VISITING MUKUNI VILLAGE IN LIVINGSTONE, ZAMBIA

To better understand the culture of Zambia and how people have lived in the villages for centuries, take a guided tour. Mukuni is a village that has real people living in the huts and getting on with their everyday lives—the chief introduced the tour program for tourists and visitors to Livingstone as a way to generate income for the village. When you get to the village, you will be met with guides from the village at the village’s entrance. 

Not only are visitors shown the village huts and how they are built, but the role of the chief is also explained, and you will be offered some traditional food and beer. Wear comfortable shoes and clothes as there is some walking involved, sunscreen is also recommended. 

If you decide not to take the cultural tour from Livingstone or Victoria Falls Town, you can choose to make your way to Mukuni Village by yourself (best done when you have hired a car or taxi) and ask at the village entrance where to purchase a tour ticket. A village native will give you a tour of the village. Otherwise, there are tours arranged by different operators that provide transportation from your hotel, the Cultural Tour of Mukuni Village found on Viator is one of them.

HOW VILLAGERS ARE ASSISTED

We can only assume that some of the money collected from tour tickets is distributed to villagers. If you want to make sure that the villagers receive some help—ensure you visit the village shopping area—at the end of the tour visitors have the opportunity to buy arts, crafts, and other locally made items from village traders. Prices might be cheaper here than prices in hotel shops. 

Some tourists bring food items and gifts for the children such as books, pens, and etcetera (this is not mandatory) to distribute to villagers they meet in the pathways or as they are passing different houses when touring the village.