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Chipata
City in Eastern Province, Zambia

Chipata

Chipata is a city and administrative centre of the Eastern Province of Zambia and Chipata District.

Plan a trip to Chipata→From Mfuwe

It was declared the 5th city of the country, after Lusaka, Ndola, Kitwe and Livingstone, by President Edgar Lungu on 24 February 2017. The city has undergone rapid economic and infrastructure growth in the years, leading up to city status.

Get in

Getting to Chipata

There are flights to Lusaka and Mfuwe (for South Luangwa). Flights are run by Proflight from M-F. Bookings can be made at Jasat Travel Agency, located in Down Town. From Lusaka, Chipata is a 7 to 8-hour bus ride on a luxury bus, costing approx US$20. It might be possible to find slightly cheaper transport, but it will probably take twice as long to arrive.

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    Shared taxis to Mfuwe

    Chipata - Mfuwe Rd (along the M12 under the big baobabs next to the park).

See

Worth seeing

Chipata is rather low on tourist attractions.

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    Chipata Juma Mosque

    Probably the prettiest building in Chipata, no entry for non-Muslims but just down the road from the Down Shops.

Do

Things to do

Two major festivals are held around Chipata and are well worth a visit if you're in town at the right time. Ncwala (n-CHWA-la), Mutenguleni village, usually Last week of February. A Ngoni festival to celebrate the first fruit of the season, where the Ngoni chief ceremonially tastes the fruit of the land, then spears a bull and drinks its blood.

Eat

Where to eat

Chipata has several local restaurants offering cheap traditional food. Chef's Pride, Parerenyatwa Rd. Serves local and Zambianised Indian dishes from US$2. Try the pepper chicken and chapattis. All chicken meals are magnificent (at least by African standards). Lazeez Khana, next to Chef's Pride. Serves similar food to Chef's Pride at similar prices. Best for beef steaks. Jamraz, At welcome.

How locals move

Getting around Chipata the local way

  • Get inThere are two bus stations: one for minibuses and one mainly for coaches, though another station is under construction.
  • Get inBe prepared to wait a while at the local bus station — no matter what time the conductor tells you that you will leave, it will be much later (minibuses will only leave when full).
  • Get inShared taxis to the border cost 50 K (30-40 min).

From Wikivoyage: Chipata, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-01.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.