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Riding on dirt roads in Zambia

Lusaka to Victoria Falls for Build it International 6th to 14th June 2025 9 days • Zambia

Cycle
Cycle Camping
Camping Hot
Hot ORANGE 2
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About the Challenge

Zambia is a wonderfully diverse country with spectacular natural beauty and a friendly culture. Source of the mighty Zambezi River, Zambia’s most famous and spectacular feature is the magnificent Victoria Falls, one of the largest waterfalls in the world, named in 1855 by Dr Livingstone for Queen Victoria and abbreviated affectionately to Vic Falls.

Our adventurous cycle challenge takes us on- and off-road through the friendly towns and villages of rural southern Zambia, passing farmland and sugar cane plantations, spotting wildlife, and enjoying the everyday scenes of untouched Zambian village life.

 


 

Dates & Prices

Itinerary

Lusaka to Victoria Falls for Build it International 2025


BESPOKE • 9 DAYS

  • Transfer to our shady campground on a private game park near Lusaka. This is a wonderful introduction to Zambia, with curious zebra and giraffe wandering around the campground, which is set in native bush and has great facilities including a pool. We have time for a bike fitting before dinner – often a traditional BBQ or braai – and a trip briefing. Night camp.

    Drive approx. 1 hour

  • An early drive takes us from the meeting accommodation in Lusaka to a rural village east of Kafue, the start point of our adventurous cycle challenge. Our first day gives us a great introduction to this beautiful country. We ride on a mix of tar roads and good dirt roads, passing local villages and baobab trees before reaching fields and fields of sugar-cane plantations and the attractive tree-lined town of Mazabuka. Night camp.

    Drive approx. 1.5 hours; cycle approx. 45-50km

  • A challenging but fantastic day of cycling through real rural Africa! The first 20km provide a great warm-up on tarred road, then we head into more adventurous terrain by taking to off-road tracks that wind between friendly Zambian villages. From good dirt roads to sandy tracks, it’s challenging cycling but a very rewarding day which allows us to witness countless scenes of life in the subsistence farming villages we pass. The area is known for its agriculture, especially maize. We camp overnight on private farmland near the small town of Monze. Night camp.

    Cycle approx. 70-105km

  • Back on tarmac roads again, this is a longer day but on less challenging terrain! We head towards Choma, a friendly market town lying more than halfway along the main road to Livingstone. We pass more small villages many selling arts and crafts, and cross the railway line into Choma. Night camp.

    Cycle approx. 75-110km

  • A fabulous day’s cycling awaits! After an undulating 25km ride on dirt tracks, we embark upon the wonderful road to Lake Kariba, an exhilarating downhill that’s not to be missed! Most of our ride is on tarmac, with the last 25km on flatter dirt tracks, taking us to the edge of the lake. We can enjoy wonderful views of the rolling hills, and the surrounding islands on the lake.  We spend the night beside the lake. Night camp.

    Cycle approx. 70-95km

  • An early start gives us time to transfer back up to Choma, where another fantastic day of off-road cycling awaits us. We pass through rural communities untouched by tourism – a rare insight into rural life here in southern Zambia and a real highlight of our African adventure. Many people rely on bicycles for transport, and we will generate lots of friendly interest! Our dirt roads are generally good, though there are some sandy sections which are more challenging and at times easier to walk through. Night guesthouse.

    Drive approx. 2 hours; cycle approx. 50-60km

  • Our last day, and the thought of the incredible Victoria Falls spurs us on! We start with a short transfer, then cycle on well-surfaced tarred roads, passing small communities and enjoying the scenery and the camaraderie of our last day’s biking in Africa. It’s a long day, but we eventually come to Livingstone and cycle through it – and on to the Zambezi, and Victoria Falls. Around 2km wide and plunging down over 100m, the Falls – known as ‘the smoke that thunders’ – are truly spectacular. We stop at a wonderful viewing spot on the banks of the Zambezi approximately 1km before the boarder. We then either return to Livingstone or take a vehicle transfer to Vic Falls. A wonderful sunset cruise on the Zambezi then sets the scene for our evening of celebrations. Night lodge.

    Cycle approx 40-60km

  • Depending on flight schedules, there may be some free time before transferring to the airport for our return flight.

    (Lunch not included if not in-flight)

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Dates & Prices

Prices may vary depending on date.

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WHAT'S INCLUDED:

  • All accommodation
  • All meals (exceptions detailed in itinerary)
  • Discover Adventure leaders/mechanics and doctor depending on final group size.
  • Full vehicle support and local guides, cooks, drivers, etc.
  • 21-speed mountain bike

 

WHAT'S EXCLUDED:

  • Flights
  • Meals as detailed in itinerary
  • Sleeping bag & sleeping mat
  • Cycle helmet
  • Celebration meal
  • Personal travel insurance (to cover personal injury, cancellation/curtailment, lost items etc)

On the Trip

  • Your safety, and that of the rest of the group, is our highest priority. Our trips are designed and planned with safety in mind. Your crew will be equipped with communication devices (eg phones, radios and/or emergency satellite phones), medical kit and other safety apparatus appropriate to the destination. Our leaders always have access to our 24-hour emergency UK back-up. They are responsible for safety on the trip, and will make any changes to the itinerary they deem necessary, should local conditions dictate. Pre-trip administration - such as medical questionnaires and travel insurance as appropriate - is all done with your safety in mind.

  • Accommodation is mainly camping on private land; facilities are generally good and camping offers a unique way to experience the African bush - in many cases with wildlife-spotting opportunities! Other accommodation includes a simple guesthouse and a lodge, on a twin-share basis.

Preparing for the Challenge

  • We plan our trips around the optimal weather conditions, but could still be exposed to bad weather at any time. It is vital you are prepared for all conditions. We provide you with a detailed packing kit-list on registration, with plenty of information, and we are always available if you need advice.

  • Entry requirements vary depending on your destination and nationality. It is your responsibility to ensure your passport is valid, and any visas are obtained in good time. Check the FCO’s advice on entry requirements for your destination to be sure. Please ensure you allow plenty of time to apply for your visa; we will provide you will all necessary information 6 weeks prior to depature to assist with your application.

    Your routine UK schedule of vaccinations should be up-to-date (especially tetanus). We recommend you check Fit For Travel for further details. You should always check with a GP or travel clinic for up-to-date travel health advice as it does change.

  • For the latest travel advice from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office including security and local laws, plus passport and visa information, check www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.

  • Travel Insurance is compulsory on all of our challenges outside of the UK; we strongly suggest that you arrange insurance cover as soon as your booking with us is confirmed, or as soon as you're able to purchase some, and at least 8 months prior to travel. Should you need to cancel prior to departure, you will need insurance to cover the costs involved (registration fee and any trip costs depending on cancellation date). 

    We all hope never to need it, and thankfully most of the time we don't, but on those rare occasions when you do, you want it to cover you as best it can. Whilst it's a fairly boring admin task relating to your trip of a lifetime, it is really important you ensure that you have adequate cover for the type of challenge you are taking part in as well as medical emergencies, evacuation and repatriation, so make sure you're happy with the level of cover. There are lots of suppliers out there, with a wide range in levels of cover; generally speaking, you get what you pay for! Get and pay for the right level of cover and then you can go on your adventure not having to worry about the what-if's. For more details click here.

    Once your travel insurance is arranged, just remember to let us know the policy number and 24-hr medical emergency phone number provided by your insurers.

     

  • In the unfortunate circumstance that you need to cancel your booking, we would ask that you notify us in writing either by email or post.  Your cancellation will be considered effective from the date the notice is received. Registration, administration and amendment fees are non refundable and, depending on your payment option and how close it is to your challenge departure date, you may be liable for a cancellation charge.

    Full details of all cancellation charges may be found in the Terms and Conditions of booking.

  • We have a Passenger Portal which will give you more details of the challenge itself. It also enables you to see any outstanding information we need, the countdown to your challenge departure, see your outstanding balance, make payments and update your contact details. You can access this via the following link - Passenger Portal Log in.

The DA Ethos

  • We believe that travel is a force for good, and it should be safe and accessible for everyone to take on any of our adventures, regardless of sexuality, gender, race or religion. We are committed to ensuring our travellers face no discrimination on any part of the trip we control. However, we operate in some parts of the world that are less accepting. We encourage customers to be aware of local laws and customs in their destinations for their safety and comfort.
    We don’t tolerate any form of discrimination, violence or harassment, either between travellers or involving our leaders, partners or local people. Any behaviour that disrespects our customers, leaders or local communities, makes others feel unsafe or breaks local laws may result in removal from a trip or denying their booking.

  • For most people, the main attraction of travelling to a different country is to see new sights and enjoy new experiences. Sometimes those new experiences can make life harder or more inconvenient than you may like, such as toilet hygiene or different food, or simply a different attitude to solving problems. This is all part of the challenge you are signing up for! We are very privileged to live in a country with a high standard of living, and travelling exposes us to different challenges – all of which help broaden our horizons. We can guarantee that coming face-to-face with experiences outside your normal ‘comfort zone’ will help you bond with your fellow participants and provide you with plenty of things to laugh about! A sense of humour and sense of adventure are two of the most important things to bring with you!

  • We are committed to an ethos of responsible travel here at Discover Adventure; this means sustainable tourism, ethical travel, community engagement, cultural respect, wildlife protection, fair trade practices, carbon footprint reduction and more. We have been on a 30-year journey with this as one of our core principles, and it continues to evolve; you can keep up to date with what we are up to and what all of this translates into on a DA trip here.
    From 2024, we will offset our entire carbon footprint, including the flights, via a carbon credit scheme (see more here). We must do all we can to be on the right side of history. Our offsetting brings peace of mind to many of our customers, but we think it is essential that our customers are aware of their impact; with this in mind, we encourage our participants to donate to World Land Trust’s Buy an Acre project when they book an adventure.

  • Our brilliant group dynamic is fundamental to us. We have become synonymous with it over our 30 years of adventure: the supportive nature and group camaraderie are always listed as one of the trip highlights in our feedback. You’ll meet people of widely varying backgrounds, motivations and experiences. Under these unique circumstances, you are more likely to open up about your story and form lifelong friendships. You’ll likely find something that resonates with everyone in the group. This is a unique way of travelling, after all, and that’s what brings you all together.
    We have travellers from 18 – 80 across all of our challenges, with the average age of our participants being in the mid-40s.

  • Over the years, people with wide-ranging abilities have achieved personal goals on our adventures that they may have previously assumed were out of their reach.
    We must be aware of any circumstances that may affect your ability to take on the trip, whether you have concerns about fitness, health conditions or disability. This way, we can ensure we are providing the best advice and support. You will be asked to sign a medical declaration upon booking.

    Whilst we will always try our best for you, by the nature of adventure, not all of our challenges are accessible, and we are not an operator specifically offering adapted adventures. If you would like to have a confidential chat with the team about anything before booking, please give us a call or an email; we will be more than happy to help.

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