Day 21 – Livingstone to Lusaka – Victoria to Victoria

Today marks the start of our return home. For us the journey is part of the holiday and it will be a week or so before we are back home and still some places to see. We have a train to catch on Tuesday and need to be in touching distance of Kapiri Mposhi. We can do it all in one but yet another super-long bus journey (18hrs overnight) does not appeal.

We have loved being here in Livingstone but have exhausted all that we want to do here – given our budget. Jollyboys has been a great at place to stay, relaxed and friendly well decorated and well designed.

We are up and packed at 9:45am for a 9:30am taxi departure from Jollyboys, we need to be at the bus station an hour before departure, but it doesn’t matter – the bus has yet to arrive! Indeed it is an hour before it turns up!

The bus is much the same as the rest – 61 seats in pairs plus an odd one. Comfortable enough. Unlike those in Tanzania (and Uganda where we were earlier in the year) there are no videos – which is good as we avoid the masogenistic rap music and the cheesy badly acted Indian and Nigerian/Tanzanian movies.
In Zambia it has been coach throughout thus far. In Malawi it was almost always a cramped minivan (known as a dala dala in Tz). Unlike Tanzania there are no piki pikis (motorbike taxis) herein Zambia, neither the bicycle taxis of Malawi. Conventional 4 wheel taxis are the norm here.

The temperature has quickly risen from a chilly 7°C first thing to a more comfortable 24°C.

The landscape here is in some ways reminiscent of Autumn, with brown leaves and bare branches. However, It is exceptionally dry here, the ground is parched and yellow like Summer.

The rains were not good here in Zambia this year and the one reaervoir is low. In fact a feature of our time in Livingstone has been the regular planned power cuts which have lasted 6 or so hours and designed to balance the electrical load across the country.

Our journey is about eight hours. We decide, for once, not to camp but book a room in Lusaka Backpackers. This avoids both putting up and taking down the tent in the dark. We recto leave early in the morning to catch the early bus at 6:30am bound for Kapri Mposhi.

Modes of Transport