MALAWI

Visas, Embassies & Border Crossings

Tourist visas for Malawi can be obtained at the Tanzania - Malawi border at Kyela: 400MK transit visa, 700MK entry visa, 800MK multiple entry visa.
Martin Matousek & Milena Holcova, Czech Republic (no date)

We got our visa in Kenya (Nairobi). They are also selling transit visas for $15 (3 month visas cost $40). Note that you can only use the transit visa if you fly straight into Malawi otherwise, if you arrive by car, it will already have expired. We had to pay $20 to an officer to get a new stamp in our passport. Validity: three weeks.
Susanne Merz-Kubesch, Switzerland (May 98)

I can confirm with bitter experience that you need to get your Tanzania visa before entering Malawi because, for some strange reason, there is no Tanzania embassy in Malawi.
M D Tinker, UK (Mar 98)

Nkhata Bay: there is no bank in Nkhata Bay. You have to go back to Mzuzu, unless you want to change cash for poor rates at Africa Bay. There is no bank in Monkey Bay, either; the nearest is in Mangochi.
Simon Gill & Sarah Grainger, UK (Apr 99)

The Malawian government has started a big project to enlarge the Mlunguzi Dam over the next few years. This means that there is a huge building site, many tricks, and a lot of noise around the dam, with many trees cut down.
Angelika Eger, Germany (Mar 99)

The Leander Swimming Club at Sir Harry Johnston Primary School is the only pool open to the public in Zomba. The entrance is via the school car park.

They are chronically short of small change at the Lake Malawi, so don't bother bringing any K100 notes; just bring lots of small notes and coins instead. Otherwise, you'll end up with loads of Cape Maclear currency (eg bits of cardboard with IOU K1).
Tim Ball & Ruth McGuire, UK (Dec 98)

The Livingstonia-Rumphi road is closed due to the bad condition of the road.

It is apparently safe to walk up to Livingstonia with a guide but not on your own. A guide costs US$2 per person going up.

A credit card cash advance might take up to three hours but I can really recommend it for the exchange rate.
Alex Junge, Germany (Nov 98)

It should be stressed that the airport tax of US$20 must be paid in US$ cash; no travellers' cheques are accepted. Although it is not a problem changing kwachas at the airport (surprisingly good rates and small fees here), it is probably more convenient to keep US$20 in advance. It is virtually impossible to change US$ travellers' cheques directly into US$ in Malawi.

The Potato Path: since it is easier getting transport to the plateau than vice versa, you may find yourself hiking down the Potato Path. We needed 45 minutes (no stops) to descend from the Ku Chawe Inn to the outskirts of Zomba town, so if you wish to spend the whole day on the plateau, you should start descending no later than 5pm if you do not want to use a torch!

Mt Mulanje: for some paths, especially the ascents and descents, sufficient trekking shoes are absolutely essential.

An interesting two and a half day trek takes the following route: Likabula Forest Station to CCAP Hut; CCAP Hut to Thuchila Hut (approximately 7 hours); Thuchila Hut to Thuchila Market via Lukulazi Mission - steep descent, brilliant views (approximately 4 hours, allowing you to get back transport to Mulanje and further on to Blantyre). If you have more time: Thuchila Hut to Madzeka Hut and Madzeka Hut back to the main road from Muloza to Mulanje.

Nyika National Park: the park headquarters did move to Thazima gate, the road from Thazima to Chelinda was upgraded (driving time now approximately 1 hour) and the construction of the new lodge has just begun.
Silke Pasker & Reinhard Storiko, Germany (Nov 98)

Don't count on being able to use credit cards in Kenya, Tanzania or Malawi. Traveller's cheques are still your best bet. There is also the usual problem with US$100 bills (and sometimes even the US$50 as well).
Richard Carr, UK (Dec 97)

The road between Zomba-Balaka was tarred in November 1998. So now the whole road from Zomba to Lilongwe is in good condition, except between Dedza-Lilongwe, where there are a few more pot-holes and it takes about four hours by normal speed, either by car or express bus. Angelika Eger, Germany (Mar 99)

The road from Chilumba to Karonga in northern Malawi is in such a bad condition that the stagecoach does not run it. The best way of getting to Karonga is to wait for a minibus in Mzuzu.
Ola Jornmark, Sweden (Dec 98)

The road between Thyolo and Mulanje is being re-built, which is good in the long run, but means that there were a lot of treacherous diversions, and a lot of mud; if it had rained, we would have been stuck in Mulanje until it dried out again.
Tim Ball & Ruth McGuire, UK (Dec 98)

Don't catch the overnight express bus from Nkatha Bay to Blantyre. These buses depart from Mzuzu and if they are full they do not even bother to go through Nkatha Bay, even though it is a scheduled stop. You should go to Mzuzu in the afternoon and catch the bus from there.
Alex Junge, Germany (Nov 98)

I wasn't prepared for just how terrible the infrastructure is in Malawi; getting anywhere as a backpacker is a nightmare!
Amy Gordon, Scotland (Nov 98)

In general, one should always be prepared for unforseen stops due to flat tyres and/or motor breakdowns - the latter happened to us twice during one trip, including a change of bus. If a bus cannot easily be fixed, passing buses are usually very kind and take as many people as possible.

Going from Salima to Mzuzu via Lake Shore takes about 7-8 hours by bus as the road from Nkhata Bay to Mzuzu is in a bad condition.

It takes about 3 hours to go from Blantyre to Mulanje as the road to Thyolo is very bad.

There are two routes from Lilongwe to Blantyre. The signs either read via Zomba or via Zalewa (directly from Balaka to Blantyre).

Minibuses to Liwonde leave outside the bus station and tend to get very crowded - whoever is there first will board first, so get into the spirit!

We can confirm the information given by Richard Carr in Planet Talk issue no.34: a boat transfer from Liwonde to Mvuu Camp or vice versa is US$20 per person. It is cheaper to catch a bus to Mangochi at the road block in Liwonde and get off at Ulongwe. There you will be at once surrounded by cyclists offering you a lift to the park gate. Now it's up to bargaining: we fixed a price of 55K per bike - you may need an additional one for you luggage. Taking a good hour, it is a beautiful trip on sandy soil, not bumpy at all. The boys will drop you off at the main gate of the park where you have to pay the entrance fee. From there it is another 1-2 km to the "ferry" to Mvuu Camp. You have to walk, hitch or pay some more kwachas to be taken there by bike.

Since there are no official minibuses to Phalombe any more, public transport from Mulanje to the Forestry Station is scarce; the offer of transport possibilities tends to be often much smaller than the actual demand. We ended up hiring a car and driver for 110K. A hitch on a pick-up is 10-15K.

Although the road to Nyika has just been upgraded (not tarred), the most convenient way to go to Chelinda Camp is probably by air. It is questionable whether there is still public transport going through the park.

You have to be very lucky to catch public transport from Salima to Monkey Bay as the usual route to Monkey Bay is from Balaka via Mangochi. Buses from Salima to Balaka take approximately 4 hours.

There are no direct Air Malawi flights from Lilongwe to Mfuwe - you have to fly via Lusaka which is a pretty long detour. However, there are some small charter planes flying directly from Lilongwe to Mfuwe. You can book through Central African Wilderness Safaris. It may be cheaper if you charter the whole plane (ie five seats).
Silke Pasker & Reinhard Storiko, Germany (Nov 98)

Lilongwe: one important point is that we were repeatedly told by all the employees at the bus station that there is only one bus to Monkey Bay, and it is a local bus. The trip, which they said would take five hours, actually took ten. It was a bit arduous, but cheap, if you allow yourself enough time. At the Stagecoach bus station near the market, go to the stall marked 'B' for tickets, same day. Times can be unreliable - they told us 8am, bus arrived at 10am.
Daniella Zipkin, USA (Aug 98)

Ethiopian Airlines now only has one flight into the country which they massively overbook. Checking in early is essential (although the computer system at Lilongwe is broken at the moment so check in is haphazard), and they have no flexibility with flights, whatever type of ticket you are on.
Lilongwe International airport is only open when a flight is coming in or out and can not be used as a 24 hour haven as in most other countries. Its opening times are not clear. The security guard we spoke to the night before our return flight told us that the airport opened two hours after the flight.
The departure tax must be paid in US$ cash. No other currency or credit cards can be used. Children who have a seat need to pay too.
Malawi Airlines computer system is dire and just because you possess a ticket for an internal flight does not mean that the flight exists. Double checking (at another branch) is necessary, but don't try this on weekends.
George Casley, UK (Aug 98)

Getting from Salima to Cape Maclear is only possible via Balaka. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise! The road between Mua and Cape Maclear is still full of potholes and it is practically impossible to use. We rented a pickup truck there by mistake. It took us over four hours of agony to get to Monkey Bay. We would have been much better off travelling over Balaka.
Saskia Beijering & Jos Bloo, Netherlands (Sep 98)

There is now an airport bus service connecting Lilongwe International Airport with the city. It's run by Airport Tours and Travel Ltd (ATT). The phone numbers in Lilongwe are: 741 659 (city office); 760 043 (airport). It has departures from town each day to coincide with all flights leaving the airport, and also meets all arrivals (though in my experience, if the flight's delayed, the driver doesn't use too much initiative to hang around for too long). The fare is 100 Kwachas, and it picks up from and drops off at the Lilongwe Hotel, the Golden Peacock and the Ivy Guesthouse in the Old Town, and the Capital Hotel in the New Town. But it seems that if you ring ahead it'll call at other places too.
Graham Coster, UK (Aug)

We caught the Ilala ferry from Nkhata Bay to Chizimulu Island. The ferry is supposed to leave on Tuesday at around 6pm but it was 12 hours late. A good place to wait for the ferry is the top bar of Africa Bay Hotel. They let you sleep there for free and there's a good view of the lake so you can spot the ferry easily. Third Class from Nkhata Bay to Chizimulu costs $2. An excellent plan is to buy a 3rd class ticket and then go up to the 1st class restaurant and order breakfast for $4.50. You can sit in the comfortable restaurant for the whole journey and enjoy a superb 3 course breakfast. (This is totally legal).
David Martin, South Africa (Oct 97)

Crossing the border from Malawi to Tanzania: customs are NOT allowed to give you a visa for Tanzania. This rule was made in Dar es Salaam. We were very lucky, because we were really in a hurry to catch our leaving plane in Dar, so a man let us pass for $25 each, but the people behind us were given the choice to go back to Harare or fly to Dar for $200. So don't try.
Arjan Snijders, Netherlands (Sep 97)

Zomba is a lovely place for strolling around, although we were warned not to walk on small paths and stick to the road, as some tourists and expatriates have been mugged in out-of-the-way places. I believe that crime is up, and of course foreigners are easy to spot and often assumed to have money on them. We heard of a tourist who had been mugged on Zomba Plateau in the month before we arrived - it is advisable to take a guide here; we were offered one when we reached Ku Chawe Inn. I personally felt safe enough wherever we went, although we didn't walk around after dark, just to be sure.
Tim Ball & Ruth McGuire, UK (Dec 98)

Don't walk alone at night in Nkhata Bay or Senga Bay.

It is possible to get Bilharzia at Cape Maclear, it is not completely clear. Also this seems to be a major malaria hotspot.
Dan Stothart (Nov 98)

I don't recommend Senga Bay to single female travellers at all.
Amy Gordon, Scotland (Nov 98)

The area around the golf club in Lilongwe, with its several guesthouses, seems to be an attractive place for crooks. Don't pay any money in advance to anybody for whatever reason as there is nearly a 100% chance of being ripped off.
Silke Pasker & Reinhard Storiko, Germany (Nov 98)

Blantyre: several armed robberies have occurred recently as gangs from Mozambique have come across the border. When we were there a team of soldiers had been sent to try and curb the problem. This unfortunately means that it is not safe to walk around at night. The same goes for Lilongwe.
I found it amusing to find out that if you stay by Lake Malawi, the water in your shower is coming straight from the lake so those who choose not to swim in an effort to avoid bilharzia are still exposed to infection (although the chances are slim).
Mr D L McNamara, UK (Sep 98)

Cape Maclear, scam alert: a local guy has a list of travellers' names and the story that they've each paid him for a ride in a minibus to Nkhata Bay. He shows you the list with all the names, you add your name and pay some money up front. But he does not show up at the departure day/time/place and no one seems to know him. We met others who also fell for this scam.
Tami Ebner, Australia (Sep 98)

In Malawi, people should be careful at the market near the Livingstonia Beach Hotel at Selima Bay. The people who do the carving are quite talented and highly skilled. The unskilled people are also making money by packing people's carvings and they are very aggressive about their business. The packers will approach you on the walk up to the market, introduce themselves and then tell you their price. My advice to anyone is to not promise that you will come back to them. Tell them all to wait until you have made your purchases and that you will take the cheapest price for packing when you come back. By the time you reach the market about 10 to 15 packers will be following you. One of my friends had a nasty accident when he told a packer that he would come back just to get him out of his face. After making his purchases, they were packed at the stall for free. The shopkeeper and the packer had a scuffle (with knives drawn), and then he was followed back to the campsite by the packer who was threatening to kill him and break his carvings. He managed to hail down a passing car and get a lift to the campsite.
Kirk Nesbitt, Australia (Feb 98)

We found the best and cheapest carved wooden articles and souvenirs, especially chairs, by Lake Malawi. Local craftsmen let you design your own chair then carve it for you and wrap it for mailing.
In front of many hospitals in East Africa you can witness something quite strange. Local women tend ceramic pots over small fires, cooking food for their relatives in the hospital. The patients do get some food from the hospital's kitchen, but usually this is of poor quality. In the evenings, the atmosphere is rather mysterious with these small fires, smoke, masses of cooking pots and women and children everywhere. Many women spend most of their days there; cooking, washing, doing laundry and nursing their patient. The atmosphere in these open-air kitchens is very friendly.
Martin Matousek & Milena Holcova, Czech Republic (no date)

I am staying in Malawi (development work) for six months. In the city of Blantyre (the commercial and business capital of Malawi), there is a really nifty, cool, globally and environmentally conscious paper recycling operation called PAMET: Paper Making Education Trust. It is a small NGO which started in 1990 by a British woman and is now run by Malawian people. This is no average paper making operation. They make gorgeous earthy paper and paper products out of diverse fibres such as banana leaves, baobab tree bark (which does not damage the tree), hessian sac fibre (the natural sacs that potatoes and other vegetables are packed and sold in) and elephant dung. The elephant dung is delivered to PAMET from the Malawian Wildlife Society and in turn gets money donated to help save elephants. What is most impressive is the gorgeous papers, stationery, bound writing books, batik greeting cards, picture frames, world globes, file folders and even air line ticket holders (British Airways orders some), which they all make by hand in the little building.

PAMET gives tours each day and visitors get to watch Malawian men and woman (some with babies on their backs) pound the local donated waster paper and other fibres into pulp using mortar and pestle, and screen out the pulp onto mesh to dry then cut and size the products. It's a neat little building and African music is played for the workers while they work. There is a little shop in front where people can buy some of their products. Visitors can also order items to their specifications. The revenue from sales goes to education projects to train children to make their own paper for school (paper is not supplied by government and many children are too poor to bring their own as it is generally expensive).

Anyway, this place should not be missed. The director, Mrs Lindizga Buliani, is very helpful and warm in her reception as are the other staff. It is in an old colonial building in downtown Blantyre just off Victoria Street. The address is PAMET, PO Box 1015, Blantyre, Malawi. (Fax: (265) 623 895). It is located on Chilembwe Road which runs off Victoria Street. On your map in the 1997 Malawi guide, it is right beside number 18, which is the ice cream restaurant.
Claire McLaughlin (Mar 98)

Mvuu Camp: it's quite complicated to get to Mvuu Camp but it's worth it. Get a bus from Blantyre to Liwonde Barrage, which is about 2km west of Liwonde. Then, stay at Kudya Discovery Lodge (weird, run-down, grotty and deserted) and haggle for a boat up the Shire River to Mvuu Lodge (costs about US$38 for the whole boat). If this is too expensive, get a bus from Liwonde Barrage north (and not west) about 10 km to Ulongwe (make sure you emphasise Ulongwe and don't get mistaken for saying Lilongwe). At Ulongwe you have to cut 15km east to the river along a dirt track. Local boys will give you a lift on the back of their bikes for a fixed price if your stomach muscles can handle it. We managed to get a lift with a supply truck - but I think we were lucky - there's not much traffic at all. When you get to the river you can see Mvuu camp on the other side. There's a flag which you raise and then they come over and pick you up in a boat - very cool!
Richard Carr - UK (Dec 97)