The mention of Lusaka city quickly steers up memories of struggles for independence and generally early civilization and trade in the country. Today, Lusaka’s Cairo road remains a very popular road running from Lusaka to Johannesburg.
Lusaka, founded in 1913 is known mainly for being capital of Government and commerce in Zambia, with a population approximated at 3.3 million as of 2019. However, other than being the largest and capital city in the country, Lusaka holds important history both prior and post the country’s independence.
The city has grown to become an important urban settlement in the country and the host of major businesses in the country. Clearly, this has led to the city to be the most populated in the country, the population is not so bad to get you worried about mega crowds and extreme congestion. However, you could expect some traffic between 06:30 and 08:30 in the morning, 12:30 and 02:30 in the afternoon and 05:30 and 06:30 in the evening on particular roads. Therefore, leaving your hotel after 08:30 should allow for smooth movements.
It cannot go unmentioned that the city is an important transport hub linking you to various countries in the region and beyond, as well as a gateway to the rest of parts of Zambia. Although the mention of Lusaka is often towards business and governance, Lusaka is an important cite housing various tourist attractions. Bearing this in mind, here are some suggested places you could visit if you happen to be in Lusaka for 24 hours.
Despite the limitations of only being in Lusaka for 24 hours, we will ensure you have a good experience of visiting the top cites in Lusaka.
You can start your day by visiting the Lusaka Museum, located in the central business district, right next to the Government Complex. The museum tells Zambia’s story in three main areas; ethnography, history and contemporary art.
Right outside the museum, you can check on the freedom statue. The freedom statue is an important symbol to the country and is placed on the country’s currency the Kwacha. Although, the statue is symbolic, it based on a real event of a freedom fighter Zanco Mpundu Mutembo breaking free from chains after an arrest, where he was told he would be shot if he failed to break them.
From there you can take a 10 to 15 minutes away from the town centre to Kabwata Cultural Village. At Kabwata Cultural village, you will be exposed to various artwork such as drums, traditional fabrics, traditional food as well as traditional music among others. This will give you general picture of the various cultural activities undertaken from the different parts of the country.
After visiting the Kabwata Cultural Village you can take another 10 minutes’ drive down Burma Road towards Woodlands to House number 394 in Chilenje. Chilenje House 394 was one of the Kenneth Kaunda’s houses before he became President. It was in this house that Kenneth Kaunda directed the struggle for independence from January 1960 to December 1962, before Zambia eventually got her independence in 1964.
By now, it is probably mid-day, you could probably grab a quick lunch and start your 1 hour to 1:30 minutes Chaminuka Nature Reserve. It gets you an opportunity to enjoy the wildlife. An opportunity to experience more than 72 species of wildlife and 300 species of birdlife. You will get to learn about vegetation and the medicinal values of plants and trees as they are used locally.
After the game drive, your visit to Chaminuka will not be complete if you don’t go to the KAPOSHI CHEESE FACTORY for some cheese and wine testing. Finally, it will now be approaching sunset, the perfect way to end the day.