By Young Professionals Board member Lewis Jowett:
Wow, what an experience and what a country Zambia is!
In June 2023 fellow YPB member Philippos and myself, alongside some intrepid adventure cyclists, completed an epic Zambian cycle challenge. We rode from Lusaka to Victoria Falls down in Livingstone in support of Build It International, raising funds to support a group of 23 young trainees to go through their construction qualification.
Arrival day
We flew into Lusaka on and met some of our fellow cyclists. We were picked up at the airport by the Build It team and taken to an incredible lodge on the outside of the city. We had a briefing in the evening detailing the five-day cycle route, before an early bed time ready for the start of the cycle.
Day 1: Lusaka to Mazabuka – stunning
After getting fitted out on our bikes, we headed to Build It’s Centre of Excellence on the northern edge of Lusuka. This is where the majority of Build It trainees go through the first three-months of training, before going onto their work placements.
A group of trainees had kindly come out to the Centre (on a Sunday!) to welcome us and illustrate some of the building practices they were learning. We toured the campus and participated in some local media before heading back into the support truck to start our adventure!
After a brief drive, we started our initial 50k cycle ride to Mazabuka from the south of the city, quickly heading off road and taking in some incredible early evening sights. We were camping at Mazabuka Cricket and Sports Club which was an amazing first stop!
Day 2: Mazabuka – Monze – hot
Day 2 was an early start, and the beginning of our 6am wake up for 7am leave routine! The route was around 110km and the first time the Zambian sun really hit us. Overall, it was amazing, cycling past Schools, Villages and getting overtaken by locals!
Day 3: Monze – Choma – trucks
Day 3 was the second longest day of the trip and predominantly on the road which gave us some close encounters with the mining trucks making their way to and from the Copperbelt regions! With 10km to go we stopped in Choma for a much- needed ice cream and regroup before watching a local game of football at our campsite and enjoying an exceptional Brie dinner followed by birthday celebrations for our driver and all-round legend JB!
Day 4: Choma – Kalomo – sand
Day 4 was one of the shortest of the mission at only 91km but it was the hardest, incredibly large amounts of sand made the cycling really difficult. It was hot and dirty but everyone in the group made it through with high spirits and we were rewarded with an incredible sunset in the town of Kalomo where we enjoyed the locals bars and a bottle of Amarulla around the campfire.
Day 5: Kalomo – Victoria Falls – wow
The last cycling day of the trip saw us needed to cover over 135km to make it to Victoria falls and complete the 500k challenge distance! Everyone was excited for the prospect of seeing one of the natural wonders of the world and worked together as a group to make sure we all made it there in one piece!
Day 6: Livingstone project visits
Having celebrated as a team the night before, we set out on day 6 to visit some of Build It’s local Livingstone projects.
This include the Zambezi Sawmills Schools where Build It had constructed a new grade 8 classroom block and washroom facilities, before seeing the revamped Libuyu Medical Centre, which provided the first separate maternity ward for the health district, transforming the experience for young mothers.
Overall, the days were hot and dusty but extremely rewarding. As a group we discovered Zambia off the beaten track and were welcomed by everyone we met. 25,000 calories later and a fair few puncture we arrived as a group on the shores of the Zambezi with Victoria Falls in the distance.
A massive thank you to everyone who supported us and the team with their generous donations. As a group we raised over £35,000 which will transform many people’s lives!
Zikomo! (thank you)
For details about the June 2025 Zambia cycle challenge, email: [email protected]