Malawi - the warm heart of Africa

The Lake of Stars

Throughout our travels in Southern and East Africa, Malawi had never been on our radar. What little we knew about the country was about it being the home of Lake Malawi (known as the Lake of Stars). 

The first time Malawi got our attention was when it ran into a dispute with Tanzania on the demarcation of the international border between the two countries. 

The next was a fellow traveler making reference to a national park in Malawi as the best place in Africa to view roan antelope, which is a rare find.  Apparently there were large herds of roan in Malawi which is what brought Malawi on to our radar as roan is awfully hard to find. There was no real plan to visit Malawi other than a vague idea of including it in an overland venture. That was until work got in the way and directed us to Malawi on a 3 year contract.

The drink of choice

We could not have picked a worse time than March 2020 to enter a new country with the outbreak of Covid. The airports and borders closed literally the week we arrived with our household goods being stranded in Rwanda for the next 6 months. As things started to ease, first on the agenda was a new set of wheels as we had to once again sell our car as Rwanda was left hand drive. What better choice for Southern Africa than the much loved Toyota Hilux bakkie.

The wheels of choice

Malawi is a thin long country, 900 KMS in length and 150 KMS across with Lake Malawi straddling over 500 KMS of the Eastern border. Malawi shares borders with Zambia, Tanzania and Mozambique, all destinations well worth exploring. Malawi has a distinct Southern African feel with English being a common dialect and the presence of Southern African brands, both of which are largely absent from East Africa. Malawi is an agricultural based country with Tobacco being the top exporter with notable crops of tea and maize. Tourism is an important contributor to Malawi with opportunities for development and compete with neighboring countries. 

Tobacco - the crop of choice

The country is split in to 3 regions - South, Center and North - and the political power bases are also aligned to these regions. The road network in the country is dominated by two main trunk roads, the M1 connecting the major economic cities of Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu with a Lake Shore road connecting the towns along the Lake. 

The modern city of Blantyre

The capital city is Lilongwe but we lived in Blantyre which is the second largest city in the country. It really is a case of twin cities with people and economic activity running between the two cities located about 300 kms apart. 

Blantyre is surrounded by hills

For the self-driver, it is an easy country to move around with reasonable accommodation available in all major areas. Camping is available and an improvement on East Africa but it is still only a sprinkling of camp sites across the county. 

Fellow road users, firewood bikes 

Fuel is available across the country with most towns having multiple filling stations but check fuel availability before entering as fuel shortages can occur. Roads are in reasonable order but check local conditions before getting off the tarmac and stick to the basics of driving on the continent by controlling speed, patience and not driving after dark.

Shire river snaking into the lower Shire, from Blantyre to Nchalo

A good starting point to start exploring Malawi from the South is Majete Wildlife Reserve, only a 90 minute drive from Blantyre. The park is set on the banks of the Shire River and the main tourist area is densely vegetated but the key being it is an all-weather park doable in the wet season. 

Majete is the only place for Giraffe in Malawi

The park has an excellently serviced campsite inside the park and there are two upmarket lodges also inside the park. While the park is relatively big with grassland to the south with few roads, the main game driving area is rather small but it’s a power packed destination carrying the Big 5 as well as the recent introduction of wild dog and cheetah. 

Cheetahs are now a regular sighting in Majete

You need a keen bush sense to find animals in this park due to the dense vegetation but a good place to sharpen your bush skills. We were often rewarded with fantastic sightings of cats, elephants, the many varieties of antelope and the rich birdlife.  For a more detailed writeup about this park, check out this blog post.

Majete is currently the only place for wild dogs in Malawi

Mulanje is another place of interest to the south of Blantyre and home to the highest mountain in the country with hiking trails and overnight huts for the keen climber. 

Mount Mulanje watches over the tea fields

There is also a border crossing to Mozambique past Mulanje but the highlight of the area is the tea estates. Located 50 kms from Mulanje is Thyolo the epicenter for tea activity with a notable colonial history.  

Tea tasting session at Satemwa tea estate

A factory visit for tea tasting is a must and there are good accommodation options both on the Satemwa tea estate and around Mulanje.  

Choices of flavors 

There is a direct road from Mulanje to Zomba, the old capital city well worth a stopover. The town has some historical colonial buildings in decent shape and the waterfall is worth a look. 

Zomba Plateau, Zomba - Liwonde road

There is an beautifully scenic drive up the mountain to the Zomba Forest Lodge, although would be quite nerve-wracking in the rain. The lodge is a quaint converted bungalow which offers good accommodation and food.

Zomba plateau offers spectacular views

Heading north and next stop is Liwonde National Park, our favorite hangout in the dry season. The park is located on the flood plan of the Shire River, which is the outlet for Lake Malawi, connecting with the Zambezi River across the border.

Liwonde NP - big herds of everything

Liwonde has good accommodation options but very limited camping, currently restricted only to Liwonde Safari lodge about 10 minutes from the park gate.  There is a campsite inside the park at Mvuu lodge but the pricing is not in line with camping so we don't use it.

Boat cruise on the Shire river is a must at Liwonde

Liwonde has some great game viewing and photographic opportunities in the dry months with large herds of Elephants, Buffalo and probably the best place in Africa to see large herds of Sable antelope. 

The Mother of 6 gave us a treat over a couple of years

There are good Lion and Cheetah numbers but interestingly no Giraffe and very few Zebra. A cruise on the Shira River is a must do and if you want to catch the African Skimmer colony and it’s best to go with Mvuu lodge as the Skimmers are on the Mwalasi river mouth. 

Rhino are a hard and lucky find

There are Rhinos in the park but are shy and hard to find while the introduction of Wild Dogs in 2022 was successful with a litter but unfortunately the pack was wiped out due to poisoning, the constant challenge of running wild life reserves.

Chobe- the handsome male from the North

 

In our time living in Malawi, we spent a lot of time in Liwonde NP and it never disappointed.  It is well worth a visit and more detailed information can be found in our blog post about the park here. 

Large herds of sable antelope can be seen in the dry season

Next stop up the road north is Mangochi, arguably the most popular destination for beach holidays, music festivals and partying in Malawi which is also the reason we have kept away! 

Roadside clothes shopping

There are large hotels with white sands and Lake access and a variety of smaller lodges and private bungalows with lake access. Camping is limited and restricted to Kingfisher Inn in Mangochi and Normal Carr Cottages, which is further up the road towards Monkey Bay. Kingfisher has good facilities with camping on the beach with grassed lawns and spectacular mountain views across the water.

Sunset cruise from Normal Carr 

Normal Carr is an owner managed lodge with great beach access and most importantly, a boat service for highly recommended sunset cruises and snorkeling for cichlids. What’s more the owner Taffy is a great guy to hang with and they have another lodge, the only lodge on the Eastern side of the Lake that we unfortunately never got to. 

The jetty at Normal Carr

There is a road via Mangochi to the Lodge on the Eastern side but check local conditions before venturing through. The camp site is grassed with good shade and there is a great jetty for sundowners.  

Something special about sundowners and sunsets on the lake

Monkey bay is the next stop North with Chembe Eagles Nest at Cape Maclear the only facility offering decent camping. Monkey Bay itself is a harbor town which we actually never visited. 

Chambo - the fish of choice from Lake Malawi

Cape Maclear is a decent stop but dominated by a village around the lodge. The campsite is pleasant if you can get the site at the lower level as it’s away from the village path next to the perimeter fence next to the sites at the upper level.  

Mountains, Lake, Pool and Sun!

Salima would be the next stop up the Lake and it is the Mangochi equivalent from Lilongwe being only an hour and half away. Large hotels and lodges with good beach access and a reason we haven’t flocked there with everyone else! Senga Bay is the main the destination with two large hotels and a decent camp ground at Livingstonia Hotel but be aware of the weekends when the camp site can turn in to a party ground. A much quieter option is the Wheelhouse Marina with a shaded campsite on grass lawns and Lake views at Kambiri bay. There are a host of other accommodation options between the two bays.   

Lake time

North of Salima are the key Lakeside towns of Nkhotakota, Nkhata Bay, Karonga and others which we cannot really talk about as we never got to exploring up the Lake. From the research we have done, there is ample accommodation for all budgets up and down the Lake but with limited camping options.

CRB lodge, Nkhata bay 

We have gone up the M1 road from Blantyre to Mzuzu via Lilongwe. This is also the main artery of the country and hence the busiest. The drive from Blantyre to Lilongwe to Mzuzu is largely uninteresting with large pine plantations towards the northern part of the drive. 

Luwawa Forest lLodge is worth a stopover

In 2022 the road was in decent conditions except the part from Lilongwe to Kasungu which was in a poor state. We also understand the road from Karonga to the Tanzania border is in need to attention. A place worth checking out between Lilongwe and Mzuzu is Luwawa Forest Lodge located close to Mzimba offering a variety of accommodation including camping. Also worth a check between Lilongwe and Blantye is Dedza Pottery, which offers rooms and basic camping.

 

The Lilongwe - Kasungu section requires work

There are two other parks in the central region, namely Kasungu and Nkhotokota, both recently rehabilitated for tourism. While Malawi featured all the big game associated with Africa, almost all of it was the subject of terrible and unchecked poaching that has haunted the rest of the continent. 

Malawi has plenty of game parks and reserves available to wildlife and thankfully left in the hands of experts such as AfricanParks to manage. The wildlife at both Kasungu and Nkhotakota is sparse and unsettled and hence the reason we have not explored either park.

Elephant rock, between Lilongwe and Mzuzu

The Northern town of Mzuzu is set up on hills surrounded by forests both cultivated and indigenous. The town is well serviced including a Shoprite and accommodation options and the gateway to the Northern sector of the Country. It takes an hour to reach the Lake from Mzuzu and the popular town is Nkhata Bay, a fishing village also hosting some accommodation options. The road from Mzuzu heads north to Karonga and towards Tanzania which we never got to drive.

Beautiful views all along the lake

Nyika National Park is a touch 6 hour drive from Mzuzu through the small town of Rumphi with very little or no facilities and where the tarmac ends. Vwaza Marsh is also in this general area but with very limited facilities and unknown road conditions, we were not brave enough to check it out, although reports of leopard may have got us interested for a future trip. 

The rolling hills of Nyika NP

Nyika is a must visit and requires a basic 4x4 to reach. The only accommodation in the park including a campsite and an up market lodge is located at Chelinda, an old logging camp with a colonial history. 

The elusive roan is common in Nyika

Nyika is home to large herds of roan antelope with claims of the best place in Malawi to see leopard. There is a spotted hyena den close to the Chelinda Camp and reports of roaming lions from Zambia. There is a herd of 100 elephants who are restricted behind a huge fenced off area with unconfirmed reports of a relocation that was not as successful as hoped. 

Eland are common and chilled

The short grass plains located at high altitude is nothing short of spectacular and a must visit in Malawi. There are reports of the Bar Tailed Trogon sightings in Nyika but we couldn’t find it.  Check out our trip report on Nyika in more detail here.

We arrived in Malawi not knowing or expecting much from what has been a real gem of a destination. We leave Malawi reluctantly in the hope that we will be back one day. With two great national parks stocked with healthy game within two hours of our doorstep and Lake Malawi a further hour away, Malawi has captured our imagination and will be on the radar going forward.