Accessible Travel in Zambia

This is a short page, and it is short for an honest reason. There is no national accessibility standard that a visitor can rely on in Zambia, and pretending otherwise would be more use to this publication than to a reader. What there is instead is a small industry of operators who are used to being asked, and whose answers are specific.

Ask the camp, not the country

Safari camps in Zambia are small, individually built and mostly seasonal. That is why a general answer is worthless and a particular one is often good: a camp with eight tents knows exactly how many steps there are between its vehicle and its dining room, and will tell you if you ask.

The questions worth asking are concrete. How far is the walk from where the vehicle stops to the room, and what is the surface. Are there steps, and how many. Is there a level route to the dining area after dark. Can a game vehicle be boarded without climbing, and can it be adapted. Ask them in writing and keep the answer.

Getting there is the hard part

Most itineraries in Zambia include at least one light aircraft, and light aircraft are the least adaptable link in the chain. They are boarded by steps, they are small, and baggage limits are strict. Anyone who cannot manage those steps unaided should raise it with the operator at the point of booking rather than at the airstrip.

Road transfers are long and the surfaces are rough. The country’s roads are severely potholed in places and the rains between November and April make some of them worse. A transfer that is described as three hours is three hours of that.

Mosi-oa-Tunya

The falls are the one place in Zambia where a visitor with limited mobility will find something built for them, and the picture is mixed. Parts of the Zambian viewing area are level and paved and give a real view of the gorge. Other parts, including the crossing to the Knife Edge, involve steps, narrow paths and permanent spray that makes every surface slippery through the high water months.

Anyone planning around this should ask what is open on the day. The paths change with the water level, which is the same reason the view changes.

Medical care, which is part of the same question

Medical facilities in Zambia are of a lower standard than in Europe or North America, rural facilities are basic, and emergency services are limited. For a traveler with a condition that may need attention, that is the fact that should shape the itinerary rather than an afterthought to it.

Insurance that covers medical evacuation is not a luxury here. Check that it covers your condition and the activities you have booked, and carry enough of any medication for the whole trip in its original packaging.