Travel To Zambia in a Time of COVID…Your Questions Answered - 27 May 21

Zambian authorities last week issued revised guidelines for entry requirements and protocols for travellers arriving in Zambia. We have highlighted what happened in the meeting below:

Travel To Zambia in a Time of COVID… Your Questions Answered

Information as at End-May 2021

Arrival Requirements & Information

• A negative COVID test no older than 72 hours prior to departure from your country of origin.
• Passengers arriving in Zambia from a “high-risk” country will be given a PCR test and expected to self-quarantine until a negative result is returned. (list of “high-risk” countries shown at bottom of this document).
• Passengers able to prove full vaccination will not have to test or quarantine.
• Passengers who simply transit a high-risk country will not have to test or quarantine.
• These rules do not apply to children younger than 5 years old who will not have to be tested.
• Tourist visas are issued on entry for almost all nationalities ($50 cash per person).

More on how to travel to Zambia from ZGH:

Testing in Zambia Prior to Departure

Since many countries and indeed airlines require people to obtain a negative test before travel, we will arrange the smoothest testing options for your clients.

(Ethiopian Airlines do not require passengers to have a negative test before flying).

It is necessary to obtain a Ministry of Health certification in addition to your COVID test result. We will arrange this for your clients.

Testing in Lusaka

• $100 per person for the test, plus $150 for logistics and transfers covering up to 5 people. This will be billed by ZGH ahead of time and everything will be taken care of for your clients.
• Turn-around time is a minimum of 24 hours from time of the test. The test centre is open from 8am – 5pm.

 Testing in Mfuwe – South Luangwa

• Testing is now possible in Mfuwe, swabs are taken locally and flown to Lusaka and processed there. ZGH will oversee the process and have results hand-delivered to clients when they arrive back in Lusaka.
• Turn-around time will be 48 hours.
• Costs range from $250 - $320 per person depending on which camp clients are staying at.

Testing in the Lower Zambezi

• It is possible to have clients swabbed whist in the Lower Zambezi but costs are higher because we need to charter a plane and fly a clinician in to take the swabs. It is usually cheaper to add time in Lusaka at the end of the trip but we can quote on this as required.

Testing in Livingstone

• Testing is possible in Livingstone, turn-around time is typically 24 hours.
• Exact costs will depend on which camp and what they are offering but typically around $100 - $150 per person.

Countries that are on Zambia’s “High-Risk” list…

• Argentina
• Ethiopia
• India
• Kenya
• Tanzania
• Brazil
• France
• Iran
• Russia
• Tunisia
• Egypt
• Germany
• Italy
• South Africa
• Turkey

We are expecting further clarity on some of these issues within the next week, and will endeavour to keep you updated.