Malawi

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Quick Facts

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Capital

Lilongwe

Population

11,651,000

Government

Multiparty Democracy

Religions

Christianity, Islam

Languages

Nyanja (Chewa), Tumbuka, English

Calling Code

+265

Nationality

Malawian

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Introduction

Transport, every hour, every day

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Though landlocked in the heart of Africa, Malawi has been blessed with a generous splash of water in the form of Lake Malawi, which encompasses over a fifth of the country's area and stretches from beyond the northern tip to about two thirds of the way south. Maybe it's the lake, but something makes Malawi a refreshing destination. Sure, the country has had its share of hard times - thirty years under the harsh rule of Hastings Banda, for example - and is mired in characteristic African poverty, but the people are hearty and welcoming and their land is a tourist's playground. Predictably, water sports are popular, whether you want to stick your head under the water or you'd prefer gearing up for some windsurfing, sailing or water skiing. But the country's varied geography provides ample opportunity for the photographer in you: tall mountain peaks, sometimes stretching above the cloud line, make for absolutely stunning scenery.

Brief History

Geography

Regions

• Northern Region
• Central Region
• Southern Region

Cities

• Lilongwe- The capital
• Blantyre
• Monkey Bay
• Karonga
• Mzuzu
• Chilumba
• Chipolka
• Zomba

Sights and Activities

What Malawi lacks on great national parks teeming with wildlife, it more than makes up for it with friendly people and first of all: Lake Malawi. There are however a few parks which are especially awarding just because there is not so much wildlife and tourist numbers are not as high as other parks with small traffic jams.

Lake Malawi

Lake Malawi is one of the largest lakes in Africa and is even in the top 10 of the world. It is also known as Lake Nyasa and is the southernmost lake of the Great African Rift Valley. It is one of the best places in the world apart from the open sea/oceans to snorkel and dive. The lake is teeming with tropical fish and there are several towns along the lake's coastline that are great to stay with lots of hostels and nightlife. The southern portion is called Lake Malawi National Park and is one the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Many travellers will stay at least for days, if not weeks on end. Although part of the lake is located in Mozambique as well, most travellers will visit the lake in Malawi, with better infrastructure and accommodation.

Nyika National Park

Nyika National Park is the first, largest and highest national park in Malawi. It was established in 1965 and is located in the north of the country on an average altitude of about 1800 meters above sea level. The park is over 3200 square kilometers big and apart from seeing wildlife is a good place to go trekking, mountain biking or even horse riding. Wildlife includes elephant, buffalo, lion and one of the highest concentrations of leopard in this region.

Liwonde National Park

Although Liwonde National Park is not quite as full of wildlife as the other parks, it has a wonderfully peaceful quality to it. Set in a lush marshland, the Shire River is full of hippoes, and there are plenty of waterbucks and other smaller antilopes grazing. A canoe trip on the river is a relaxing experience, and the views over the river beautiful.
To get there, take a bus to the town of Liwonde, and get off at the bus station (last stop) from there, you can walk or take a bicycle taxi to the park entrance, about 5 kilometres away. At the gate, you pay for the park entry, and ring ahead to your chosen guest house for a pick-up- walking alone is not permitted.

Events and Festivals

Lake of Stars Music Festival

The lake of stars is an annual, huge (at least by African standards) festival lasting three days in central Malawi, close to a popular tourist centre, Nkhata Bay. The actual festival takes place in Chintheche, a small town about 1,5 hours south of Nkhata Bay. The dates aren't set, and change slightly each year. Usually though the festival is held during early September. The festival attracts both big, international names, as well as local artists. It is advisable to book accommodation well in advance.

Weather

Much of Malawi enjoys a tropical climate with hot and humid weather year round. There are however some differences within the country that are mostly related to the altitude of places. The capital Lilongwe for example is relatively cool with temperatures in the cooler June to September period just around 23 degrees Celcius during the day and just around 10 degrees at night. Other places are warmer in general but as most of the country is on a relatively high altitude it is not as hot as many other surrounding countries, although during the hotter months of October and November temperatures can still get well above 30 degrees during the day. May to October is the dry season and from December to April the rainy season, with most rain falling from January to March.

Getting there

Plane

Air Malawi is the national airline of Malawi and has its base at Chileka International Airport (BLZ) in the southern city of Blantyre. Destinations to and from there include Dar es Salaam, Harare, Johannesburg, Lilongwe, Lusaka and Nairobi. South African Airways flies to and from Johannesburg.
From Lilongwe International Airport (LLW) near the capital there are flights to and from Harare, Johannesburg, Lusaka and Nairobi with Air Malawi. Air Zimbabwe flies to and from Dar Es Salaam, Dubai, Harare and London. Addis Ababa, Nairobi and Johannesburg are served with their respective national airlines.

By Car

It's easy to get to Malawi with your own wheels and border crossings with Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania are relatively straightforward, though have your papers and insurance in order. You can use most border crossings decribed below at the public transport section. Roads are generally in a relatively good shape on the main routes that is.

By Bus

Buses connect the southern city of Blantyre with both Harare in Zimbabwe and Tete in Mozambique, stopping en route in the latter one. There are even buses from Blantyre all the way to Johannesburg, with several companies (City to City, Ingwe, Vaal Africa and Translux) making the trip on a daily basis. It takes about 26 to 30 hours and you can also stop in Harare or Tete.
From Lilongwe there are buses all the way to Lusaka in Zambia, as well as to and from Dar es Salaam several times a week. To Dar es Salaam, buses also stop in Mzuzu in northern Malawi and Mbeya in southern Tanzania.
For Zambia, you can also travel in stages by taking a minibus from Lilongwe to Mchinji and a shared taxi from there to the border. Once you've crossed over the border to Zambia, there are shared taxis waiting- it's about a thirty minute ride, costing around K15,000 to town.
From Chipata, buses usually depart early in the morning to Lusaka.
There are possibilities to get to Tete in Mozambique in stages by taking several bush taxis and minibuses towards the border and onwards across the border to Tete. Anotehr border crossing is between Chiponde in Malawi and Mandimba in Mozambique. From here, there is at least one truck daily between to Cuamba and daily vehicles to Lichinga as well.

By Boat

There are ferries between southwestern Tanzania and Mozambique via Malawi on the MV Songea between Mbamba Bay and Nkhata Bay. From here it goes on to Likoma Island (Malawi), Cóbuè and Metangula (both in Mozambique) on the MV Ilala. The MV Ilala departs from Monkey Bay (Malawi) at 10am Friday, arriving in Metangula (via Chipoka and Nkhotakota in Malawi) at 6am Saturday, reaching Cóbuè (Mozambique) around midday, Likoma Island at 1.30pm and Nkhata Bay at 1am Sunday morning. In southern direction departures are at 8pm Monday from Nkhata Bay and at 6.30am Tuesday from Likoma Island, reaching Cóbuè at 7am and Metangula at midday.

Getting around

Plane

Air Malawi has scheduled flights between Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Blantyre and Club Makokola on the southern shores of Lake Malawi. Jakamaka Air Charters offers chartered flights to several specific tourist destinations including the Nyika and Liwonde National Parks and Likoma Island, but are relatively expensive if you are not with a group.

By Train

Central East African Railways operates the train lines in the country. The main line runs north from Blantyre to Balaka and south from Limbe to Nsanje although some parts are still not recovered from the floods years ago. Passenger trains to and from Lilongwe don't exist. Trains are slow and crowded and most tourist use buses instead. Unless you are a train ethusiast of course.

By Car

The road network in Malawi is in a surprisingly good shape and main roads are tarred, albeit potholed in some places. Many other roads are all weather gravel roads. During recent years, more and more companies offer rental cars and Lilongwe and Blantyre are the best places to arrange on (both downtown as well as on the international airports). Traffic drives on the left and you need an international driving permit.

By Bus

There are several bus companies offering daily links between the major cities. Shire Bus Lines has the most buses, including both express services as well as buses which include more stops. It takes around 5 hours from Lilongwe to Blantyre, 7 hours from the capital to Mzuzu in the north of Malawi.

By Boat

The Ilala passenger ferry travels up and down Lake Malawi between Monkey Bay and Chilumba, stopping at many towns and villages in between, including several on the Mozambique side of the lake and Likoma Island.

Red Tape

Visa are not required by the following nationalities:

Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Botswana, Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominica, Fiji, Finalnd, France, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Portugal, Samoa, San Marino, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Saintt Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Swaziland, Sweden, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, Vanuatu, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

All other nationalities need a visa.

Money

See also Money Matters

The Malawian kwatcha fluctuates regularly, so it is advisable to check rates before exchanging money. ATM's are only located in larger towns, and there are no ATM's north of Mzuzu. The ATM's are also frequently out of money (especially on a Sunday), and only distribute small amounts per transaction. Some hostels and vendors will accept US dollars, and there are plenty of places in Lilongwe and other larger towns which will exchange your cash.

Work

Study

Language

Eat

Food in Malawi is much of the same as in rest of Southern Africa - the staple food is maize porridge, nshima, eaten with vegetables or, if you can afford it, meat. Bread is commonly eaten for breakfast. In northern part of the country, you can find chapatti as a part of the tanzanian influence. In Lilongwe, there are plenty of fast food outlets, as well as some surprisingly good Italian food. Chicken and chips is a popular dish especially for young people when eating out.

Sleep

Drink

Health

See also Travel Health

Like most African countries south of the Sahara, Malaria is prevalent in the country. Don't underestimate this tropical disease and take precautions. Also note that Southern Africa and thus Malawi as well has a high percentage of people with AIDS.

Safety

See also Travel Safety

Although Malawi is reasonably safe, pickpocketing in (especially) buses does happen; also, take extra care in the busy market area. Taxis are generally safe. Apparently the stretch of road from Lilongwe bus station to city centre is often targeted by pickpockets.

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

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