Plan for power cuts when you rely on cards and ATMs

Soweto is Lusaka's biggest market, covered at the front with a huge open area behind it selling everything from beans to engine parts. It is practical rather than pretty, and the crowds make it a place where pickpocketing and purse snatching are common. Go in daylight, carry only the cash you need, keep your bag in…

Lusaka taxis have no meters, so the price is whatever you settle before the door closes. Ask your hotel or restaurant what a normal fare to your destination looks like, then confirm it with the driver. Official advice is to check that the driver's ID matches the car registration and licence, use taxis from a hotel or…

Zambia restricts photography of government buildings, military sites, airports, ports and people in uniform, and you could be arrested for ignoring the rule. In a capital with many official buildings that look like ordinary offices, the safe habit is to ask first or put the camera away when in doubt. Always ask…

Chilenje House 394 is the modest house where Kenneth Kaunda lived from 1960 to 1962 while leading the push for Zambian independence. It has been redecorated in its original colours, with much of the family furniture and personal belongings back in their original positions. It became a national monument in 1968, and it…

The elephant nursery that older listings place at Lilayi now sits inside the Wildlife Discovery Centre in Lusaka National Park. Calves get their milk meals around midday, and you can watch from the viewing deck and stay on while they play. Buy admission at the Welcome Hub, then use the QR codes around the grounds if…

The Pakati craft market sets up in the Arcades Shopping Centre parking area on Great East Road, and Sunday is the day to go. Stalls sell wooden masks and figurines, baskets, beads, copper items and chitenge cloth. Visitors are often quoted a high opening price, so start low, smile and be ready to walk away politely…

Musuku, the restaurant at Southern Sun Ridgeway, serves a traditional buffet on Wednesday lunchtimes, an easy way to meet several local dishes in one sitting. Look for ifisashi, greens cooked in a peanut sauce, and fried kapenta, the small sardines eaten as a snack or with a meal. Eat the nshima by hand, rolling a…