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Pro
Beautiful beaches,indescribable sunsets, friendly locals
Con
not the easiest to get in and out of - but that may be a good thing
In a nutshell
malawi is gold
georeiser Says: Lake Malawi National Park is located a little bit further south west in the peninsula, not far from Cape Maclear. It's a freshwater national park with tropical fish. The park is a World Heritage Site, and includes a land area around the cape and up to 100 metres off shore....
georeiser Says: Thumbe (or Thumbi) island is one km from Cape Maclear beach (see picture). I had the pleasure to paddle with a macaro (dugout canoe) to this island. There are mostly rocky shores and the vegetation is overgrown. Nothing to do there.
Gecko Lodge: The restaurant at Gecko Lodge
georeiser Says: The restaurant and eating area in Gecko Lodge is one of the best in Cape Maclear. The food taste good, but is a bit expensive for a "backpacker budget". The restaurant close at 9 PM, like most of the restaurants in Cape Maclear. But you can some snacks later. Egg, bacon,...
Fat Monkeys: The restaurant at Fat Monkeys
georeiser Says: The restaurant in Fat Monkeys Lodge was driven by some locals who had their own business. The food could have been better and cheaper. Although the eating area and bar in front of the shore line was very nice. The sunset view is the best I have seen. (see other tip).The...
Thomas's: Bar, grocery and eating place Thomas's
georeiser Says: Thomas's is a small accommodation, grocery, bar and eating place in Cape Maclear. It's one of the oldest establishment in Cape Maclear. Millers Internet is the neighbor house.I was there one evening for a meal. The bar was loaded with drunk locals. The food was OK, but I was...
The Boma and Hiccup bar: The best restaurant in Cape Maclear
georeiser Says: The Boma is the best and most expensive restaurant in Cape Maclear. The location is right in the middle of the center of Cape Maclear. The restaurant close at 9 PM, like most of the restaurants in Cape Maclear.Hiccup bar is also located in the same building. Beef with...
Bus from Monkey Bay to Lilongwe
georeiser Says: Monkey Bay is the last stop for the bus to Cape Maclear. From Monkey Bay to Lilongwe you have two options. My advice is to take the bus on the new road along the southern tip of Lake Malawi to Golomoti, and then straight to Lilongwe. But the bus leaves early in the morning....
georeiser Says: Some of the locals have small boats, and beach boys often try to sell guided tours or other trips to tourists. A man offered me the trip from Cape Maclear to Senga bay, another resort on the western side of Lake Malawi, for 120 USD. I tried to bargain, but he wouldn't accept...
Charming fish seller: Do you want to buy fish
georeiser Says: A woman sold small fish on a table beside a gravel road. Street stalls like this are typical for Malawi where self-sufficiency is crucial. A charming way of doing small business. Small fish from Lake Malawi. One fish was 50 MKW (0,35 USD).
SIM cards for mobil phone: Local pre-paid SIM cards
georeiser Says: Local prepaid SIM cards are sold in many local shops in Cape Maclear. You can buy them almost everywhere. It's much cheaper to use a local SIM card inside Malawi than a foreign SIM card.The country code is +265.
georeiser Says: "Bilharzia" is a human disease caused by parasitic worms called Schistosomes. Calm freshwater in Africa normally carries the parasite. It is said that the population of snails in Lake Malawi carry the parasite. But the locals denies it and say a Danish project eliminated the...
georeiser Says: This Camel spider was in my bungalow at Fat Monkeys in Cape Maclear. Camel spiders are usually found in the Arab countries and can be up to 12 cm. This one was aprox 5-6 cm. They are not venomous, but can be dangerous since the mechanical effect of a bite will cause a huge...
georeiser Says: Lake Malawi is high malaria zone. Especially during the rainy season. The American reception clerk at Fat Monkeys got malaria with headache and fever when I was there in August 2009. It shows how important it is to take anti-malaria drugs, even in the dry season. I have good...
Cape Maclear is no "food paradise"
georeiser Says: You must make plans for your late dinner because all the eating places in Cape Maclear close at 9 PM. You can not buy typical foreign food at the shops if you plan to make your own meal.Cape Maclear is also not the place to gain weight. The meals are often served in smaller...
Transport from Monkey Bay to Cape Maclear
georeiser Says: If you arrive Monkey Bay after dark and shall go to Cape Maclear, you may be asked by locals to take a privat pick-up. The regular transports don't drive after dark and they will try to charge you a very high price since they know you are stuck in Monkey Bay. Monkey Bay has...
frockland Says: There are more than 500 different species of fish in Lake Malawi and about 350 are endemic! The lake is famous for it Cichlids. They can easy be spotted in the crystal clear waters. Snorkelling and scuba diving are quite exciting (if you like fish)! There are several places...
georeiser Says: Gecko Lodge rocks the night in Cape Maclear. "PA-system" plays loud music in open-air until 3 AM in the week-ends. Very cool for young tourists, but definitive not OK for the locals who are living in their bamboo huts close to the loadspeakers. Is it an agreement between...
georeiser Says: Wonder if the locals are aware about radiant exposure? Mobile pylons are seen at the most remote places in Africa. Cape Maclear is no exception. The ugly pylons, masts and antennaes are a blot on the landscape.
georeiser Says: A boy with a drum walked around in the tourists area and played his drum while singing "How are you, I'm fine", over and over again. He wanted money for it, but this was OK. Better than begging, because there are some begging among the local children.
georeiser Says: Cape Maclear and Chembe village is a community with almost 13000 inhabitants on the north-western tip of the Nankumba penisula. It looks much smaller due to the basic infrastructure. The main road is just a dusty gravel road. Cape Maclear looks like a real beach resort,...
Plan a Cape Maclear vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Cape Maclear locals
There are more than 500 different species of fish in Lake Malawi and about 350 are endemic! The lake is famous for it Cichlids. They can easy be spotted in the...
Our members can help!
1
Cape MacLear is the place which most travellers will visit at least once while they are in Malawi. Its located on the north western cost of Nankubamba Peninsula about 20 kilometres from Monkey Bay.......
2
Cape Maclear and Chembe village is a community with almost 13000 inhabitants on the north-western tip of the Nankumba penisula. It looks much smaller due to the basic infrastructure. The main road is...
3
cape maclear is so picture perfect.....located on the banks of the great lake malawi....
4
I've got some interesting experiences in Cape Maclear. I'd love to share with you the 0 tips I've written, the 3 photos uploaded, and 0 travelogues I've created.
5
I became completely stuck in Blantyre for one reason or another. After the attack I visited the CID. Incredibly, the police station was only a stones throw away from the bus station, yet I had heard...
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