Zambia Hotels and Accommodation

(Zambia, ZM, Southern Africa)

Zambia offers a bewildering array of accommodation, ranging from rooms in top city hotels to campsites and safari lodges.

If you are not sure which best meets your needs, it is worth thinking about the sort of activities you plan to do during your stay. For example, you may decide to spread your holiday between various locations, changing accommodation to fit in with your itinerary.

If you are keen to explore the cultural side of Zambia, it is advisable to steer clear of large international or chain hotels. Taking a room in a guesthouse makes much better sense. This category of lodging offers by far the best chance of encountering local people and tourists from other parts of Africa.

Where to Stay

Accommodation in Lusaka is available in abundance and is suitable for the majority of budgets. Those with plenty of money to splurge can look at five-star hotels, such as the Taj Pamodzi, set within its own tropical gardens, or the Intercontinental Hotel.

Mid-range hotels are aimed at businessmen and civil servants, but are perfect if you want to save some money and still find somewhere that is clean and up-together. Modest guesthouses generally have a more relaxed feel to them and are ideal if you prefer your stay in Lusaka to be a quiet one.

Country style lodges are also worth considering in this part of Zambia. In general, they involve a short drive from the centre of Lusaka. Out-of-town campsites are popular with overland travellers heading to Malawi or South Luangwa. Originally offering just basic facilities for those looking for nothing more exotic than a shady place to pitch a tent, some of these now also offer more luxurious lodge accommodation.

Livingstone's growing popularity as a tourist town in Zambia means that there is an even greater variety of accommodation on offer than ever before, the majority of which should satisfy the needs of most visitors. Options include the standard fare of luxury lodges and rooms for backpackers in budget hotels and hostels. Livingstone is also particularly well endowed with guesthouses. Standards vary quite widely, from places that offer modest-sized rooms to those that have been purpose-built and boast everything from a restaurant to a private swimming pool.

Accommodation that serves visitors to the Zambian side of the Victoria Falls tends to hug the banks of the Zambezi River, which means that guests get to enjoy an uninterrupted view of this natural wonder. Accommodation is wide ranging, from well-appointed hotels and riverfront chalets to air-conditioned tree houses. The closer to the Falls you are, the better placed you are to enjoy the various Victoria Falls-related activities and attractions. To get away from the crowds, though, your best bet is perhaps to head to the Kazungula area.