Follow the journey on an eight-country African Road Trip as I cross the Tunduma/Nakonde Border from Tanzania to Zambia.
I took a bus from Kisumu to Mpanda. There wasn’t much else to see, bar a little trainspotting, just an overnight stop on the way to somewhere else.
I had a bus ticket from Mpanda to Mbeya in my pocket. It was 467 km to Tunduma, where I planned to get off. Tunduma was the name of the border town on the Tanzanian side. On the Zambian side, the town was Nakonde.
It was always going to be a long day.
It was another 6 am departure, which meant getting up at 5 am, packing up and getting to the bus terminal without my morning coffee.
But we departed on time. The first 40 minutes were paved, and then the road switched to piste. Hard-packed, dusty, bumpy, but no potholes.
We lost 20 minutes to a blowout:
The piste lasted about 90 minutes. We stopped a few times for the bush toilet.
It got hotter. I was overheating, but the locals sat in winter sweaters. The windows were closed. Either they were feeling cold in the 34 degrees, or they had some aversion to draughts.
We reached Tunduma at 2 pm after eight hours.
The bus station on Google Maps, just three km from town, is no longer used.
We turned left, bypassing the queue of trucks, and then hit the main road again and turned left, in the direction of Mbeya. And then kept on going.
They wouldn’t let me off, despite my venting my frustration.
We continued 10 more kilometres to the new bus station. WTF. Yes. Senseless African planning again. Or maybe not. In 10 years, the bus station will be on the edge of town instead of being in a satellite town miles away.
It cost me 4 USD to get a motorbike taxi back to the border.
Am sure the taxi mafia came up with the idea to build the bus station miles away.
Tunduma/Nakonde Border Crossing
The border is a shambles.
They have a one-stop border here, financed by UKAID, with the Tanzania Exit and Zambia Entry immigration in one room.
They queued African style.
I am the only Mzungu. The only one waiting patiently.
I am processed quickly.
By the time I got to the actual border, it was 3.30 pm.
The Nakonde Border is one of only two border crossings between Tanzania and Zambia. The other is the Kasesya / Zombe Border Post, sometimes called Mbala, 25 km inside Zambia. This would be a little more adventurous. Google Maps doesn’t show much in the way of guest houses at the two towns on either side of the border.
Do you need a visa to visit Zambia?
Since November 1, 2022, visa requirements have been waived for tourists from 83 countries. 30 days are given at all land borders.
Getting a visa extension in Lusaka is painless. You can stay a maximum of 90 days per year. The extension is free.
A further 62 nationalities can get a 90-day visa on arrival.
Always check the official government websites before you go, as things can and do change.
Tanzania Exit stamp:
Zambia Entry stamp:
And out into the chaos of the Zambian border town of Nakonde.
The border took 45 minutes, and with the 1-hour time change, it was 3.15 again.
Nakonde is a dusty hellhole. Distances are super long in Zambia. The next big town is Mpika, 370 km away. The roads in this region are still being paved. Until they are done, it’s mostly dust, all the way
There were cars ready to whisk me the 1000 km to Lusaka if needed, but I had already come 440 km that day. I needed to sleep. But finding a hotel wasn’t easy. I ended up at the Zwangedaba Fresh Air Lodge, which was quite a way from town. There was no WiFi but I could pay with card, and breakfast was included, and the beers were cheap!
Changing money on the Tanzania Zambia border
You can easily change money on both sides of the border.
I had changed my leftover Tanzanian Shillings and €20 for some Zambian Kwacha before crossing.
There were three banks in Nakonde. ABSA, ATLASMARA and ZANACO, but none of the ATMs were working. I cashed some US dollars at the ABSA bank.
Best Sim Card for Travellers in Zambia
The girls at the Fresh Air Lodge recommended Airtel as the best internet network in Zambia. I bought an Airtel SIM at the office in town. The SIM cost me 10 Kw and the 5 GB cost me 60 Kw, valid for one month.
