dreaming

Does anyone know if there is an internet cafe in the Lusaka Airport? I've found that there is a business center, but have not yet found any further details...

Thank you for any help....

laguna92688

I'd be very surprised if there is as there is almost nothing there (like a bar and a couple of very small souvenir shops) and very limited flights to London, Jo'burg and Nairobi. I know there is a BA and SAA lounge there so maybe they would have something.

Roccco

dreaming,

You must be dreaming!

If you are flying business class, there is a business class lounge that is very basic but does have a computer with internet connection. The charge is about $1 for every 15 minutes in Kwachan money. In that 15 minutes, if you are lucky, you may be able to access a couple pages because their internet connection is SLLLLOOOOOWWWWWW.

I don't think there is anything besides this available.

tashak

I don't think the BA Lounge has an internet connection either. And I've never seen any signs about it at the airport. I think your best bet is at your hotel. If you are at the Holiday Inn, the Intercontinental or the Taj, they have business centers...with slow slow slow internet connections. Look, even the phones in Lusaka don't work very well, but that is another story...

Lin

Was just at Lusaka airport and yes there is internet access in the business center!

tashak

Hey Lin, did you try to use it?

Here was my experience in Mfuwe: I go to use the internet at Flatdogs...first I get there too late-- the office closes at about 7pm and the computer is in the office. I go the next morning...internet connection is down. Go back in the afternoon...now the power is out! Every time I checked for the next 5 days, there was either a connection problem or a power outage.
Phone problems, satellite link problems...power outages...it's great that these places have internet access, but you really can't count on them. I think of them as nice pluses, but I never count on having them!

Lin

Tashak, you are probably right about the general uselessness of the computers for internet access. I did see one guy on the computer but I couldn't tell if he was online. You mentioned trying at Mfuwe though and I believe the access is better in Lusaka, at least according to my local travel agent/contact and not because I tried to sign on (no way do I want to read my email when I'm on safari!).

Roccco

I was able to check and send e-mail from a couple places in South Luangwa (Kaingo and Chichele). It wasn't like I was able to surf the internet or anything. I did have to pay a couple minutes of satellite telephone time on each occasion, but that's it. About $3 per minute, I believe I was charged.

I would suggest getting on a very good rapport with the managers of each place and you would be surprised on what is possible!

My wife was basically a staff member in the Kaingo kitchen during our stay, and customized our meals each day to our liking (pizza instead of quiche, for example...spanish style rice instead of rice pilaf, etc.)

bwanamitch

Rocco,

when I was at Tafika three years ago, John Coppinger told me that he'd just bought a satellite dish in SA. He planned to use it for internet access. Don't know if he ever realized that.

Mitch

PS: Hopefully I will get the more traditional meals at Kaingo...

RuthieC

Mitch,
John now has 2 satellite dishes up at Tafika which is a great relief to the regulars at Moondog bar.There's a sign "Coppinger's Corner" at one end of the bar at Mfuwe which is evidently where John spent his afternoons continually muttering to himself bewailing the slowness of the telephone link. So maybe the regulars clubbed together to get him one of the dishes

bwanamitch

Thank you, RuthieC, I love this local bushlore.

Mitch

luangwablondes

The only place that I found to be reliable was in Lusaka at the Zamnet offices. Even in Livingstone, connections were slow and problematic.