10-Day Zambia Cultural and Wildlife Safari with Victoria Falls

• Meet the tour representatives and the driver at the Livingstone International Airport (Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula Airport). You will be transferred to and stay at the Victoria Falls Waterfront Lodge above the majestic Victoria Falls. Waterfront Lodge is the perfect place to stay in Livingstone because it is a serene and secluded place, centrally located between Livingstone Town and Victoria Falls. The Victoria Falls Lodge boasts fantastic facilities catering for any type of traveller. It is located within the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park, only 3 km upstream from Victoria Falls. It has two sparkling swimming pools, WI-FI facilities, a riverside restaurant and a bar with stunning views over the Zambezi River – the perfect spot for a sundowner. A varied mix of accommodations includes en-suite chalets, permanent tents and a campsite.
  • Note: There is always a possibility of staying at another good-level accommodation facility in Livingstone in case there is no bed space at Waterfront Lodge.
• Have a ‘meet and greet session’ in the evening in a nice restaurant where you will meet your fellow travellers (unless you are a solo or private traveller). There are no planned activities on the day of arrival. Activities start on the following second day, early in the morning.
• 19:30 pm: You will have a well-prepared fresh, healthy dinner by our Executive Chef, a perfect introduction to the finest natural health foods and drinks.
• 20:00 pm: Retire to bed.

Note: There are no planned activities on the day of your arrival. So you will check in at the lodge and relax or visit Livingstone City if you arrive early in the day. Your tour director will collect your insurance and next of kin details at the meeting, so please make sure you arrange a flight that will deliver you to Livingstone, Zambia, in time.

• 07:10 am: Wake up; thereafter, take a morning bath. 
• 07:30 am: Take your sumptuous breakfast,
• 08:00 am: You will travel to the mighty Victoria Falls for a wonderful waterfalls viewing and tour experience excursion.
• 08:00 am – 10:30 am: Commence touring the mighty Victoria Falls; 
  • Narration: The Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls is the world's greatest sheet of falling water.  It is significant worldwide for its exceptional geological and geomorphological features and active land formation processes. It has an outstanding beauty attributed to the falls, i.e. the spray, mist and rainbows. Thereafter, visit the local craft market just outside the perimeter fence of Victoria Falls. 
• 10:30 am – 11:00 am: You will then travel back to Livingstone City and;  
• 11:00 am – 12:30 pm: You will visit and commence touring the Livingstone Museum.
  • Overview of the Livingstone Museum: Established in 1934, the Livingstone Museum is the largest and oldest museum in Zambia. It is located in the heart of Livingstone, the home of the Victoria Falls. It holds internationally significant collections in Zambian archaeology, history, culture and natural history and provides an important insight into the natural and cultural heritage of Zambia. It is renowned for its important collection of David Livingstone letters and memorabilia.
  • Highlight:  There are local museum tour guides available to accompany you. The guides’ service is complimentary.
• 12:30 pm –13:00 pm:  After touring the Livingstone Museum, you will walk across to the Livingstone city centre. You will see colonial buildings, many shops, banks, and local markets. This is an opportunity for you to withdraw cash at the numerous automatic teller machines (ATM cash dispensers) for your spending pleasure in Livingstone. Buy your assortment of drinks at the famous Shoprite shop at your own cost; thereafter, you will be transferred back to the lodge you are staying at. 
• 13:00 pm -  14:30 pm: You will take your lunch at the Lodge.
• 14:30 pm: Take an afternoon of rest in your lodge room.
• 16:00 pm: Next activity: Village Tour to Mukuni Village. You will experience and see in real-time the true Zambian cultural lifestyle of local people genuinely living a genuine life and not acting for tourists. 
  • Additional activities: On your way to Mukuni village, you will visit and tour the National Art Gallery for thirty (30) minutes. This means that you will leave your lodge at 03:00 p.m. for the National Art Gallery. 
• Thereafter, you will travel to Mukuni village on the outskirts of Livingstone city. During the Mukuni Village tour, you will be treated to an African experience where you will get to learn more about the African culture and interact with people from the village.
• At the end of the Mukuni Village Tour, you will be transferred back to your Lodge for dinner and sleep.

All your meals are prepared by our chef for quality control and consistency purposes. We do not get meals from the lodge you are staying at except in some exceptional circumstances, and sometimes breakfast is included in the room rate. However, should you wish to eat the meals and drinks from the Restaurant of the lodge you are staying at, you are free to do so and meet the cost of such meals and drinks, which you must settle in full at check-out time to the respective lodge cashier.

Please note: The times indicated above against each activity may vary during the actual tour due to changed situations or circumstances.

• You will do an early morning game drive in the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park in Livingstone.
• 05:30 am: Wake up call and take a bath.
• 06:10 am: You will be picked up from your lodge and proceed to Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park's main entrance. You will be required to pay the necessary park entry fees to enable you to enter the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park.
• 06:45 am: Commence game viewing within the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park. You will take a mini break by the shores of the Zambezi River. 
• Thereafter, you will proceed to the other side of the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park for a walking safari to view the White Rhinos. You are encouraged to donate anything, either materially or financially, to the Wildlife Protection Officers who watch over these few remaining white Rhinos 24/7. 
• A videographer will capture the entire game drive experience for you. A saved soft copy on a flash will be given to you at the end of the game drive. This way, you will always be able to relive this life-time experience all your life! 
• 09: 30 a.m. - Exit the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park and return back to your lodge for breakfast.
• 09:35 am - Take your sumptuous breakfast.
• 10:30 am: Leave for Kalomo travelling by road up north on T-1, the main tourist road of Zambia (Livingstone – Lusaka T-1 road). It is a good tarmac road, and you will cover a distance of about 128 km. You will pass the small roadside town of Zimba on your way up north before reaching Kalomo.
• 13:00 pm: Arrive in Kalomo town, the first colonial capital city of the then Northern Rhodesia, current Zambia.  
• You will visit and tour the first "state house" of the colonial administrator of Northern-Western Rhodesia (now Zambia). 
  • More details: The Administrator's House national monument-located in Kalomo, Zambia, is a 116-year-old house. It was the first home of the British South African Company (BSAco)'s administrator in charge of a territory back then called North-Western Rhodesia. It is believed the house served as present-day Zambia's first state house. 
• Thereafter, you will depart for Choma and, along the way, see the Kalundu Mound: About 3km north of Kalomo, on the main road, is a slightly raised mound (a matter of just a few metres) of earth through which the road passes. This marks the site of an Iron-Age village, and the mound is the accumulated debris of many centuries of occupation.
• 14:30 pm: Enjoy lunch break in Kalomo.
• 14:45 pm: Depart for Choma, a distance of about 100 km.
• 17:30 pm: Arrive in Choma town. 
  • Narration: Choma is a market town and is the provincial headquarters of the Southern Province of Zambia. It lies on Zambia’s main T-1 tourist road and railway line, about 285km from Lusaka and 188km from Livingstone. It is home to the Choma Museum and Craft Centre, exclusively dedicated to the cultural heritage of the Tonga people of the southern province of Zambia. 
• 17:00 pm: Check in at Twin Cave, Leons Lodge, or Meridian Lodge in Choma or at any other good accommodation facility.
• 19:00 pm – 21:30 pm: Enjoy your nice dinner.
• 21:40 pm: After an exciting day of activities, you will retire to bed to sleep.

Please note: The times indicated above against each activity may vary during the actual tour due to changed situations or circumstances.

Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site that is home to the Mosi-oa-Tunya Falls, which means — "The Smoke that Thunders", known worldwide as Victoria Falls — on the Zambezi River. What makes this park unique in Zambia is that it’s the only wildlife area with white rhinos. These are closely protected from poachers by the scouts from the DNPW (Department of National Parks and Wildlife). The Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park is Zambia's smallest National Park, free from predators. This, in combination with it being an area with man-made boundaries, guarantees an abundance of wildlife throughout the year. In addition to the migratory elephants, wildlife, including white rhinos, giraffes, buffalo, waterbuck, impala, wildebeest, zebra, bushbuck, warthogs, monkeys, baboons, hippos and crocodiles, are residents in the park year-round. They inhabit a mix of riverine forest, mopane woodland, and grassland, which also provides a variety of habitats for numerous bird species. Within this park is the Old Drift Crossing Point as well as the Cemetery, where the first European settlers were buried. Historically, the Old Drift was where ox-wagons were floated across the Zambezi before there was a bridge.

In 1907, it became the capital of what was known as Northern-Western Rhodesia. In 1911, it became the capital of Northern Rhodesia, what is today called Zambia.

• 07:30 am: Wake up; thereafter, take a bath.
• 08:00 am – 08: 30 am: Enjoy breakfast.
• 09:00 am - 11:30 am: Commence cultural and educational tour of the Choma Museum and Art Gallery. 
• Further, undertake an outdoor tour of the Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula statue, a political freedom fighter for Zambia’s independence.
• 12:30 pm – 13:30 pm: Enjoy a lunch break at the Choma Museum or at any other good eating place. 
• 13:35 pm: Travel to  Chikuni Mission in Chisekesi to Mukanzubo Cultural Research Institute centre.                  Narration: The Institute is a cultural site dedicated to showcasing, promoting and protecting the Tonga culture, heritage, traditions and events.
• 17:10 pm -  Check-in at  Mukazubo Lodge/hostel accommodation facilities at Chikuni Mission.
• 18:00 pm – 19:00 pm: Enjoy evening dinner.
• 19:00 pm – 21:30 pm: Evening relaxation with friends. 
• 21:00 pm:  After a day's travel and exciting activities, you will then retire to bed to sleep.

Please note: The times indicated above against each activity may vary during the actual tour due to changed situations or circumstances.

Narration: Choma Museum is a place full of Zambian and African history dedicated to preserving the heritage of the Tonga tribe.  You will see for yourself the historical artifacts and monuments left behind during the colonial rule of Zambia. It houses and sells traditional crafts and artifacts.

• 06:10 am: Wake up; thereafter, take a warm or cold bath.
• 08:00 am – 08:30 am: Enjoy a sumptuous morning breakfast.
• 09:00 am: Commence a number of cultural activities at Mukazubo Cultural Research Institute. These are: 
  • Cultural music (dance and songs)
  • Cultural tour or museum tour (artifacts, tradition, musical instruments, beadwork shop)
• 12:30 pm – 13:30 pm: Eat your sumptuous lunch.
• 14:00 pm: Continue with more cultural activities, i.e. traditional games, pounding, grinding, putting on traditional costumes for photos, shooting, and traditional meals (village types). 
  • Note: These activities will be spread out in a logical sequence to cover the whole day.
• 19:00 pm – 21:30 pm: Evening relaxation with friends. 
• 21:00 pm: Retire to bed to sleep.

Please note: The times indicated above against each activity may vary during the actual tour due to changed situations or circumstances.

• 07:30 am: Wake up; thereafter, take a bath.
• 08:30 am: Enjoy morning breakfast. 
• 09:00 am: Do some  more exciting cultural excursions: 
  • Continue with the various cultural activities around Mukazubo Cultural Research Institute at Chikuni Mission.
• 19:00 pm – 21:30 pm: Evening dinner and relaxation with friends. 
• 21:00 pm: Retire to sleep.

Please note: The times indicated above against each activity may vary during the actual tour due to changed situations or circumstances.

• 07:30 am: Wake-up call; thereafter, take a warm shower.
• 07:30-07:45 am: Take your sumptuous breakfast. 
• 08:00 am: Depart from Mukazubo Cultural Research Centre: Travel to the Safari Lodge to see some wild animals in a forest reserve.
  • Thereafter, travel and arrive in Monze: - An agricultural town with an estimated population of 163,578 people.
• 10:30 am: Visit the Samu Lya Moomba national heritage site outside Monze town in the Bweengwa area, Chief CHOONGO’s chiefdom, to see Zambia's deep cultural heritage. Samu Lya Moomba holds a special place in Zambia's history as it was the location where some freedom fighters from across Zambia would meet to strategise on the attainment of Zambia's political independence.
• 12:30 am – In-transit lunch: You will be served with some delicious lunch whilst in transit to Mazabuka.
  • Narration: Mazabuka, dubbed “The Sweetest Town” in Zambia. This is because sugar canes that are processed into edible household sugar are grown on a large scale in Mazabuka.
• 15:30 pm: Travel to Chikakanta district to Chieftainess Mwenda's Chiefdom.
• 18:30 pm: Check-in at any good-level guest lodge in Chikakanta
• 19:30 pm – Dinner.
• 21:30 pm – Retire to bed to sleep early.

Please note: The times indicated above against each activity may vary during the actual tour due to changed situations or circumstances

• 07:30 am: Wake up; thereafter, take a bath.
• 08:00 am: Enjoy morning breakfast.
• 08:10 am: Receive a short briefing from the Tour Coordinator on the day's activities and other issues.
• 08:30 am: Pay a courtesy call on Chieftainess Mwenda at her palace. You will present to her with any gifts without any ceremonial pomp.
• 09:30 am: You will be transferred to your respective home villages as directed by the Chieftainess Mwenda herself or her authorized representative.
• 10:00 am: Cultural excursion: You will immerse yourself in authentic Tonga culture as you visit a traditional village, accompanied by an English-speaking guide who lives there himself. You will spend the whole day with your host family in the village. You will do a hands-on participatory village tour in as many facets of village chores or activities as possible. 
• 15:00 pm: You will then make a decision as to whether you will sleep over at your host family in the village or not. 
• 16:30 p.m.: The rest of the team members who do not wish to sleep over in the village will be transferred back to the Chikankanta Guest Lodge.
• 18:30 pm: Relax in the evening at the Guest Lodge.
• 21:00 pm: Retire to bed to sleep.

• Wake up and take a bath.
• Enjoy a sumptuous morning breakfast.
• 07:30 am: Depart for Lusaka.
• 09:20 am: Munali Hills Pass route: You will experience the true Zambian culture of this beautiful country along the way to Lusaka. The vehicle will wind its way through the beautiful landscape, passing through some green commercial farms, traditional African villages and schools along the way to Kafue. 
• Turn-Pike Turn-Off: At the Turn-Pike junction, we will branch off from the T-1 Livingstone Road and turn into the T-2 Kafue Road. By the roadside, we will briefly stop over by the lay-bye to buy some fresh bananas and apples. 
• 13:40 pm: Arrive in Lusaka and check in at any good-level accommodation facility.
• 14:00 pm: Take your sumptuous lunch.
• Afternoon activities: Visit Lusaka National Museum. The National Museum of Lusaka will be one of the highlights of your Lusaka tour, where you will see exhibits like sculptures, paintings from all ages, cultural highlights and archaeological displays. This specific cultural heritage museum tells the background of Zambia using four main divisions: ethnography, witchcraft, history and contemporary art.
• What you will do: 1. Guided Tour of the Lusaka Museum 
• 16:30 pm - Return to your accommodation to take a  rest or just take a relaxed walk of Lusaka's Central Business District. You will decide what you will do and tell the tour coordinator. 
• 19:00 pm: Farewell dinner at any restaurant in Lusaka.
• 21:00 hrs: Retire to bed to sleep. 

Please note: The times indicated above against each activity may vary during the actual tour due to changed situations or circumstances.

General Narration: More than  40% of the Zambian population lives in urban areas. The capital city of Zambia is Lusaka, located in the south-central part of Zambia. The nation's population of around 19.5 million is concentrated mainly around Lusaka in the south and the Copperbelt Province to the north, the core economic hubs of the country. Lusaka is one of Africa’s most delightful and fastest-growing cities in Africa. It is a metropolitan area that offers a traditional and hearty Zambian welcome to all visitors.

Local culture and traditions

Lusaka was named after the village chief called Lusaaka, whose port was located at the point where the National Assembly building now stands. The area was then expanded to provide settlement for workers working on the railway during the British colonial times. Today, Lusaka is a favourite town for many tourists, expatriates, students and Zambians too, simply because of the fast-growing infrastructure, housing and easy access to services.

• 05:30 am: Wake up and have breakfast.
• 06:00 am: Transfer to Lusaka International Airport (Kenneth Kaunda) to board your return flight home.