It has worked out after all. The booking confirmation arrived yesterday evening. The TAZARA has become the game changer for my trip to the North of Zambia.
Travelling by train is not very common in Zambia and some people keep joking about it implying that cycling was not much slower. However, the cross-border train between the small town of Kapiri Mposhi and Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania enjoys a certain prestige. It is commonly called TAZARA, after the railroad company “Tanzania-Zambia-Railway Authority”.
Hooray! I managed to get tickets for a 1st class compartment on the “Kilimanjaro Ordinary Train”. Simo and his 14-year-old son Thabo will be my travel companions. It’s only one hour from Kabwe to Kapiri, we just have to find a suitable bus. And arrive at the large train station, which was built by the Chinese in the 1970s, before 2 pm!
A few hours later, we sit quite relieved in our compartment, which has four simple beds and a very simple toilet. The departure from Kapiri was only one hour late, so almost on time. We now have the afternoon, the evening and the night ahead of us. The view from the window allows us to view the vastness of the land.
Outside the 1st class waggons, our fellow passengers closely sit beside each other. But the many stops in-between provide for a bit of movement and short walks on the tracks. There are only a few dishes available in the dining car, but plenty of opportunities for chatting.
Karin