Kenneth Kaunda International (LUN) is where most long-haul visitors first touch Zambian soil, and it is worth being clear about what it is: Lusaka's airport, 27 km north-east of the city on the Great East Road, and about 480 km from Victoria Falls. Arrivals come through Terminal 2, opened in 2021, where operator kiosks sell SIM cards for a few kwacha, but only to passengers carrying their passport, willing to be photographed, and landing while the counters are open.
That last condition decides it for many travellers. Gulf and East African carriers bring several flights in during the evening, and a passenger connecting to a domestic flight to Livingstone or Mfuwe may have no time for a kiosk at all. An eSIM that goes live as you land covers the taxi negotiation, the Yango booking and the message to your lodge, and you can still buy a cheaper local card in town later.
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Where LUN Is, and Which Terminal You Land In
Kenneth Kaunda International sits off the Great East Road in Chongwe District, about 27 kilometres north-east of central Lusaka. It opened in 1967 as Lusaka International Airport and handled about 1.8 million passengers in 2025, around 71 percent of all airport traffic in Zambia. That makes it the country's main long-haul gateway, with Emirates, Qatar Airways, Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways all flying in, alongside the regional routes to Johannesburg, Harare, Nairobi and Dar es Salaam.
Two terminals, two jobs
Terminal 2 is the Chinese-financed international building that opened in August 2021, with six gates and capacity for around six million passengers a year. Every international arrival comes through it. Terminal 1 is the original building, now used for domestic flights and without jet bridges. If you are connecting to Livingstone, Mfuwe or another domestic airport, you will move from one to the other.
The point to hold on to for anyone heading to Victoria Falls is geographical. LUN serves Lusaka. Livingstone and the Zambian side of the Falls are around 480 kilometres to the south, with their own airport. Landing here means you are a domestic flight or a long day's drive from the Falls, and your phone plan needs to cover that leg too.
Because Terminal 2 is relatively new, the arrivals sequence is simple: immigration, baggage reclaim, customs, and out into the arrivals hall where drivers wait with name boards and the operator kiosks sit. On a busy evening, with a Gulf carrier and a regional flight landing close together, the immigration hall is the slow part, and that is time you can spend with your phone already online if your eSIM is installed.
The MTN and Airtel Kiosks in Arrivals
The arrivals hall has operator kiosks, and travel listings in 2026 describe an MTN Connect kiosk open from 08:00 to 21:00 daily and an Airtel outlet nearby, both selling SIM cards for around K5, about 25 US cents. Weekly bundles at the kiosk run from about K25 upward. We could not independently confirm the exact positions of the counters or whether they keep the published hours, so treat them as a convenience rather than a plan.
Keep the passport out after immigration
Registration needs the physical passport with the entry stamp you have just been given, so do not pack it away before you reach the kiosk.
Be ready for the photograph
Zambian registration now includes a live facial photograph taken by the agent. It takes moments, but it means only the person whose name is on the line can register it.
Name the bundle you want
A new SIM comes with no data package. Ask for a specific weekly or monthly bundle and have it loaded before you leave the counter.
Test it on the spot
Open a page or send a message while you are still standing there. Sorting a registration problem later means finding another shop in Lusaka.
The timing problem is the one to plan around. Several long-haul arrivals come in during the evening, and a kiosk that closes at 21:00 is no help to a flight that lands at 21:30 or to a passenger who is twentieth in the immigration queue. If you are connecting straight to a domestic flight, you may not have time to visit the kiosk at all.
The Free Terminal WiFi
Free WiFi was installed at Kenneth Kaunda International in 2024 by ZAMREN, the Zambia Research and Education Network, which built the service on its eduroam platform and opened it to the public at no cost. The terminals at Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International in Livingstone are also listed by the airports authority as having wireless access.
In practice the airport WiFi is good enough to send a message to your driver or download an eSIM profile you bought before you left home, and not something to rely on for much more. Reports describe it as free but inconsistent, and we could not confirm the network name you will see on your phone in 2026. Look for the airport or ZAMREN network once you are in the terminal, and if a login page appears, follow it.
Use the WiFi to fix a failed eSIM, not to buy one
If your eSIM does not connect after landing, the terminal WiFi is the place to check its settings, switch on data roaming for the profile, or contact the provider's chat support. Buying an eSIM from scratch on airport WiFi works, but it is slower and riskier than doing it the night before you fly.
Remember that the free WiFi stays inside the terminal. Once you walk out into the car park and onto the Great East Road, you will be relying on mobile data for the rest of the journey.
Into Lusaka Along the Great East Road
The drive from the terminal into central Lusaka follows the Great East Road and takes around half an hour in light traffic, closer to an hour when the evening rush builds around the city's eastern side. Coverage is strong for the whole run, with 4G on both MTN and Airtel all the way into town.
| Option | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Airport taxi | US$20 to US$40 | Unmetered, so agree the price before you get in |
| Yango ride-hail | Varies with demand | Needs data to book; drivers commonly expect cash |
| Hotel or lodge transfer | Set by the property | Arranged in advance; the driver waits with a name board |
| Bus to Chelston | A few kwacha | Cheapest, but you finish in a busy station far from most hotels |
The airport taxis are not metered and expect a negotiation, with quotes for central Lusaka commonly landing between twenty and forty dollars depending on your destination and the hour. Yango, the ride-hailing app that operates in Lusaka, removes the haggling but needs a data connection to book, which is exactly what you will not have if you are waiting on the kiosk. That is the most concrete reason to land with an eSIM already live.
Most visitors staying in Lusaka head for the hotels and guesthouses around the city's eastern and central districts, all of which are on the same side of town as the airport road. If your hotel is sending a car, message the driver before you clear customs so they know your flight is down.
Connecting On to Livingstone and the Parks
A large share of travellers arriving at LUN are not staying in Lusaka. They are connecting to Livingstone for the Falls, to Mfuwe for South Luangwa, or to the Lower Zambezi airstrips. Domestic flights operated by Proflight Zambia and Zambia Airways leave from Terminal 1, so the connection means moving between the two buildings.
The Livingstone hop takes a little over an hour and lands at Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International, five kilometres from Livingstone town. By road, the same journey is around 480 kilometres on the T1 through Kafue, Mazabuka, Monze and Choma, which takes six to nine hours by intercity coach. Coverage on that road is good in the towns and patchy in between.
Why an eSIM suits a connecting passenger
When the kiosk is still worth it
Kiosk Kwacha Against eSIM Dollars
At the October 2026 rate of about K19.75 to the US dollar, the local option is far cheaper per gigabyte, and the only honest case for the eSIM is the time and timing at this particular airport.
| Option | Price | What you get | Setup at LUN |
|---|---|---|---|
| MTN SIM + weekly 4.7 GB | About K55 / US$2.80 | 4.7 GB, 7 days, Zambian number | Kiosk visit, passport, live photo |
| Airtel SIM + monthly 22 GB | About K205 / US$10.40 | 22 GB, 30 days, Zambian number | Kiosk visit, passport, live photo |
| Airalo, 1 GB | US$7.50 | 1 GB, 3 days, Airtel | Installed before departure |
| Nomad, 5 GB | US$22 | 5 GB, 30 days, MTN | Installed before departure |
| Holafly, 5 days | US$31.90 | Unlimited, 5 days | Installed before departure |
A sensible split for many visitors is to land with the smallest eSIM, Airalo's 7.50 dollar plan or Nomad's 8 dollar week, use it for the arrival and the transfer, and register a local card in Lusaka or Livingstone on a day when there is no flight to catch. That costs a few dollars more than going local from the start and removes the one moment when going local is genuinely difficult.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lusaka's airport close to Victoria Falls?
No. Kenneth Kaunda International is about 27 km outside Lusaka, and Victoria Falls is roughly 480 km south of the capital. The Falls are served by Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International in Livingstone. From LUN you either take a domestic flight of a little over an hour or travel six to nine hours by road. Plan your data for both legs.
Can I get a Zambian SIM when my flight lands late in the evening?
Possibly not. The MTN kiosk in arrivals is listed as open from 08:00 to 21:00, and several long-haul flights arrive in the evening. If you land after the kiosks close, or if the immigration queue is long, you may leave the airport without a local line. An eSIM installed before departure avoids the problem entirely.
What do I need to register a SIM at the LUN kiosk?
Your physical passport showing the entry stamp or visa you received at immigration, and your face, because Zambian registration includes a live photograph. The SIM itself costs about K5, and you then buy a data bundle on top. Expect the process to take a little while if other passengers are ahead of you.
Does the free WiFi at Kenneth Kaunda International work well?
It works for basic tasks. The service, installed by ZAMREN in 2024, is free and open to the public, but reports describe it as inconsistent. Use it to message your driver or troubleshoot an eSIM, and do not count on it for video calls. It ends at the terminal doors.
How much should a taxi from LUN into Lusaka cost?
Airport taxis are unmetered, and quotes into central Lusaka are typically between 20 and 40 US dollars. Settle the number with the driver while your bags are still on the trolley. Yango operates in Lusaka and avoids negotiation, but you need mobile data to book it, so it only helps if your eSIM is already working.