Victoria Falls, Zambia

Centered on Livingstone and the Upper Zambezi, the Victoria Falls region of southern Zambia combines strategic geography, strong infrastructure, and long-term habitability.

Why This Region Life & Infrastructure

Why Base Yourself in the Livingstone–Victoria Falls Area?

The Upper Zambezi System

Livingstone sits upstream of Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River, providing dependable year-round freshwater, irrigation potential, fishing, and transport routes.

Hydropower Proximity

The region benefits directly from the Zambezi hydropower network, including Kariba Dam downstream, offering renewable electricity unmatched in much of the continent.

Strategic Isolation Without Remoteness

Southern Zambia is distant from global power centers yet connected to Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe through stable regional corridors.

Local Geography, Climate & Disease Profile

Livingstone lies on a basalt plateau at roughly 900–1,000 m elevation. This moderates heat, improves night-time cooling, and reduces the intensity of many vector-borne diseases compared to lower riverine regions. Malaria is found throughout central Africa, but the risks are low provided basic precautions are taken, anti malarial treatment is readily available along with common generic drugs doxycycline and malarone which are readily attainable and have long storage lives

  • • Commonly used road access, about 19 hours drive via a good paved road system to the deep-water Port of Walvis Bay where cargo ships frequent, many shipping agents based there.
  • • A politically stable and relatively low crime area in Zambia (Zambia itself has generally low crime rates)
The mighty ever flowing Zambezi

Regional Resilience Factors

Food & Land Access

Small-scale farms, cattle land, and river-fed plots surround Livingstone, enabling decentralised food production across maize, sorghum, legumes, horticulture, and livestock.

Population Density

Southern Province remains lightly populated by global standards, lowering competition for land and water during periods of systemic stress.

Political & Social Stability

Zambia’s long-standing political continuity and absence of major internal conflict support predictability in crisis scenarios.

Global Access: The Walvis Bay Corridor

Livingstone sits within reach of one of Southern Africa’s most strategically important logistics routes: the Walvis Bay–Ndola–Lubumbashi Development Corridor.

  • • Road access through Botswana and Namibia to the deep-water Port of Walvis Bay
  • • A politically stable Atlantic-facing port outside major global chokepoints
  • • Existing use for fuel, fertilizer, machinery, and humanitarian logistics

In a disrupted world, Walvis Bay provides rare strategic advantages: reliable port operations, low congestion compared to major global hubs, and overland redundancy that avoids conflict-prone sea lanes.

Infrastructure on the Ground

Transport & Power

Livingstone functions as a regional logistics node with multiple layers of redundancy for air, road, and power—important for continuity during regional or global disruption.

  • • Air: Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport supports scheduled regional and international flights, charter operations, cargo handling, and emergency airlift.
  • • Road: Paved highways connect Livingstone to Lusaka, Kazungula (Botswana), Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe), and onward to Namibia via the Trans‑Caprivi route.
  • • Regional Corridors: Direct road linkage into the Walvis Bay Corridor provides Atlantic port access for fuel, equipment, and bulk goods.
  • • Grid Power: Connection to the Zambezi hydropower system (Kariba and associated grid infrastructure), providing a renewable base supply where available.
  • • Solar Potential: Southern Zambia receives high annual solar irradiance, making rooftop and ground‑mounted photovoltaic systems highly productive year‑round.
  • • Off‑Grid Viability: Solar‑battery systems sized for households, farms, and lodges are already common, reducing dependence on centralised power.
  • • Hybrid Systems: Solar combined with battery storage and small diesel generators provides reliable 24‑hour power continuity.

Healthcare & Water

Livingstone’s role as a tourism and provincial hub has driven investment in healthcare access and water systems that exceed what is typical for towns of comparable size.

  • • Healthcare Facilities: Livingstone Central Hospital anchors public care, supported by private clinics, pharmacies, diagnostic labs, and medevac access.
  • • Regional Backup: Overland and air access to higher‑tier facilities in Lusaka and neighboring countries provides escalation pathways.
  • • Municipal Water: Treated water is drawn from the Zambezi River and distributed across Livingstone and nearby settlements.
  • • Borehole Feasibility: The basalt plateau and underlying aquifers support widespread borehole drilling for private water supply.
  • • Independent Water Systems: Boreholes paired with solar pumps, storage tanks, and filtration enable full off‑grid water independence.
  • • Water Security: Groundwater availability allows redundancy during drought periods or municipal outages.
  • • Sanitation: Septic systems and ecological sanitation are commonly used in low‑density and rural settings.

Residency, Visas & Foreign Land Rights

Visas & Residency Pathways

Zambia maintains one of the more accessible and transparent immigration regimes in Southern Africa, particularly for investors, retirees, and long-term residents. Applications and renewals can be initiated and tracked through the official Department of Immigration e‑services portal.

• Official e‑services portal: eservices.zambiaimmigration.gov.zm
• Full list of permits and requirements: zambiaimmigration.gov.zm/permit-types

  • • Visitor & Business Visas: Visa‑free or visa‑on‑arrival access for many nationalities, enabling low‑friction initial entry.
  • • Employment Permit: Issued to skilled foreign workers sponsored by Zambian entities.
  • • Investor’s Permit: For foreigners investing in qualifying sectors such as agriculture, tourism, property, or business; renewable and widely used as a long‑term residence pathway.
  • • Residence Permit (Permanent Residence): Confers permanent residence status for qualifying applicants via a one‑time prescribed fee, without a fixed minimum years‑of‑stay requirement.
  • • Spouse & Dependant Permits: Available to family members of permit holders.

Zambia’s residence framework is notable for its clarity and administrative accessibility compared to many jurisdictions, particularly for applicants with demonstrable self‑sufficiency, investment activity, or family ties.

Land Ownership & 99-Year Leasehold

All land in Zambia is vested in the state, but foreigners may legally hold land under long-term leasehold arrangements—most commonly 99-year renewable leases.

  • • Leasehold titles are registered, transferable, and mortgageable
  • • Foreigners may acquire leasehold land directly or through Zambian-registered entities
  • • Common for residential, agricultural, and tourism developments
  • • Secure tenure comparable in practice to freehold for long-term planning

In the Livingstone area, leasehold land is widely used for farms, lodges, and private residences, offering legal clarity while avoiding restrictions found in many other countries.

Legal Framework: Personal Security & Wildlife Economy

Licensed Firearm Ownership

Zambia permits private, licensed firearm ownership under a regulated civilian framework. Firearms may be lawfully owned by qualifying individuals subject to licensing, registration, and safe-keeping requirements administered by the Zambia Police Service.

  • • Firearms are commonly licensed for hunting, sport shooting, professional use, and personal security
  • • Ownership operates under a registration and vetting regime rather than unrestricted access
  • • The framework reflects rural land realities, wildlife presence, and conservation needs

This legal environment supports lawful self-reliance while maintaining public order, particularly in low-density and agricultural settings.

Hunting, Conservation & Rural Economy

Southern Zambia hosts a long-established hunting, conservation, and safari industry, operating under licensing, quota, and wildlife-management regulations.

  • • Licensed hunting operators, game ranches, and safari businesses operate across the region
  • • Firearms are integral to professional guiding, conservation enforcement, and wildlife management
  • • The sector contributes to employment, land stewardship, and biodiversity protection

This ecosystem reinforces institutional familiarity with firearms regulation, conservation security, and responsible rural land use.

Telecoms & Internet Resilience

Fiber & Fixed Connectivity

Livingstone is connected to Zambia’s national fiber backbone, supporting government, business, and tourism operations. Fixed-line connectivity provides higher stability than mobile-only access and underpins institutional communications.

Mobile Networks

Multiple mobile operators provide overlapping 3G and 4G coverage across Livingstone, the Victoria Falls corridor, and major highways. Provider redundancy improves resilience during localized outages.

Satellite Internet

Satellite internet is widely used by lodges, farms, and remote properties as backup or primary connectivity. This provides independence from terrestrial infrastructure and continuity during regional or national disruptions.

In practice, resilient users combine fiber where available, mobile data for day-to-day redundancy, and satellite links as an independent fallback.

Fuel Supply Chains & Storage Reality

Fuel supply to Southern Zambia is diversified across multiple overland corridors, reducing dependence on any single port or country.

  • • Imports via Namibia, Botswana, Tanzania, and regional refineries
  • • Strategic role of the Walvis Bay Corridor for fuel and bulk imports
  • • Continuous commercial demand from tourism, agriculture, mining, and transport

At the local level, resilience is strengthened through storage and substitution.

  • • On-site diesel storage is common for lodges, farms, and generators
  • • Diesel dominance supports vehicles, agricultural equipment, and backup power
  • • Solar-hybrid systems significantly reduce fuel dependency

Fuel is best treated as a strategic reserve rather than a continuous assumption, with solar and efficiency measures extending operational endurance.

Stress-Test View: What Breaks First / What Holds Longest

Likely to Degrade First

  • • Grid power reliability during droughts or upstream hydropower stress
  • • Fuel availability without adequate on-site storage
  • • International air connectivity in prolonged global crises

Likely to Hold Longest

  • • Freshwater access via the Zambezi and regional aquifers
  • • Local and regional food production capacity
  • • Overland logistics within Southern Africa
  • • Decentralised systems: solar power, boreholes, local markets

Overall resilience improves markedly when critical systems are decentralised and locally maintained, with regional backstops rather than global dependencies.

Risk, Trade-offs & Reality