Getting to Zambia: Flights, Light Aircraft & Transfers Between Parks

There are no non-stop flights to Zambia from the USA at the time of writing, so every trip begins with one connection, usually in Africa or the Gulf. The good news is that one is normally enough: fly from a major US gateway to a hub, then on to Lusaka or Livingstone, and your safari logistics take over from there.

Inside Zambia, distances are large and roads are slow, which is why most safaris combine scheduled domestic flights with small light aircraft. Getting the routing right, including which city you fly into and which you leave from, saves days of backtracking. This guide explains how the pieces fit together.

Fly into Lusaka’s Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (LUN) if your safari begins in South Luangwa, the Lower Zambezi or Kafue: all three are reached most easily from the capital. Fly into Livingstone’s Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport (LVI) if you want to begin at Victoria Falls, or if you are arriving from Botswana or Zimbabwe.

Many of the best itineraries are open-jaw: in through Lusaka and out through Livingstone, or the reverse. You finish the safari with a flight to the falls, spend two nights there and connect home through Johannesburg without ever retracing a leg. Most of our Zambia journeys are built this way.

Beyond Mfuwe and Livingstone, Zambia’s safari areas are served by small propeller aircraft landing on gravel or grass airstrips. Some legs run as seat-rate services, where you buy seats on a shared scheduled hop; others are private charters, which cost more but fly on your timetable and reach places no shared service goes, such as North Luangwa. A vehicle from your camp meets you at the strip.

The limit that shapes your packing is weight. On most light-aircraft legs, the allowance is about 20 kg (44 lb) per person in total, including hand luggage and camera gear, in a soft bag with no wheels or rigid frame so that it squeezes into a small hold. Heavy camera kit can justify buying an extra seat, so ask early. Our safari packing list helps you pack to the limit.

Bush airstrips are generally used in daylight only, and storms in the early rains can delay departures. Flight plans therefore leave a margin before dusk, which is one more reason the remote camps close in the wet months.

It depends on when your long-haul flight lands, and how much buffer you want.

1. 1

   Check your arrival time

   If your international flight lands in Lusaka by late morning, a same-day connection to Mfuwe or the Lower Zambezi is often possible. An afternoon or evening arrival usually means a night in Lusaka.

2. 2

   Allow for delays

   Long-haul flights run late, and domestic and light-aircraft departures do not wait. A missed connection can cost you a night in camp, so we build in margin rather than gamble.

3. 3

   Think about the last day too

   On the way home, fly out of the bush in the morning and leave several hours before your international departure, or spend a final night in Lusaka or Livingstone. It keeps the end of the trip calm.

4. 4

   Use the night well

   A night in Lusaka need not be dead time. A farm lodge or boutique hotel on the city’s edge gives you a quiet evening, a proper sleep and an unhurried start the next morning.