Afrinkong
Nature & LandscapesThe Rift and the Massif
The Rift Valley floor with the lake in it, and Mulanje standing three thousand metres above the tea.
MALAWI · Tourism
The Lake
Lake Malawi holds more freshwater fish species than any lake on earth, Liwonde and Majete have been restocked to the point of holding all the big five, and the Mulanje massif rises three thousand metres straight off the plain.
Southern AfricaRegion
27Tourism experiences
A lake with more fish species than any otherKnown for
01
Featured destinations
Where the country actually takes you.
Nature & Landscapes
Mulanje
3,002 metres at Sapitwa, a granite massif with huts, paths and a week of walking on it.
Photo Johan Element / Pexels
WaterfallsManchewe
Off the Nyika escarpment near Livingstonia, with a cave behind the water.
Photo Betül Ayyıldız / Pexels
The Shire
The lake's only outlet, running south through Liwonde to the Zambezi.
Freshwater Beaches
Landlocked, and it does not matter: Cape Maclear, Nkhata Bay and Likoma have sand and clear water.
Photo Timm Stein / Pexels
Forests & RainforestNyika and Zomba
Montane grassland on Nyika at two thousand metres, and cedar forest on the Zomba plateau.
Photo Fábio Ribeiro / Pexels
02
Wildlife & safari
What lives here, and how you see it without disturbing it.
Wildlife
Cichlids, and the Big Five
Hundreds of endemic cichlids in the lake, and the big five back in the parks on shore.
Photo Chibili Mugala / Pexels
Liwonde and Majete
Both restocked from near-empty — Majete had nothing in 2003 and has the big five now.
Photo Ravi Rajapaksha / Pexels
Eco TourismMajete's Recovery
African Parks took on an empty park in 2003 and it has the big five and no poaching now.
Photo Haim Charbit / Pexels
03
Culture & heritage
The part of a country you cannot photograph from a vehicle.
Culture
The Warm Heart
The reputation for friendliness is real, and it is the first thing every visitor mentions.
Photo Feyza Daştan / Pexels
Traditional PeopleChewa, Yao, Tumbuka, Lomwe
The Chewa Gule Wamkulu masquerade is on the UNESCO list and is danced still.
Nsima and Chambo
Nsima with relish, and chambo — a lake cichlid — grilled whole on the shore.
Festivals & CelebrationsThe Lake of Stars
A music festival on the shore, and Gule Wamkulu in the villages all year.
Photo Ravi Rajapaksha / Pexels
Carving and Chitenje
Blackwood carving, basketry, and the printed chitenje cloth worn everywhere.
Photo Raphhill .Jpg / Pexels
Livingstonia
A mission on the escarpment built in 1894, with the manse, the church and the view intact.
Photo Amar Preciado / Pexels
Lake Malawi National Park
The first freshwater national park in the world, listed for its cichlids.
Photo Ed Peeters / Pexels
04
Cities & everyday life
Where people actually live between the landmarks.
Lilongwe and Blantyre
A quiet capital, and an older commercial city with the country's first church in it.
Mission Stone and Lakeshore Brick
Scottish mission churches in stone, and fired brick along the lake.
Photo Themba Mtegha / Pexels
Local LifeThe Beach at Cape Maclear
Fishermen, boats, children and visitors on the same strip of sand all day.
Photo Edouard MIHIGO / Pexels
Family & CommunityEasy, and Warm
Short distances, no malaria-free claim but a very manageable country with children.
Photo Robert Schwarz / Pexels
05
Adventure & outdoors
For travellers who would rather walk it than watch it.
Adventure
Diving, Kayak and the Massif
Freshwater diving on the cichlid reefs, kayaking the lake shore, and Mulanje for a week.
Photo Chibili Mugala / Pexels
Outdoor ExperiencesMulanje for a Week
Hut to hut across the massif, with porters, and paths that have been there a century.
Small and Well Run
Lakeshore lodges, Mkulumadzi at Majete, and Kaya Mawa on Likoma island.
Photo Magda Ehlers / Pexels
06
Travel inspiration
The frames people come home with.
Clear Water and Granite
The lake in September, when the water is at its clearest and the boulders go down twenty metres.
Likoma Island
A Malawian island inside Mozambican water, with a cathedral the size of Winchester's.
Photo Balázs Gábor / Pexels
Why Visit This Country
Why Malawi
A lake with more fish species than any other on earth, and parks brought back from nothing.
Why Malawi
A lake with more fish species than any other on earth, and parks brought back from nothing.
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