Kapiri Mposhi to Lusaka by bus

Unfortunately, the train service between Kapiri Mposhi and Lusaka is pretty limited these days. It's only twice a week (departing Kapiri Mposhi at 16:42 on Mondays and Fridays, which doesn't connect well with the Tazara service), and economy-class only. I don't know the journey time to Lusaka. See my previous post at http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1962474 for more details on RSZ train services.

Although I would normally recommend train over bus, in this case bus is probably the better option. There are fairly regular express buses from Kapiri Mposhi to Lusaka, journey time ~3 hours, cost ~55,000 ZMK/person. Most of these buses start their journey further north in the Copperbelt, and just make a brief stop in Kapiri Mposhi as they are passing through. So, if you go to the bus station (on the main drag, near the 'old' railway station) you should be able to get on the next bus that comes through. I can't remember the names of the carriers, but there are several on this route. There are probably also minibuses doing this route (presumably slower and cheaper).

Note that the Tazara train arrives at the 'New Kapiri Mposhi' station, which is ~1km away from the bus station, down a side road. It should be max 12,000 ZMK for a taxi, or it's a longish walk. I suspect that when the Tazara train arrives, both the Tazara station and the bus station will be swamped with touts offering to help you find taxis, buses, tickets, etc.

Kapiri Mposhi isn't a huge place, but it has a bank (with ATM, I think Visa only), small supermarkets and cafes, internet cafes, hotel, market, and so forth. However, all this is along the main drag, there is very little out by the Tazara station.

Hi IHM

Thx for this useful info - I need to make my way from Livingstone to New Kapiri Mposhi on a Monday, however I would like to leave as late as possible so I can see Vic Falls - are there regular minibuses operating on this route, if so would you recommend this option and how much does it cost? How long does it take to NKM by minibus? Thks so much

Best wishes

Note that it's about a 10hr journey by road from Livingstone to Kapiri Mposhi and I don't think there are any direct buses or minibuses. (Note also that 'New' Kapiri Mposhi just refers to the Tazara train station, which is a kilometre or so from the main part of Kapiri Mposhi.)

In 2010, we left Livingstone on an 8pm bus, arriving Lusaka around 3am. The bus remained locked (for security) until first light, but we then found a bus leaving for Kapiri Mposhi, allegedly leaving at 6am. It actually left around 8am, and we arrived in Kapiri Mposhi around 11am. The bus stops near the old train station, and from there there are taxis to the Tazara station. We bought the Livingstone-Lusaka ticket in advance (earlier the same day), and the Lusaka-Kapiri Mposhi ticket as we boarded the bus in Lusaka.

Assuming you're trying to get the Tuesday Tazara train to Tanzania, it should be possible to leave Livingstone on the Monday evening, and reach Kapiri Mposhi in time for the 16:00 Tazara departure on the Tuesday. However, this is a bit tight if there are any delays. We actually left Livingstone on the Sunday evening, and therefore had ~24hrs in Kapiri Mposhi before the train left.

Note that I don't have any personal experience on this route since 2010, but I'm not aware of any reasons why it would have significantly changed.