Five hundred and eighty kilometres of lake. One country wrapped around it.
Malawi is small enough to cross in a day and still has beaches, a 3,000 metre mountain, elephant country and a plateau full of orchids. Tell us your dates and we'll put the trip together.
A lake the size of a small sea, with a country beside it
Lake Malawi runs almost the full length of the country. Most visits start on its shore at Cape Maclear or Nkhata Bay, then head up to the plateaus or down to the parks. Nothing is more than a day's drive from anything else.
Flights land at Lilongwe and Blantyre. English is an official language. The kwacha is the currency and most lodges take cards. More on getting there.
- 580 kmLength of Lake Malawi, north to south
- 1,000+Fish species in the lake, most found nowhere else
- 3,002 mSapitwa, the top of Mount Mulanje
- 1984Lake Malawi National Park listed as a World Heritage Site
Where people go
Seven places that cover most first trips, listed north to south on the Places page with lodges, tours and how to get there.
Cape Maclear
Lake Malawi National Park. Snorkelling, kayaks, beach lodges.
Mount Mulanje
Multi-day hikes between mountain huts.
Liwonde
Elephants and hippos from a boat on the Shire River.
Nyika Plateau
Rolling highland, orchids, roan antelope.
Likoma Island
A cathedral, a ferry, and not much else. That's the point.
Zomba Plateau
Waterfalls and forest an hour from Blantyre.The sun on the flag has thirty-one rays
It's been rising since 1964. The name Malawi comes from the Maravi people who settled the lakeshore centuries earlier, and is usually read as "flames" or light on water. The short version, with the long one here:
The Maravi build a kingdom along the lake. Their name becomes the country's.
David Livingstone reaches the lake and writes home about it. The mission towns follow.
Britain declares a protectorate. It's renamed Nyasaland in 1907.
Independence on 6 July. The black, red and green flag goes up for the first time.
UNESCO lists Lake Malawi National Park for its cichlids, the lake's own fish.
First multi-party elections. The republic you'll visit takes its present shape.
Trips people actually take
Named routes with days and drive times. Pick one and send it to us; the form fills itself in. All itineraries.
Tell us what you want. A person puts it together.
No booking engine, no instant confirmations that turn out to be wrong. You send a request, our desk in Lilongwe calls the lodges and drivers, and you get one itinerary back to approve.
Request received
Your reference is
We've sent a copy to your email. Someone from the Lilongwe desk will reply within one working day with a draft itinerary and prices.