General Tour Information
TRAVEL TO LONDON: This tour is organized by our British company, Sunbird, and starts and ends in London. You can choose to make your own travel arrangements to Zambia, if you wish. You would receive a corresponding discount in the tour cost should you decide to do this. However we recommend joining the tour in London if possible. Please read the Important Travel Information for Participants on Sunbird Tours.
ENTERING ZAMBIA: United States citizens will need a passport valid for six months beyond the intended length of stay and a visa. A visa may be obtained in advance or at the port of entry. However, it is recommended that those traveling to Zambia acquire a visa before departing for Zambia. Visas can be obtained from the Zambia Embassy in Washington D.C. or from a visa agency such as CIBT
MAP AND COUNTRY INFORMATION: You can view a map of Zambia in the University of Texas series here. Click on the lower right corner to adjust the size. You can review the U.S. Department of State background notes on Zambia here.
HEALTH: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) strongly recommend a malaria preventative and suggests up-to-date inoculations against hepatitis A and B, typhoid, polio and yellow fever. It might also be worth checking that you are adequately protected against tetanus. As some of these inoculations cannot be given concurrently you should contact your doctor straight away and obtain his advice about when to start your treatment.
For malaria prevention, please talk to your doctor or public health or travel health clinic about which drug is best for you. The CDC currently recommends one of the following antimalarial drugs: mefloquine (Lariam®), doxycycline, or Malarone®. You can review the latest CDC advisories here.
CLIMATE: Expected to be warm throughout with some rain.
PACE OF TOUR AND DAILY ROUTINE: This is not a strenuous tour. However, in order to cover the full range of habitats there is a fair amount of driving involved. Although a lot of time is spent in the vehicles to cover the large distances between localities, there will be ample exercise on the non-travel days. There are some very early starts on this tour. These are usually because of the need to be on-site at dawn or shortly after to take advantage of the early morning bird activity. On a number of days we will have packed breakfasts and lunches.
When we have had a particularly early start, we’ll try to break in the middle of the day, which is often a quiet period for birds anyway. On most days, apart from the days we do owling, we’ll finish in good time to allow an hour or so for washing and changing before the checklist and evening meal. The tour is not a strenuous one, though there are some nice long walks, and anyone with a reasonable degree of fitness will be able to take part fully in the tour.
ACCOMMODATION: Hotels and lodges in Zambia vary from adequate to very good. We’ll spend some time in smaller camps where facilities may be limited and shared washing facilities are sometimes all that’s available. Food is excellent, plentiful and usually very European, although hot and spicy food is available at some centers.
DRESS: Informal throughout the tour.
TRANSPORT: Transportation will be in minibuses of 4x4 vehicles driven by the leaders. Bottled water will be provided in the vehicles.
SMOKING: Smoking is not allowed in the vehicles or when the group is gathered for meals, checklists etc. If you are sharing a room with a non-smoker, please do not smoke in the room. If you smoke in the field, we ask that you do so well away and downwind from the group if possible.
GENERAL INFORMATION & CONDITIONS OF WINGS TOURS: Please take a moment to read the WINGS General Information & Conditions. This section contains important information about how we conduct tours, e.g., what is included in the tour price, refund and cancellation policies, pace of the tours and other information that will help you prepare for the tour. Please note that except as noted in the tour descriptions, meals are not included in the cost of our tours in the United States and Canada.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: A more complete General Information for Tours to Zambia will be sent to each registrant on receipt of their booking. Final information with instructions for meeting the group, hotel addresses, etc., will be mailed about three weeks before trip departure. Other news will be communicated as necessary. If you have any questions, please let us know.
Updated: July 2006