Getting to Every Corner of the Country
If you’re flying into Zambia, chances are you’re landing at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka — the country’s main gateway, located just 14km from the city center. But Lusaka itself isn’t the destination most travelers come for. From here, Zambia’s best-known wild places branch out in every direction: the leopard-rich valleys of South Luangwa to the east, the vast wilderness of Kafue to the west, the river country of Lower Zambezi to the south, and Livingstone — Zambia’s tourism capital and gateway to Victoria Falls — further south still.
Here’s exactly how to get to each from Lusaka, and what to actually expect from the journey.
Getting to South Luangwa National Park
Distance: Approximately 700km By road: The drive takes around 10–11 hours, and the road tells its own story in three stages. The first 4 hours, from Lusaka to Luangwa Bridge, isn’t the smoothest — potholes here and there, though fair overall. From Luangwa Bridge to Chipata, the road is smooth going. The final stretch, roughly 2 hours from Chipata to Mfuwe, is where the potholes are most frequent. Despite the rough patches, it’s a genuinely scenic route through the escarpments, and a culturally immersive one too — the drive offers a real opportunity to see locals going about their everyday lives along the way, a good way to understand the people and culture of the region.
By air: A far more common choice — Proflight runs scheduled flights from Lusaka to Mfuwe Airport, right on South Luangwa’s doorstep, taking around 1 hour 10 minutes. Most lodges then arrange a further road transfer of roughly 1.5–2 hours to your final accommodation. By public bus: For independent travelers, the Jonda bus runs the Lusaka–Mfuwe route daily, departing at 04:00.
South Luangwa is home to one of Africa’s densest leopard populations and is widely credited as the birthplace of the walking safari — well worth the distance from the capital, especially by air.
Whether you’d prefer the scenic road route or a quick domestic flight, Brightpath can arrange either transfer for you as part of your itinerary. For those wishing to travel privately rather than by public bus, get in touch — we can arrange your transfer along with your entire stay and experience in South Luangwa National Park.
Getting to Kafue National Park
Distance: Approximately 360km to the park, though access and duration depend entirely on which part of Kafue you’re heading to — it’s a genuinely large park with very different access profiles by region.
Central Kafue: The easiest section to reach from Lusaka, on a good road, taking around 5–6 hours to drive. About 3.5 hours in, in the town of Mumbwa, is the Olive Grove — a lovely coffee shop and a perfect spot to break the journey, refresh, and re-energize. Genuinely worth not missing.
Southern Kafue (Itezhi-Tezhi area): The drive includes roughly a 40km stretch that can get rough at times, though it’s always manageable. Given the road conditions, there are no public bus services to this part of the park.
Northern Kafue: Reachable in a single day, but it’s a genuinely long drive — around 5–6 hours of that drive time is actually inside the National Park itself, depending on which camp you’re headed to. The upside: game viewing often starts long before you reach camp.
By air: Airstrips are available throughout the park, so flying in is an option — but unlike South Luangwa or Lower Zambezi, there are no scheduled flights to Kafue. Access by air means a chartered flight.
As Zambia’s oldest and largest national park, Kafue’s sheer size means road access genuinely works well here — and it’s home to destinations like the Busanga Plains, one of the country’s richest predator landscapes.
Getting to Lower Zambezi National Park
Distance: Approximately 182 to Chirundu town, including a scenic stretch through the escarpments beginning at the turnpike, a point just after Kafue town. Chirundu itself is the last town along the route — and the only place to do any shopping — since the camps are located at least 65km further on from here, along gravel road. Onward travel time to your specific lodge varies by season and location, often combined with a final boat transfer for river-based camps when arranged.
By air: The fastest option by far — around 45–60 minutes by scheduled or charter flight to one of several airstrips serving the park.
Lower Zambezi is genuinely one of the most accessible wilderness experiences from Lusaka, making it a strong choice for travelers with limited time who still want a real multi-day safari or canoeing experience.
Getting to Livingstone (Victoria Falls)
Distance: Approximately 470km By road: Around 7 hours by self-drive or bus. By air: Proflight and Zambia Airways operates nearly daily flights from Lusaka to Livingstone, taking around 1 hour, by far the most time-efficient option if Victoria Falls is a priority rather than a scenic detour.
Livingstone is Zambia’s tourism capital, and the natural base for Victoria Falls, Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, and cross-border day trips into Zimbabwe and Botswana.
Planning More Than One Destination?
Many of Zambia’s best experiences sit in different directions from Lusaka entirely — which is exactly why routing and timing matter so much when building a multi-destination itinerary. Whether you’re weighing a road-based circuit or a series of short domestic flights, getting the sequence right can be the difference between a smooth trip and a lot of unnecessary backtracking.
This is exactly the kind of planning Brightpath Travel builds around — every itinerary tailored to your time, interests, and budget, not a fixed template.
Not sure how to piece your Zambia trip together built around exactly where you want to go? Get in touch for a custom itinerary>