Ndola is the city at the centre of economic development in Zambia. It is located at the junction of roads leading to several cities and towns on the Copperbelt and beyond. One is able to easily cross over into the Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R.C.) to the north and Angola to the west.

The D.R.C. is just 10 kilometres away from the town. The town is about 320 kilometres north of Lusaka. The name of the city is derived from a tributary of the Kafubu River known as kandola. It is the only town in Zambia which sits on a river that cuts through the centre of the district.

Ndola started as a BOMA, (British Overseas Management Area) and a trading post during the colonial era. It was founded in 1904 by John Edward “Chiripula” Stephenson, just six months after Livingstone, making it the second oldest colonial era town of Zambia.

It earned city status in 1967 and on 18 July 2004 it marked 100 years of existence. With a population of 455,194 (2010 census), it is the third largest city in Zambia after Lusaka and Kitwe. It is the commercial and industrial centre of the Copperbelt.

Ndola is serviced by regular flights from Lusaka and neighbouring countries. The railway systems of Zambia runs passenger and freight services between Kitwe and Livingstone. The railway line goes all the way to Lubumbashi in Congo. The road network can take you anywhere in Zambia.

Climate in Ndola Zambia

The weather is generally from cool to warm, conducive for outdoor and sporting activities at any of the sports facilities dotted around the city. It experiences high levels of rainfall due to its proximity to the rain forests of Congo D.R.

Industrial Hub of The Copperbelt

It is the capital of the richest province in the country. It is home to a lot of industries that drive the Zambian economy today. Name it, Food processing, manufacturing, copper mining and refining, bottling, finance and banking, motor assembly, cement manufacturing, oil refining and many more.

It is the only city on the Copperbelt which does not depend on copper only for its survival. This cannot be said of its neighbour towns like Kitwe or Luanshya. You find petroleum giants such as Indeni Petroleum Refinery and TAZAMA.

Companies such as Zambezi Portland Cement and Lafarge and Ndola lime have also come on stage. The city is also home to the Coppe-rbelt University, the large Mosi brewery, and the "Times of Zambia" newspaper.

You will also find provincial administration offices, hospitals and private clinics. Because of its huge industrial base, the country’s premier trade show is held here.

The Zambia International Trade Fair takes place annually in Ndola during the first week of July. Exhibitors come from all over the world and from within the country.

Where To Stay in Ndola

Located in the heart of the city is perhaps the city’s best known hotel, the Savoy hotel. Conveniently located within the business district, it offers comfortable rooms and quality service. Off the hassle and bustle of the city is the Mukuba hotel.

Its proximity to the trade fair grounds makes it an ideal place for both show goers and exhibitors. It is located in the show grounds in the main industrial area. You can relax as you enjoy the view of impalas grazing in the background. Other Zambia budget accommodations in Ndola are the Chikumbi Motel and Naaznina.

Tourist Activities in Ndola Zambia

Here, you find a lot of fascinating places worth visiting. If you would like some experience of the wild nearby, try the monkey fountain zoo. As the name suggests, some monkeys are kept at this zoo.

This is the city where the Swedish diplomat, Dag Hammarskjöld, secretary general of the United Nations, crushed during a peace mission to Zaire (now called Congo D.R) on 18 September 1961. A memorial has been erected for him along the Ndola-Kitwe dual carriage way, 10 kilometres from Ndola.

Just near the city centre is the slave tree, or Mukuyu Slave tree in Makoli Avenue, around which Arab slave traders held slave markets in the nineteenth century. The tree has now fallen since it has been eaten by termites.

 You can also visit the popular Nsobe Game Camp and sunken lakes of Chilengwa and Kashiba. The lakes, 14 km east of town were formed by the collapse of rock into an underlying limestone carven, and has local cultural significance.

Other existing tourist attractions are the Copperbelt Museum (It has collections of gems and minerals of the copperbelt), the Polish World War II memorial site located at about 6 kilometres from Bwana Mkumbwa Mine and the Chichele Mufu Tree.

The Polish memorial site is where about 18,000 polish refugees found asylum after fleeing from the Nazi forces in 1943.