Border Hop · Zambia
The short one. Close enough that you are there before the weekend starts, cheap enough that nobody has to think about it twice, and different enough that it still feels like a proper trip.
102 days until departure
Read this before you book
Border hops travel overnight. That is the whole reason this trip only costs you a couple of days of leave — you sleep on the bus instead of spending a working day on the road.
Boarding is Thursday 26 November, from 9pm, at Greenfields Mall in Harare. We aim to roll out at midnight, and sometimes earlier — anywhere from 9pm — if the border or the road calls for it. Your exact time comes through in the group chat a few days before.
The poster says 27–29 November. That is the trip itself, starting Friday 27 November. The bus leaves the night before that, which is why boarding is Thursday 26 November. Put that evening in your diary, not the following morning — we won't be there in the morning.
Never done one?
If this is your first one, start here. A border hop is a short group trip across one of Zimbabwe's borders on a private bus, run over a long weekend so it costs you almost no leave.
How it works
You pay one amount and we handle the rest. Here is what that means in practice:
Lusaka is the one we usually put first-timers on. It is the shortest road, the lowest price, and only one day of leave.
Why a border hop works
Out on the Thursday night straight from work, home on the Sunday. Only the Friday comes out of your annual leave.
Thu 26
After work
Fri 27
Leave day
Sat 28
Weekend
Sun 29
Weekend
1 day off work · 4 days away
No flights, no car of your own on that road, and no working out which form goes to which counter at the border. You bring a bag and a passport.
The package
Both columns. The second one is where trips go wrong.
Day by day
Overnight out, overnight-early back, two full days in between.
Real trips, real photos
These are from our last Lusaka run. Same road, same bus, same format.
Read the full recap of the last Lusaka hop → · What is a border hop? →
Money
$235
per person sharing · $50 deposit secures your seat · payment plans available
Pay the deposit and your seat is held. The balance is due before departure, and if you would rather spread it, message us and we will set up instalments. The bus has a fixed number of seats, so the deposit is what holds one — not a message saying you are keen.
If you can't make it: tell us early and we will try to move your seat to someone else first, free of charge. If that isn't possible, what you have paid moves to another trip on our calendar. Full terms are on our terms page.
Before you ask
Thursday 26 November, from 9pm. The poster dates are the trip itself, which starts Friday 27 November. Because we travel overnight and leave at midnight, boarding always falls on the evening before. Departure can be brought forward to as early as 9pm if the border or the road calls for it, and your exact time comes through in the group chat a few days out. Assume midnight, be there from 9pm, and don't plan anything else for that evening.
Yes. Shortest road, lowest price, one day of leave. If you are testing whether this kind of trip is for you, Lusaka is the cheapest way to find out.
Private return transport from Greenfields Mall, accommodation at two people per room, breakfast and dinner daily, and the city and culture tour including Matebeto and the museum. Lunches, drinks, border fees and personal spending are on you.
One — Friday 27. We leave Thursday night straight from work, so the Thursday costs you nothing, and the Saturday and Sunday are the weekend you already had.
A Zambian tradition — a spread of local dishes served together and eaten by hand, offered as a gesture of welcome and respect. It is the part of the culture tour people talk about afterwards, which is why we build the Saturday around it.
Tell us as early as you can and we work through it in order. First, send someone in your place — free, up to five days before departure. If that isn't possible, what you have paid moves to another trip on our calendar, valid twelve months. And if you can't travel because of the death or hospitalisation of the traveller or an immediate family member, there is no cancellation charge at all — that is your right under Zimbabwe's Consumer Protection Act and we are not going to argue about it.
Two people per room. Tell us who you are sharing with when you book, and if you are travelling alone we will pair you up with someone from the group.
Yes, valid for at least six months past the travel date. Entry requirements for Zambia depend on your nationality and do change, so message us and we will confirm what applies to your passport before you pay.
Yes. Border hops run late nights and early mornings, and this bus does not do quiet. Nap if you can, dance if you can't.
Most people book alone or in twos. The group caps small on purpose and everyone knows each other by the first fuel stop.
