After much deliberation, we finally decided to fly direct from Livingstone to Johannesburg. There were a number of other options (bus routes through various combinations of Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana) but all had their problems and would take many days. Also there was plenty we wanted to do in South Africa so the flight seemed the better option. We visited a travel agent in Livingstone and booked the cheapest flight we could get for the following day.
We then encountered a little problem at the airport when, as requested, we arrived two hours early for our Air Zambia flight, only to find out it had been cancelled! This was a problem not only due to the obvious inconvenience, but also because our visas expired that same day so we simply couldn't stay in the country any longer. Also, we had bought our tickets less than 24 hours earlier. How could it be cancelled?
Lucky for us, the guy who was dealing with us was really helpful and immediately ran off to speak to British Airways and South African Airways to see if we could squeeze on to one of their flights, both leaving in less than five minutes. In most airports this wouldn't be possible, but thanks to the fact that Livingstone airport is tiny and the people are very accomodating, we were rushed through and in the air within 20 minutes. Now you can't argue with that for waiting time.
