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Malawi
Malawi is often called 'the warm heart of Africa', and for once the hype is true. Malawi's scenery is gorgeous and varied and Malawians tend to be extremely friendly toward travellers. People always remark about how welcome they were made to feel. Nature lovers will adore the national parks and game reserves, mountain hiking and plateau trekking. There's plenty to do here for an adventurous traveller.
Malawi was formerly called Nyasaland (Land of the lake) and evidence can be found at a number of sites that the country was inhabited by a pygmy race as early as 10,000 BC. The precise origin of the Bantu who eventually settled in the area is not known. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to see the lake. Dr. David Livingstone, a Scottish missionary, who discovered the lake in 1859 made it known to the world.
Benefiting from relatively stable governments for many years the country has many assets. Firstly there is the Lake itself, stretching over three hundred miles yet never wider than thirty, it supports a whole economy and staying by the shore is a delight with a whole host of waters ports. There is magnificent birdlife the twin imposing mountains of Zomba and Mulanje stand sentinel to this huge expanse of water. Lake Malawi is great for diving, boating or lazing about. The country's reliable transport and compact size make getting about a snap. A broad range of accommodation and activities makes it possible to have a great time whether you're pinching pennies or blowing the bank.
It might seem an unlikely diving destination - a totally landlocked country - and yet diving is very popular in Lake Malawi and there are a number of operators around the lake, which is more like an inland sea really complete with beaches and resorts. Lake Malawi boasts of over 1000 species of tropical fish - 350 of which are unique to the lake. Scuba diving in Lake Malawi is like exploring a giant aquarium and being engulfed by a rainbow of fish.
At its deepest, the bottom is 700m however most of the diving is done above 20m as not much Cyclid life lives further down and the nearest recompression chamber is a long way off in Pretoria, South Africa. Although the diving itself is definately unchallenging, the numbers of brightly coloured fish is surprising. The main reason for diving here are the 1500 varieties of freshwater Cyclids endemic to Lake Malawi.
There are 11 main dive sites around Nkharta Bay which generally comprise of big underwater boulders covered in algae which provide some interesting swim throughs and hundreds of beautiful fish. A night dive is recommended here as scores of the large locally named dolphinfish (which look as dolphin-like as a loaf of bread) surround you within minutes of entering the water, an exciting sensation in the dark as you never quite know where they're coming from. You can also dive around several of the tiny islands within the lake itself. A holiday in Malawi perhaps combined with a safari or a visit to Tanzania and its islands would be a fantastic combination.
Other Attractions
Blantyre: Michiru Mountain Park with over a hundred bird species and also mammals such as duiker, blue monkeys and baboons. The City also has a museum and zoo. Another feature one should not fail to see is St.Michael's and All Angels Church completed in 1891, built by the Rev. Scott and team of local workmen with no knowledge of architecture of building techniques.
Lilongwe: Nature sanctuary and education centre is worth visiting. There is a wealth of bird life in the original African woodland which has been conserved there.
Zomba: The Zomba plateau offers a lot of interesting sites and scenery. The Mulunguzi Dam and many streams are excellent for trout fishing. Furthermore there are many possibilities for hiking.
Mangochi: Boadzulu bird island and Lake Malawi National Park, the first fresh water marine park in the world.
Liwonde National Park can be approached by boat and is home to elephants, lion, leopard, hippos and other wild game. The park also contains the only population of Lilian's lovebirds in the country.
Nyika National Park, remote, wild and beautiful, this park is home to large herds of antelope, zebras and reedbuck. Other parks and game reserves include Kasungu National Park, Lengwe National Park and Nkhotakota Game Reserve.
Malawi offers an all year round holiday. However the best time for game viewing and bird watching in most of the National Parks is between August and November.
Climate
The climate varies from cool in the highlands to warm around Lake Malawi. The country has two seasons: the dry and wet. The wet season extends from November to April. Rainfalls up to between 635mm and 3,050mm. From May to August it is cool and dry, July is the mid winter month. In September, it is hot and dry with October and November as the hottest months. Around Lake Malawi the climate is particularly dry with cooling breezes and record mean daily temperatures ranging from 26°C in January to 21°C in July.
Eating and Drinking
Hotel restaurants and many of those in the cities are of high standard and they offer a wide choice of excellent food including haute cuisine, the unique Lake Malawi dishes and the best Malawi beef. Poultry and dairy produce are plentiful and tropical fruits are abundant in season. The local beer is very good and imported beer and soft drinks are widely available. Wine is imported from major wine producing countries.
What to Buy
Malawi produces a variety of colourful arts and crafts. Items are invariably handmade and there is no mass production of curious aimed specifically at the tourist market. Purchases include wood carvings, renowned throughout Africa and beyond, wood and cane furniture, soapstone carvings, decorated wooden articles, colourful textiles, pottery, beadwork, cane and raffia items. Traditional musical instruments are also sold throughout Malawi
Getting There:
Outside of Africa, the UK and Ireland have the best air access to Malawi. British Airways, Ethiopian Airways, KLM, South African Airways and Air Zimbabwe all fly between London and Lilongwe. There are also flights from many other European capitals. The airport departure tax is US$20
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Lake Malawi by Lucy Kublikowski
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