Malawi Favorites

  Children
by irishflukey
 
  • Children
      Children
    by irishflukey
  • Children looking at their photos
      Children looking at their photos
    by irishflukey
  • The boys in blue!
      The boys in blue!
    by irishflukey
  • Hippos in Liwonde National Park
      Hippos in Liwonde National Park
    by irishflukey
  • Some local artwork
      Some local artwork
    by irishflukey
 
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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Malawi - The Warm Heart of Africa

by irishflukey

It's a rugged and dramatic country. It is quite green in places. There is a lot to see. It is underdeveloped, but a country with a lot of potential to take advantage of the tourist market. It is poor and has no civil strife. A good place to visit is Liwonde National Park. I went on a safari there. As with travelling to any country, get those shots before you go. Malaria is a problem. There is some petty crime, but generally it is safe. Weather can be hot, so slap on the suncream with high factors, and keep topping it up. While there was a minor earthquake while we were there, it is not a thing to worry about.If you are into or even have the slightest interest in astronomy, get out and view the night sky. It is clear and looks different than at home. We were about 15°S, a big difference from being 53°N, so it was fascinating to see stars apparently in different places, and ones that I...

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Money exchange in Malawi

by georeiser

Ask if you think you see a business man on the street if he knows a bank you can change money. He will probably give you a better rate himself than the bank can do. During my time in Malawi (August 2009) the exchange rate at the bank was 142 MWK (Malawi Kwacha) to 1 USD. The exchange rate at the black marked was 160 MWK. Most of the shops and private business men did the change for you. But they said it was forbidden to change the money at the black marked.One Kwacha is divided into 100 Tambala, an almost non-existing monetary unit.Change as little money as possible in Malawi because it is hard to change back to dollars/euros.

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Malawian border and visa

by georeiser

I arrived at Mchinji border at 11 PM with the bus from Zambia. Be awake when you are approaching the border, and be one of the first passengers out of the bus. The handling at the Zambian side can take some time. It is wise to have a pen ready because you need to fill out an exit application form to get the exit stamp in your passport. When you have done that you can walk the 300 meters to the Malawian border. It was very dark when I walked to the Malawian side. I could hardly see the ground. Just walk straight towards the buildings with lights on the other side. Fill out an entry application form and deliver it with your passport to the officer. A 30 days permit will be stamped in your passport (see photo). Stand outside the house and wait for the bus. Private persons are often waiting for the Zambia-Malawi bus to do some business with the passengers. I recommend to change some money...

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Malawi intro

by georeiser

Malawi is a small country in south eastern part of Africa, and was formerly known as Nyasaland. The name Malawi comes from the Maravi, the name of the Nyanja people that inhabit the area. David Livingstone reached Lake Malawi in 1859, and the country was colonized by the British in 1891. They ruled the country until its independence in 1964. Malawi was a single-party state from 1970 to 1994, but has now a democratic, multi-party government.Malawi is among the the poorest and least developed countries in the world. The economy is agriculture based, and the country depends on outside aid to meet its development needs.Malawi has 3 regions, the Northern, Central and Southern region. They are divided into 28 districts. The commercial center and capital of Malawi is Lilongwe, with a population of 900,000 people. The next largest city is Blantyre further south, with a population of 500,000...

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Tanzania–Malawi dispute

by georeiser

When I was in Monkey Bay, in the southern end of Lake Malawi, I heard this was the navy base town in Malawi. I wondered how a poor country like Malawi could afford having war ships, and why. This is just a lake...The northern lake area between Malawi and Tanzania is disputed. Tanzania claims borders through the middle of the lake. This is along the lines of the borders between the German and British territories before 1914. Malawi claims the whole non-Mozambican lake, including the waters next to the Tanzanian shore because this was set by the British colonial government. The dispute has led to conflicts in the past. The Tanzanians who reside on the lake shore have been accused of fishing in Malawian waters. The fishing resources are very important for both countries.

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The people of Malawi

by georeiser

Malawi is often called the "warm heart of Africa" because of the warms and friendliness of the people. That is a truth with modifications. To believe the Malawian people are more friendly than comparable African countries will create high expectations. Come with an open mind instead of that.Although I think the people are helpful and enjoyable, I also experienced some rude begging by the locals, and excess of authority by the Police on road blocks. Maybe some think when tourists pay a fortune for safaris, all of them are millionaires?The Malawi people are of Bantu origin with the ethnic groups of Chewa, Nyanja, Yao, Tumbuka, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian and European. The Chewa people are the largest part of the population. They are Christians and lives in the central and southern parts of the country. The Yao people are the next largest part. They are muslims and lives around...

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Using a mobile phone in Malawi

by georeiser

I lost the mobile phone connection a short time on the road from Lilongwe to Cape Maclear. And after a while I received the Mozambique phone network. But all in all, the mobile phone works good in Malawi. Big mobile masts are located along the roads and in the villages.It's cheap to use a local SIM card inside Malawi. And you can buy it from one of the many shops and stalls. The country code is +265.

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The Malawian flag

by georeiser

The Malawian flag is made up of 3 stripes of black, red and green, with a rising sun on top.The black stripe represents the African people, the red represents the martyrs blood for African freedom, the green represents the green nature, and the rising sun represents the hope for Africa.

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Highlights Of Malawi

by frockland

- Lake Malawi is the main attraction. Enjoy the amazing sunsets, beautiful beaches, go diving or snorkelling and don`t miss to visit the Islands!- National Parks: Lengwe NP, Nyika NP and Liwonde NP are certainly the nicest and most visited Malawian National Parks.- Hiking is another highlight. Mount Mulanje offers many different hiking possibilities with over night stay in huts. Zomba Plateau and a three days walk from Nyika Plateau to Livingstonia shouldn´t be missed if possible.- Visit a `Witch Doctor` and hear about traditional healing methods.- Listen to the amazing singing during a service in one of the plenty churches.- Simply enjoy the friendly Malawians

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Beers in Malawi

by frockland

Beer drinking in Malawi can be an experience if you try the traditional homebrew! The Danish Carlsberg Beer is nearly every where available in Malawi. The most common types are so called Carlsberg “green” or “brown” named after the labels of the bottles. The quality is quite ok although it is not so strong than European beer.Since a few years there was a new Carlsberg beer called ´Kuch Kuche´. Its sold only in half liter bottles and the cheapest Carlberg beer. Its not that strong then the others beers.Beside the Carlberg beers there is also a home-brew beer. The name of this drink is ´wamasese´. It is produced by the women in the villages and made out of fermented maize. The most common drink is ´Chibuku´, a commercialised variant of ´wamasese´, ´but somehow the villagers´ Recipe had been altered to make it virtually undrinkable. I think that the Chibuku formula calls for sawdust, stale...

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Related Malawi Favorites Tips

Top 3 Hotels in Malawi

Madidi Lodge  Lilongwe

 6 Reviews and 16 Opinions  I had a wonderful stay at Madidi Lodge in April 2011. The manager/owners are very friendly and... 

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Protea Hotel Ryalls  Blantyre

 22 Opinions

 Hotels in Blantyre

Sunbird Livingstonia Beach  Salima

 1 Review and 20 Opinions  We stopped here for lunch on a trip through the area. It was a beautiful setting on a patio... 

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19 Hotels in Malawi
 
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Reviews and photos of Malawi attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Malawi sightseeing.

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Favorites: Cities in Malawi
  1. Lilongwe Favorites
  2. Cape Maclear Favorites
  3. Blantyre Favorites
  4. Likoma Island Favorites
  5. Nkhata Bay Favorites
  6. Livingstonia Favorites
  7. Kande Island Favorites

More Cities in Malawi

 

Popular Regions in Malawi

Mangochi District Favorites  Karonga District Favorites  Blantyre District Favorites 

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Questions and Answers

MollyLeo profile photo

Q:  My boyfriend and I want to go away for around 6-8 weeks June/July/August - we want to stay fairly active (originally intending to... 

CatherineReichardt profile photo

A: In a word - no. Lovely place, but it doesn't offer the range of activities that many of the neighbouring countries do. You could keep yourself occupied, but is it worth... 

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