Fun things to do in Malawi

It's such a long time now, 1985 I think, that I was there that sadly I cannot remember much of the detail of the place but this photo has helped me jog my memory. I recall we camped on the top and I remember being excited about seeing the fireflies flashing to each other at night.
I think the hills in the distance are the Shire Highlands to the south of the plateau.

Located alongside Lake Malawi Chitimba Beach has a great campsite where you can pull up for the night. The locals are friendly and smiling. especially the children. While I was there we witnessed the most amazing sunset over the lake, so it was well worth the stop. Visit my Chitimba pages for more photos and information

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If you can get any oppertunity to see the wonderful Malawi National Dance Company you should! They are amazing dances. They came and danced for us, and truely it was one of the highlights of the trip! They are wonderful dancers and very different from Western dance companies as they let anyone join and dance regardless of their age or weight. Which truely allowed for a more amazing experince, as these men and women know how to dance. They do have dances that are representational of the entire country and even have dances interpretation of historical and cultural events.

You know that Lilongwe is the capital, and thats not because its big - its not, its a small city. But it sprawls and its bustling, there are buses and bikes, people and markets, big supermarkets and a few large shops. You dont seem to get anything like this is Africa unless you are in the capital city.

Our stop here was brief, we were here to get our Mozambique transit visas.
We arrived early as they were opening around 9am. We then spent about 5 hours waiting for our visas to be processed, and spent our time in the supermarket stocking up.

So, if you too need to stop in Lilongwe and get a Mozambique visa -
You need to pay in Kwacha, they wont accept USD under any circumstances.
You also need passport sized piccies - get these done before you arrive in Lilongwe.
You can get money in the city centre, there are ATMs and there is a foreign exchange bureau where you can get money off of your visa and change travellers cheques.

Every smal town in Malawi has a sherrif, and we were invited to his home one night with the kids from the local school.
Wow - the kids here are so full of energy - they danced all night for us, we sat and ate a locally cooked meal on rugs on the floor and then the kids sang for us - the Malawi national anthem in Malawi and then in English.

Mzuzu is a town inland some way down the lake.
It seems that for overland trucks in Malawi a stop at the local market is a rite of passage.

Mzuzzu Market is huge, it is crammed full of locals selling their wares, its not tourist market, most of the things on offer here are in the form of clothes, fabrics, shoes and bags.

We were having a fancy dress party and so on our way down the lake we stopped at Mzuzu to spend an hour or so at the market buying clothes to kit everyone out in!

The main thing I remember about the market is being called by locals waving hideous things at me! "Big moma, big moma - this fit you"!!!

This was and still is the most amazing surise I ever saw.
I was on Chitimba Beach on Lake Malawi, which is located on the north of the lake.
We had crossed the border from Tanzania the night before I never realised that the clocks had changed!
I was up and about early and went to sit at the beach and saw the sunrise.
The clouds over the lake with the sun as it gradually went up into the sky was such a wonderful sight.

&CB
Lake Malawi would be one of Malawis major attractions, and having been there I can see why.
I never imagined that a lake could be this big - you couldnt see anything on the otherside, it was just like an ocean to me! Even when we were back in Uganda and visited Lake Victoria - well I guess it didnt feel like a lake either - but this I know its a lake!

People will and do swim in here - seriously how can you resist its so beautiful - we swam in the lake a few times, and there are plenty of watersports, boat trips and diving courses to be had along the lake. It does have a risk of Bilharzia though, just be careful where you go in.