Flights and travel guide to Malawi

Malawi (Chichewa: Malaŵi) is a country in Africa, bordered by Mozambique to the south and east, Tanzania to the north, Zambia to the west. Lake Malawi, the third largest lake in Africa, runs along most of its eastern border. It’s described as the “Warm Heart of Africa”, referring to the friendliness of the people.

• Lilongwe - the political capital of country.
• Blantyre - the economic capital of the country.
• Mzuzu - the largest town in northern, and a staging-post for transport to Tanzania.
• Karonga - the first and last stop from/to Tanzania - this town is quickly growing and spurned by the recient development of a uranium mine. Though it is tempting to swing through quickly, there can be some charm found here especially by the lakeshore.
• Mangochi, formerly known as Fort Johnston, is found at the southern end of Lake Malawi where it empties into the Shire River and heads toward Liwonde. A medium-size town, it has all the usual conveniences for travelers (resthouses, restaurants, grocery stores) though none of them are worthy of much praise. By private vehicle, a drive to Mangochi from Blanytre will take about 3 to 4 hours.
• Monkey Bay, is a popular large village as you head up the Lake Road from Mangochi toward Cape Maclear.
• Cape Maclear - laid back fishing village on the southern end of the lake with good sandy beaches, a favorite among backpackers, boaters, and sunseekers.
• Nkhata Bay - a rocky bay towards the north of the lake - check into one of the lodges and you could be here for a while.

There are plenty of airlines offering flights to Malawi from major UK airports including London Heathrow, Birmingham, Manchester, Aberdeen, Belfast, Glasgow, Cardiff, New Castle, London Gatwick. Most visitors from industrialized countries, including the United States, most European Union countries, Japan and Taiwan do not require a visa for Malawi.

By plane

Malawi’s largest international airport is in Lilongwe, although there are also some flights from Blantyre to regional destinations. Most travelers connect via Johannesburg (South Africa) or Nairobi (Kenya). State carrier Air Malawi claims to be “Africa’s Friendliest Airline”, but its limited network covers only nearby countries plus Middle Eastern hub Dubai.

English is one of the official languages of Malawi and is widely spoken in urban areas. The other official language is Chichewa (Nyanja), which is understood by almost all Malawians. Tumbuka is the first language for many people in the north of the country. Chiyao is spoken by the Yao people who live mostly in the Mangochi District, as well as areas surrounding Zomba into Machinga District as well.

Malawi is not known as a particularly dangerous travel locale for wester foreigners and expatriates. Muggings and robbery may occur in the larger cities, most especially Lilongwe, as well as in some notorious places along the main tourist routes. It is advisable to avoid walking alone at night. If you go out for the evening, make sure you know how you’re going back home. Car-jackings happen occasionally so keep windows shut and doors locked during evening and night journeys. Road safety is the most dangerous thing with the standard of vehicles and drivers usually being relatively poor and drivers, especially in the evening, being intoxicated.

That said, Malawi does deserve its reputation as “the warm heart of Africa”.

As with its neighboring countries malaria can be a problem. The lake is freshwater and is prone to bilharzia, especially in the Cape Maclear area. Symptoms of bilharzia can take months to surface, if you think you’ve been exposed to it you can get a very cheap pill from the local pharmacists that will kill it before it even shows its face. It’s a good idea to take care of it before leaving Malawi as it will be much more expensive back home. The adult HIV prevalence in the country is at 14% or 1 in 7 adults. Do not have unprotected sex. Do not use injecting drugs.

Malawians follow a strict patriarchal society — men are afforded more respect than women, and older men are respected more than younger men. You might find, however, that a white person is afforded the most respect of all. A holdover from colonial times, this might make a traveler uncomfortable, but this is largely a Malawian’s way of being courteous. Accept their hospitality.

Malawians are a curious people. To a Western mindset, this might be interpreted as unnecessarily staring at you or talking about you in front of you. Be prepared to be greeted by kids yelling mzungu, mzungu! and answer lots of questions about yourself. Even relatively mundane items like mechanical pencils can draw a crowd of onlookers.

Malawians love to shake hands, and you should oblige them. However, Malawian men often like to hold hands for the duration of a conversation. This should not be interpreted as anything sexual; they are merely trying to “connect” with you. If you feel uncomfortable, simply pull your hand away.

Culturally, women should not wear shorts or mini-skirts, especially as they travel away from Lilongwe. (Thighs, to Malawian men, are huge turn-ons.) Low-cut tops, however, while discouraged, are not nearly as provocative.

Finally, when meeting a Malawian — even to ask a question — you should always say hello and ask how they are. Properly greeting a Malawian is very important. They are uncomfortable with the Western notion of simply “getting to the point.”

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