Wild Frontiers

Flight Information

Flight time to Lusaka is a little more than 10 hours and direct flights are available with British Airways.

Useful Tips

• Avoid wearing navy or black on game drives as these attract Tsetsi flies.

• In the South Luangwa pick up some incredible hand-painted fabrics at Tribal Textiles

• Take some decent walking shoes and try a walking safari - it's a magical way to experience the wilderness

• For the best views of the falls, don't forget to visit the Zimbabwe side too

Recommended Reading

If you want to read up on your destination we recommend a variety of guidebooks such as Bradt Travel Guide, Odyssey Guides, The Rough Guide and Footprint Guides. All these publications have good general information as well as more specific country information that will help orientate you in the areas you visit.

Good books and maps of Zambia are available at Stanfords in Covent Garden, London or online at www.stanfords.co.uk

When To Go

Weather patterns across Africa are becoming increasingly unpredictable with rain sometimes arriving in the middle of deserts and damaging droughts when rains should be falling.

December " March are generally the wettest months, although the further north you are the earlier it starts and later it finishes. It tends to rain more in the east and up high than it does elsewhere and during this time many of the camps in Zambia close as some of the poorer roads become impossible to pass through.

By April and May most of the rain has faded away, leaving a landscape that's still green, but starting to dry out. Night time temperatures start to drop, especially in higher and more southerly locations.

By British summer time the nights are much cooler with the days being generally clear and warm, the bush-camps open up again and game viewing is on the rise.

Temperatures really rise as September and October arrive; the lower-lying rift valleys " Lower Zambezi, Mana Pools and Luangwa Valley " can get very hot in October. Game viewing tends to be at its best as animals congregate around the rare watering holes.

November is variable; it can be hot and dry like October, or it can see the season's first downpours. Often it's a very interesting month as you can see both patterns on successive days.

Packing List

Below is a list of general items you might take with you on a Wild Frontiers trip to Syria. With your booking confirmation you will receive a packing list specific to your tour, so please treat this as a general guideline only.

Luggage:
It is best to use a soft bag - rucksack/hold-all/duffel bag - so it can be transported and stored more easily.

On all our trips a small daypack is practical for keeping general items (e.g. camera, books, wallets etc.) at hand when your main pack is out of reach. It is also handy for day trips and excursions.

Clothing:
In general you should bring clothes you feel comfortable with. However, All clothing should be neutral, khaki or bush coloured for walking.
Therefore as a guide we suggest a packing list like this:
• 4 x Light cotton shirts or T-shirts, short sleeved and long
• 3 x T-shirts
• 2 x Lightweight jumpers or sweatshirts
• A warm jacket
• Rainproof jacket
• 2 x Pairs of cotton trousers
• Socks
• Sun hat
• Swim suit or trunks
• Shorts " for the midday break
• Pair of sandals, trainers or pumps

Equipment:
The following is useful extra equipment for your trip:
• Travel towel, travel soap and toiletries
• Torch (LED head-torch keeps your hands free)
• Pair of good quality sunglasses
• Plug adapter

Personal First Aid Kit:
While we do carry a large medical kit on our group tours, we would advise that you take some of the basics with you. This should include:
• Any prescription medication required (please inform the tour leader at your pre-departure meeting about these)
• Antibacterial dry hand wash
• Painkillers: paracetamol & ibuprofen
• Rehydration salts (Gastrolyte)
• Malaria Tablets (if necessary)
• Travel motion-sickness tablets if required (e.g. natural ginger tablets)
• Diarrhoea remedies
• Antihistamines
• Cold/flu decongestants
• Mosquito Repellent
• Insect bite cream
• Laxatives
• Plasters/Bandage/Steri-Strips/Blister pads
• Sunscreen (30+ factor)
• Moisturiser/after sun cream/lip balm
• Contact lenses and solution if required
• Tweezers
(A kit with most of this in is available at www.nomadtravel.co.uk)

Optional Extras:
• Ear plugs (if sharing a room / camping)
• Alarm clock
• 3-4 plastic carrier bags are very useful for dirty washing, dirty shoes and rubbish
• Binoculars
• Small packs of tissues
• Money belt or secure pouch for money and passport etc.
• Eye patches if light affects your sleep
• Sewing kit/scissors
• Writing materials
• Spare batteries/camera memory cards
• Swiss Army knife

NB: If you wear glasses, it is advisable to bring a spare pair since opticians are rare. If you wear contact lenses you may find that climatic changes and dust can create visual irritation, therefore, it is advisable to bring a pair of glasses. You might be tempted to buy a few souvenirs here and there, so leave a little room for those extra purchases!!

Hand Luggage:
Although it is very rare that luggage goes missing on flights, it has been known to happen and so it’s a good idea to carry a spare top, toothbrush, wash kit, underwear and any other essentials in your hand luggage so that you can at least freshen up while waiting for your bags to catch you up. If you wear your sturdy shoes/boots it will also reduce weight in your luggage and keep them safe.

Practical Information

Time:
Zambia is 2hrs ahead of GMT.

A useful website to check the time zone differences is www.worldtimezone.com

Food and Alcohol:
When on safari the cooks prepare a solid three meals a day although depending on where you are and what you are doing lunches are often taken in picnic form. Emphasis is made on fresh vegetables and salads while fresh bread is baked daily. Vegetarians are can easily be catered for although like much of Southern Africa the locals do eat a considerable amount of meat. Alcohol is readily available.

Electricity:
In most hotels you can charge from the mains using a travel adaptor plug, camps can vary.

Money:
In Zambia the official unit of currency is the Zambian Kwacha.
To check out the latest exchange rate for the places that you are visiting you can go to www.oanda.com

A few points to help you plan:
• Payments are mainly made in cash.
• Increasingly more shops and hotels will accept credit card payments, though a cash advance is unlikely.
• You can easily exchange Euros, US Dollars and UK Sterling cash.
• ATM machines are available in the larger towns but best not to be relied upon.
• If using ATM machines, be sure to notify your bank before you travel.

Language & Religion:
The official language in Zambia is English, used to conduct official business and act as a medium of instruction in schools. Main local languages include Lusaka, Bemba and Nyanja. Zambia has 85 languages in total including the 13 dialects that stand as independent languages. According to the 1996 constitution the country is officially a Christian nation. There are however a wide variety of religious traditions. A wide range of Christian denominations are practiced and a small minority of the population are praise Islam and Judaism.

Cultural Sensitivity:
At Wild Frontiers we are very aware of the ethical impact tourism can have on ancient cultures. We realise that taking a group of tourists through such a region can have a negative impact on the lives of those who live there and on all our tours we therefore go to great lengths to minimise the negative and accentuate the positive…after all, there are also many good things that the tourist can bring.

To help this process we ask that our clients do not hand out pens or sweets to children. As one sign in Egypt emphatically put it, ‘Please don't make beggars out of our children!' No matter how well intentioned, in our opinion the dolling out of free gifts fosters a ‘beggar mentality' that is ultimately extremely destructive to a society. In addition we do not condone giving out money to beggars or ‘students'.

However, we also realise that we are exceptionally privileged to be travelling in areas where most of the people have far less than us and that the desire to ‘help' can be very powerful. As a result we ask that you refer to your trip dossier for information on the Wild Frontiers Foundation which supports specific projects in the areas where we travel.

Photography:
Please remember, we are guests in the countries through which we travel and we may sometimes inadvertently cause offence by taking photographs without first asking permission.

Also many countries have very strict rules about taking photos of army, police or any official personnel; restrictions apply at borders, bridges and any government building. Please exercise care in this regard as the penalty may be to have your film and/or camera confiscated.