Location: Lusaka
Top Things to do in Lusaka
Countries
10 Free Things to do in Lusaka That You Shouldn't Miss
Lusaka, the capital and largest city in Zambia, can be a confusing and chaotic place for visitors not familiar with its unplanned neighborhoods and streets. Busy stores and shopping centers line Cairo Road and the surrounding area. Nearby covered markets sell anything from souvenir figurines to spare engine parts. Just south of Lusaka is the Munda Wanga Environmental Park, which features botanic gardens, a wildlife park and sanctuary, picnic areas, swimming pools, and a relaxing terrace bar.
Restaurants in Lusaka
1. 37D Gallery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 26 reviews
37d Gallery is located within a beautiful contemporary building in the Kabulonga area. The gallery holds a wide range of art works by both local Zambian artists and international artists. The Gallery is non-profit organisation which in turn supports the stART Foundation which is a charitable trust dedicated to the generation and promotion of visual arts practice and arts education in Zambia.
Reviewed By dengisa - White Plains, United States
My fiancé and I ended up in Lusaka with a few days to be tourists. We found 37D on trip advisor and figured we would spend 30 minutes there. 2 hours into our visit, we were already planning our next trip back! To start with, the staff here are all welcoming and friendly. The various forms of artwork are all presented with the title, artist, and price in US dollars. It is in a modern building with indoor and outdoor spaces. There is even a section with children’s artwork and all of the proceeds go directly to the children and the program that works to provide children with art classes, which in turn helps children to pay school fees. Next to the art gallery is a gem gallery. We had the pleasure of talking with the owner who showed us the largest mined tourmaline and explained to us how jewelry is made from the wide selection of Zambian-mined gems. Then we found ourselves in the cafe, where we each had a coffee and a treat (banana bread and a chocolate cookie). Here we were able to casually look through the gift store and chose a lovely pair of earrings. It was hard to chose just one gift item as everything is so lovely and supports Zambian businesses that employ local people. We will definitely be back on this same short visit because they even have yoga a few days a week for k100 which takes place in a gorgeous outdoor area.
2. Pakati Sunday Market
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 14 reviews
Reviewed By spokenpriestess
I love markets! It's my favourite thing to do on my travels so hitting this market was exciting for me. There is so much to see & much to get. A lot of the stalls have similar items so you need to exhaust the parking lot & walk extensively comparing prices & negotiating the right prices for your finds. They have African jewellery, rare stones, pillows, fabric, wooden house deco pieces, woven baskets, paintings, you name it! It's a cash only environment - naturally - so you need to budget accordingly & get the best deals. You can easily spend up to K2000 if you go around the entire market picking up things but it's wise to make a note of exactly what you want to buy to avoid spontaneous purchses of all the amazing things you will see there. This market is actually cheaper than Kabwata Cultural Village which I also visited on the same day & found that their prices are extremely exorbitant. As a visitor, always be careful to shop around & compare prices before buying anything cause vendors often triple their prices for tourists. You must be firm & brave enough to question some of the prices when you're shopping. I found more variety & value in this market versus Kabwata Cultural Village.
3. Cathedral of The Holy Cross Lusaka
4. Sunday Crafts Market
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 70 reviews
Reviewed By Rachwar - Lusaka, Zambia
Great place to pass time after your Sunday morning church service. This is a lovely market that brings friends and families together. Good place to pick up some souvenirs to spoil your friends and family. You cab bargain for some nice pieces of curios, chitenge wraps, baskets, etc.
5. New Soweto Market
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 18 reviews
Reviewed By PhilliSmit - Cape Town Central, South Africa
A truly authentic and wonderful experience. A market focused on the locals in the area but open to wonderful finds if you have time to explore. Very safe (I went alone), and everyone was incredibly helpful in making sure I got what I was looking for. The market is divided by “themes”, so you will find similar products grouped together - second hand clothing, shoes, fresh vegetables, fabrics, dried fish etc. The prices are so low it’s not worth bartering, but I am sure you could do it. Delicious fried rotis for 3 kwatcha ($0,30). Take water with as it gets pretty hot. Great fresh fruit too.
6. Manda Hill
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 72 reviews
Reviewed By Gh0st50 - Lusaka, Zambia
Great more and a lot of floor space. The mall offers everything one can find when goes out for shopping, clothings,electronic,hardware,restaurants, jewerey,mobile gadgets etc all at the same place.Banks branches are found at the mall and even bureau de change for foreign notes.Credit cards are also accept at the mall.The mall also offers kids playing activities on the weekend.The mall also has big names like Game,Shoprite,Mr Price,Woolworths and so on. For operating hours the mall is open from 08 hours to 20 hours for most shopping stores and to open 22 hours for food places.
7. Jame Mosque
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 9 reviews
Reviewed By kiltmaker2 - Evanston, United States
This mosque, which is located close to the Government Complex of Lusaka, is the house of worship for the Muslims in this city.
8. Eastpark Mall
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 57 reviews
Reviewed By kevinhorne3 - North Wales, United Kingdom
Many top names for fashion and grocery shopping. Great bars and restaurants along with banks, ATMs and money changing outlet. Plenty of secure parking.
9. Kabwata Cultural Village
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 108 reviews
Reviewed By fatimademohey - Lusaka, Zambia
Plenty of Zambian souvenirs to find and buy especially if you are a tourist or from outside Zambia. The people are friendly and good to interact with.
