In this latest series, I will be going through all the countries I’ve travelled to on my mission to visit every single country in the world. In this article, we will be covering country #12: Zambia. If you haven’t gotten a chance already, read this story first to find out why I’m trying to visit all 193 UN-recognized countries.
VIDEO – Country #12: Zambia
Zambia articles
- What Time Of The Year You Should Visit Victoria Falls in Zambia
- My Complete Zambia, Botswana, and Namibia Spending Breakdown
- My 23 Hour Overnight Bus Ride From Zambia to Namibia
Jollyboys Backpackers
Clearing immigration in Zambia was our first taste of African efficiency. (Nothing seems to work properly in Africa but that’s just part of the experience). As a matter of fact, the multi-entry Visa that goes into my passport was stuck on improperly. The immigration officer didn’t seem to care and told me to pass.
We ended up getting transportation that took us to our hostel. Ironically, the hostel we stayed at was owned and ran by a Canadian woman.
Aesthetically, the hostel we stayed in look very nice. We thought we were in for a treat!
They even offered affordable meals we can buy for lunch and dinner which was great.
The two things I didn’t quite like in the hostel was that the dorms didn’t have lockers to put our belongings in. Also, there was no mosquito net in the hostel. This is a bad thing because, at night, mosquitoes swarm the dorm. I was bitten a ton of time and it was hard to sleep with the mosquitos buzzing in your ears.
The worst part is, there is malaria in Zambia. We did travel during the dry season so the chance of us getting malaria was lower but it’s never good to take chances.
Victoria Falls
We took a taxi that drove us to Victoria Falls. After paying the entrance fee, we excitedly went inside. I was bursting with excitement and took some happy pictures before reaching the falls.
The story played out differently right when we did arrive at the spot where the falls were supposed to be. Except there were no waterfalls. My face dropped in disappointment. Or more like, I was really choked and Karen can see in my face how upset I was.
Little did we know that during the dry season, the waterfalls have no water! How the hell are we supposed to know that a waterfall can have no water?
Not giving up, I vowed to find a way to see some remnants of Victoria Falls two days later after our trip to Botswana (the following day) was over.
The last attempt to see Victoria Falls at the Zambia-Zimbabwe border
I teamed up with fellow tour members from the previous day’s tour to Botswana. We were all determined to see Victoria Falls and decided to go to the Zambia-Zimbabwe bridge to get a glimpse of it. I also wanted to briefly cross over to Zimbabwe to tick it off as one of the countries I visited.
Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. There was no water in Victoria Falls. Our group was disappointed. We took pictures together before parting ways. At least we tried our best and looks like I have to return to this area again one day.
Hotel Royal Livingstone
Our super friendly driver drove us to Hotel Royal Livingstone which was the super expensive accommodation in the area. It cost about $1000 USD per night to stay in this hotel. The place has become a local tourist attraction as well as the hotel actually lets tourist go inside here to hang out and take pictures.
Visiting Hotel Livinstone was our consolation prize for not being able to see Victoria Falls. It’s not the same but we appreciated the effort made by our taxi driver.
Taking a long bus to Namibia
After checking out the hotel, we went back to our hostel to pack up. Karen and I would be taking a 22-hour bus ride going from Zambia to Namibia which was an epic trip on its own.
Conclusion
Zambia is a very friendly country with likable locals. We enjoyed our time here and I think it’s a good place to visit for those new to travelling to Africa. The city of Livingstone, Zambia is well-developed thanks to tourism and is a good place to visit to introduce anyone who has never been to Africa before.
It’s also a fantastic hub to stay in and do a side trip to Botswana and Zimbabwe because of the close proximity to those other countries. I can see myself returning here again one day in the distant future.
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