Things to do in Lusaka
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Manda Hill Shopping Centre
The swish Manda Hill Shopping Centre is easy to reach by minibus from along Cairo Rd or from the Millennium Bus Station, or by taxi (around ZK120). As well as banks, bookshops, internet cafés, furniture stores, restaurants and fast-food outlets, the shopping centre boasts a huge Shoprite supermarket.
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Rhapsody's
Jump on a minibus to one of the two modern shopping centres: Manda Hill or Arcades on Great East Rd. Arcades has a cluster of top-end restaurants, the most popular being wine-bar/restaurant Rhapsody's, a hang-out for nongovernment organisation (NGO) types and well-to-do Zambians at weekends.
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Arcades Shopping Centre
The swish Arcades Shopping Centre is easy to reach by minibus from along Cairo Rd or from the Millennium Bus Station, or by taxi (around ZK120). As well as banks, bookshops, internet cafés, furniture stores, restaurants and fast-food outlets, the shopping centre boasts a huge Spar supermarket.
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LA Fast Foods
An ideal place to grab a meal if you have to wait a while for your visa from any of the nearby embassies. Allow some time to plough through the confusing array of menus on the counter offering Chinese food, burgers, steaks and a hundred variations of 'chicken and chips'.
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Debonairs
Jump on a minibus to one of the two modern shopping centres: Manda Hill or Arcades on Great East Rd. At Manda Hill, you'll find Debonairs, the incredibly popular Subway for sandwiches, and Irish-themed pub O'Hagans.
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Chit Chat
A popular place for lunch or dinner in a relaxed, open-air atmosphere, it has the most eclectic menu in Lusaka and features a rotating exhibition of purchasable modern art from local artists.
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Sunday Market
The Sunday market at the Arcades Shopping Centre features artisanal goodies that are a step up in quality from markets elsewhere.
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Munda Wanga Environmental Park
Munda Wanga Environmental Park rehabilitates all sorts of animals for re-entry into the wild, unless they are too injured. The park features plenty of regional flora and fauna, including two cheetahs and seven lions, though the American black bear (a gift from Kenneth Kaunda) looks a little out of place. For visitors, the pool, bar and braai grills are welcome additions. It's about 16km south of central Lusaka.
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Kalimba Reptile Park
A bit of a schlep northeast from town, Kalimba Reptile Park is not only a crocodile and snake zoo (not for petting!), but is also a pleasant place to grab a beer and a crocodile sandwich, though you'll need a 4WD to get there. To get there, go east on the Great East Rd 13km from Arcades. Then make a left at the Caltex filling station, take the road to the end (11km) and the park is on the right.
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National Museum
Though there's not much to see, the downstairs galleries in the National Museum offer a perfect snapshot of Zambia, both past and present. Highlights are the displays of contemporary Zambian paintings and sculpture. Upstairs are exhibits of cultural, ethnographical and archaeological interest; don't miss the display about witchcraft.
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Soweto Market
The Soweto Market, close to the Lusaka City Market, is the largest market in Lusaka, but is more functional and lacks the traditional ambience of the Town Centre Market or Lusaka City Market. This is one place where you are most likely to be relieved of your valuables - so be careful.
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Kabwata Cultural Village
At Kabwata Cultural Village, southeast of the city centre, you'll find a scruffy collection of huts and stalls. Prices are cheap, however, because you can buy directly from the workers who live here. The specialities are carvings, baskets, masks, drums, jewellery and fabrics.
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O'Hagans
Jump on a minibus to one of the two modern shopping centres: Manda Hill or Arcades on Great East Rd. At Manda Hill, you'll find Debonairs for pizza, the incredibly popular Subway for sandwiches, and Irish-themed pub O'Hagans, popular with South Africans.
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Town Centre Market
The Town Centre Market is chaotic and, frankly, malodorous, but fascinating. Zambians get their bargains here, whether it's fruit or veggies, new or secondhand hardware, tapes or clothes. The market is relaxed and tourists don't get hassled.
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Lilayi Lodge Horse-Riding
Horse riding among wildlife can be arranged at Lilayi Lodge for US$25 per person (two hours). The lodge is about 8km off Kafue Rd and about 12km south of the city centre, and only accessible by taxi or private/rented car.
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Ababa House
Ababa House is a smart boutique full of imaginative creations from Zambian and Zimbabwean artists, furniture-makers and weavers. Most are made for Western tastes and are not the sort of things you'll see in the markets.
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Polo Grill
Overlooking the polo field, where you can catch a live match around 11:30 at weekends between May and August. They also occasionally get big local acts like Exile. If there's a band, admission is around ZK250.
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Johnny's
An extremely popular nightclub with a tiki feel, Johnny's is the only disco in Zambia with an indoor pool, into which the occasional drunken dancer jumps. At weekends, it costs around ZK450 to enter.
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Brown Frog
Popular with nongovernment organisation (NGO) workers who come to dance at weekends, this British-style pub is a bit of an institution. At weekends you'll have to shell out around ZK5000 to enter.
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Alliance Française
Alliance Française brings in performers and films from Europe and Francophone Africa. Programmes are advertised on posters around town and mentioned in the Lowdown magazine.
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Town Centre Market Food Stalls
Several food stalls at the Town Centre Market serve cheap local food, but the scavenging dogs roaming the increasing piles of garbage around the market may affect your appetite.
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Sichuan
The best Chinese restaurant in Lusaka, which is bizarrely situated in a warehouse at the Showgrounds. However, the prices are reasonable and the ambience relaxing.
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Book Cellar
The best bookshop in Zambia, Book Cellar sells novels, coffee-table books about Zambia and regional guidebooks - including those published by Lonely Planet.
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Northmead Market
Northmead Market is best place for kitschy souvenirs. The choice is limited, but the carvings, fabrics and pottery on offer are reasonably priced.
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Fajema
Just back from the main road, this is a far better place than the food stalls to try some tasty Zambian food while sitting inside a restaurant.
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