Etal

We are heading for South Africa and Victoria Falls in August. I was about to book a Vic Falls package through Nationwide Airlines which included flights and accomodations. The S.A. travel agency that handles the Nationwide bookings informed me that I would need to procure a visa to Zambia before making the booking and that they could not help me with this. I had assumed that the hotel could procure me a visa or that I could obtain one at the border but was told that this has now changed (although the Zambia Tourist web site says a visa can be obtained at the border). I do not live in the U.S. and my travel agent does not know how to obtain a Zambian visa.
Has anyone had any experience with this recently? I'm wondering if I should fly to Zimbabwe, but then I loose out on what sounds like a good package deal.
Thanks for any help you can provide.

tashak

Ask the travel agent when this new rule went into effect, and who it covers. The rules may be different depending on which passport you hold (not so much where you live...they only see your passport on entry.)
I arrived in Zambia in May, with a US passport. I obtained a visa at the border. As I had a letter from my Zambian lodge stating that I had a prepaid holiday itinerary, there was no charge and no fuss. Without this letter, a visa for US travellers on holiday would have been $25US.

Can't speak to whether the rules have changed since May, or what they might be for passports from other countries.

eenusa

Can't speak for whether things might have changed in the last couple of days or so, but we were in Zambia July 5-8, 2004. We had no problems with getting a visa at the airport - our booking agent had notified the authorities of our pre-paid stay at Sussi & Chuma Lodge near Livingston. At passport control, they gave us a big book to look through, we found our names, and that was it - even the normal visa fee was waived.

RuthieC

We travelled from Botswana to Zambia mid-June 2004. Our visas had already been arranged by the hotel we were going to and we went straight through the border controls with no problem.

kundanoah

I just applied for a Zambian Visa and received it within 4 days. If you need a visa you could download the application and Fed Ex it to the Zambian Embasy. If you would like more info you can email me directly.

Roccco

Kundanoah,

This info is too late for you, but for the others...it is not necessary to pay for a Zambian Visa as long as your hotel or game lodge provides you or the customs counter at the airport with a letter. I had no problem either last year or this year since my game lodge provided the customs counter with a letter that was available for their inspection upon my arrival.

Favor

We went from SA to Zambia in June. We arrived at the Livingstone airport. Our situation was the same as eenusa. The Zambezi Sun had already made customs aware of our trip. We simply found our names on a list at the customs desk and marked them off.