With flights booked with Kenya Airways several months ago for a bargain £750 we were all set. We’d be flying to Lusaka via Nairobi, back to Nairobi and finally back to London. Or so we thought.

Industrial action in Kenya meant our inbound flight was grounded and we faced a night at a Heathrow hotel.

I was however to be met at LHR with a beaming Hamish, my travel buddy for the next 17-days. He had secured a free transfer on a flight with Rwandair via Kigali meaning that we’d only be 2-hours later than originally scheduled into Lusaka. Hurrah!

As we waited in Kigali’s tiny international airport we reflected that this was planned to be the entry point for 1,000s of U.K. refugees if some MPs had go their way. No offence to Rwanda but I am personally glad those MPs were thwarted.

Rwandair were great – plenty of leg room, good entertainment and excellent food, as well as being right on time for both legs.

$30 secured our taxi to the excellent Southern Sun Ridgeway Hotel, a place we were to stay for 6-nights instead of the planned 5 – more of that later.

Giant rooms, swimming pool, gym (not used!!), flora & fauna galore, tasty food with an amazing breakfast feast, and fabulous staff. We paid $65 each per night for our twin room. Money well spent.

Next day we set off to explore Lusaka. It’s probably fair to say that Zambia’s capital is not stuffed with attractions.

We really enjoyed walking through the hectic city market. Just about every type of good imaginable for sale from stalls, shacks, plastic tables and tarpaulins.

The market was cut in two by a railway line running through it. As we would be catching the train next morning, we decided to follow it to the train station to suss it out.

We had secured a first class sleeper compartment for two for next day through exchanging some emails with Zambia Rail from the U.K. The train would arrive 06.56 am, depart at 07.36 and arrive into Livingstone at 02.00 next day. Or so we thought.

Having arranged our whole itinerary around the once a week Kafue Express, we were informed by station staff that the train would be unlikely to arrive before midday and its departure time would be in the lap of the gods!

Blast!

Undeterred we walked back to our hotel via some more of the market, the national freedom monument and the national museum. The monument celebrates the break from Britain in October 1964.

As advised we rocked up at the train station to buy our ticket at 11.30. And waited, and waited some more.

It had departed Kitwe on time 16.00 Friday afternoon but by the time it left Kabwe 140km north of Lusaka it was already 5-hours late. 

It eventually pulled into Lusaka at 13.50 and left at 15.00, 7 ½ hours late. That 5 hour journey from Kabwe to Lusaka had an average speed of 28km/h. See the train arriving by clicking LATE TRAIN.

We had queued and paid for our tickets around an hour before the train arrived. 300 kwacha each ($12/£10) for a two berth first class sleeper.

Our sleeper compartment was pretty awful. Cramped, worn out, a sink with no running water, no bedding or pillows, hard seats, food and rubbish on the floor. 

We asked again about bedding to at least bring some comfort to the skanky compartment. Allegedly the laundry had let them down.

We had been strongly advised to bring our own food as the restaurant car was extremely limited and tucked into some cheese Doritos to try and relieve the gloom.

We sat for fifty minutes in our claustrophobic surroundings with no idea when we would be leaving or how long the stated 19-hour journey would actually take. 

Hurriedly we made a decision – we would get off the packed train and go by bus to Livingstone instead. Just in time as the train actually left 5-minutes afterwards. 

Zambian Railways happily refunded us, which we had not expected. We then headed to the intercity bus station and bought tickets for next morning’s 05.30 departure for 380 Kwacha each ($15) – a 7 ½ hour bus journey, rather faster than the 19++ hours the train would take.

We also booked another night at the hotel – not too much hardship there then!

We both love an overseas train journey and have roughed it on many occasions in Eastern Europe. However, this one took the biscuit.

We eventually caught up with the train in Livingstone. More on that on my next post.