all of Africa were in Uganda. This drive to N. Zambia took us two full days to arrive at our destination.
Lake Bangweulu 
Sunset on Zambian highway.
Zambian Roadtrip Three: 2015:
Continuing on our Zambian road trip, the very next week we drove in a completely different direction. This time we drove approximately 300 miles northeast from Lusaka to Lake Bangweulu. These roads were much better than the week before, and we made the journey in one extremely long day rather than two days.
Zambian Roadtrip Four: 2016:
To add to our Zambian experiences, in 2016 we flew from Johannesburg to Livingstone specifically to view Victoria Falls. This was our second time to visit the falls, but not our last. Victoria Falls is magnificent any time, but on our second visit, the falls were completely full. This was a major contrast from our 2014 visit when the falls were not so full. It was also on this trip that we also went “Walking with the Lions!”
Other Blogs about Africa on this site:
If you enjoy this blog about Zambia, the “real Africa,” here are some other African blogs you might enjoy: The Lemurs of Madagascar, Walking with Lions.
