Kabwe

Do

One of the best things to do in Kabwe is to go hiking at the actual Broken Hill, just east of the railway tracks at the far south end of town. Hike up the hills to the lakes: these were the mine shafts, and are now very deep lakes which provide solitude in a beautiful setting.

Buy

thumb|upright=1.3|Street scene in Kabwe

As Kabwe is not really a tourist destination, there's nothing particular to be bought here. But of course there is a typical African market, south of Independence Avenue just west of the railway tracks, and you can get great fresh food at good prices. Be sure to use your negotiating skills - it's the normal way of doing business in Zambia outside of the town stores. Expect the seller's first price to be approximately double what he/she is willing to accept, and accordingly make your first counteroffer far below the acceptance price. If you can engage the seller in a bit of friendly arguing, better still.

Eat

If you are not a vegetarian, the best food to be found in Kabwe is freshly grilled sausages outside any number of "ghetto bars", i.e., those located within a compound. It's best to befriend a local who can guide and accompany you to these places. If you want decent fast-food fried chicken meals, there is a Hungry Lion on Independence Avenue (the main street in town). For K2500 per bag, you can buy really tasty crackers made by Best Line Bakers in Lusaka, from at least one general store in town. The plastic bag has printed on it: "Snacks - Quality - Tasty - Crackers".

Drink

For a cheap night out, Zhose-a-zhose (Pidgin-English for "Those are those") is an area on the south side of Ghana Avenue west of Luangwa Avenue, just across the street from the Kabwe Golf Club, which features several different bars, a butcher shop with a grill out front, and other stores - a Castle or Mosi beer here will cost you K5000, and different Zambian and American hip-hop songs will be blaring from the sound systems in the various bars. In the various compounds (Makululu, Lukangwa, etc.), there are places similar to Zhose-a-zhose but a bit lower-class. One in Lukangwa has a main bar named Holly Hood. Big Bite is a combination fast-food place and bar on the south side of Independence Avenue. Bars in Zambia by law close at 10:30PM, so if you want to party in public after that you need to go to a nightclub.

Sleep

Nyaka Guest House, near the mine, is one of several places in town which offers rooms, and it also has a cocktail lounge and a cheap bar. Ask around if you want to find a different similar place.

Go next

Several companies, notably Powertools, run buses south to Lusaka and north to the Copperbelt. The "bus station" is on the street in front of Big Bite on the south side of Independence Avenue.

If you are driving, Independence Avenue becomes Great North Road outside of Kabwe, leading north to the Copperbelt cities and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and leading south to Lusaka, Livingstone, and Zimbabwe. It is paved its entire length inside Zambia (but in mid-2010 the area between Zimba and Livingstone was being repaved and several places have a detour onto a parallel dirt road).