Zambia’s Copperbelt Province is the central hub of the mining industry in the country, with the majority of the towns in the region having copper mines associated with them, including Ndola, Kitwe, Chingola, Mufulira, Kalulushi, Chililabombwe and Luanshya. Whilst the mines have gone through various economic rollercoasters the area is now, once again, thriving. It seems incredible that after nearly 80 years of mining copper commercially, huge deposits are still being found, not surprising then that the province is one of the richest copper sources in the world.

The geological history of the copperbelt goes back 500 million years when a mountain chain called the Lufilian Arc was formed by the Kalahari and Congo cratons, two large pieces of continental crust, colliding. A little more recently slave trading cast its dark shadow over the area, The Slave Tree in Ndola (now actually consumed by a strangler fig) was thought to be the location where slaves were sold.

During the country’s colonial history (Zambia was formerly Northern Rhodesia) there was an interesting smattering of usually eccentric and always colourful, colonial characters including Chirupula Stevenson and Arthur Davidson. The towns still reflect this past with lovely old gabled buildings, sadly in various states of decay now, only the pre 1924 buildings being afforded heritage protection. The majority of these wonderful buildings date from the 1930s (when one of the many economic booms occurred).

If you are a business traveller or a visitor retracing family footsteps, Voyagers can arrange everything from a conference facility and chauffer service to a relaxing weekend away.