Malawi
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Visas, Embassies & Border Crossings
Crossing the bridge between Tanzania and Malawi was really easy, but be careful of those guys trying to change
money. There are lots of fake bills going around. You are much better to change your money at the money changer after the bridge, right before you reach the Malawi immigration post. The rates were really good, the best rate we had the entire time we were in Malawi.
Ian Wikarski, Canada (Sept 05)
Another piece of advice is to watch out for the visa you get given, even though you have a return flight in 3 months, immigration usually just give the 30 days which is really easy to extend. Lilongwe, Blantyre, Mangochi and no doubt other big towns also have immigration offices. It doesn't cost anything to extend your visa.
Heather Ahearn, UK (Sep 03)
We travelled into Malawi via Tanzania, and encountered no problems at the border, but it is essential to retain your road tax receipt as you will need this again when you leave Malawi.
Anon, UK (Jan 03)
Travel Tips
On Mount Mulanje there is a small missonary hut which you can stay at cheaply, but you will need to bring all your own equipment. There is a guard there looking after the place who provides fuel and wood. This is a very basic place but it is cosy and has a fantastic location. We would recommend you get in contact with the mountain club if you plan on climbing the mountain. It is essential to take a guide and a porter to carry your bags.
Anon, UK (Jan 03)
Moving About
The bus from Mbeya in Tanzania to Mzuzu in Malawi leaves twice a day and is often the only transport. After the border crossing, be prepared to lose your comfort as you may be accompanied by refugees from war-torn Congo, and or strange yet large quantities of extra goods. In short, just because your comfortable in the beginning doesn't mean you'll be the only one in your seat in the end.
Kent Correll, USA (Nov 04)
One fact which seems obvious to any vaguely experienced traveller but I feel should be mentioned is that if one wants to travel anywhere, no matter how far, the best time to do it is in the morning as that is when the majority of the locals travel and public transport is at its most regular. If left to later in the day then travellers may find they have to wait a few hours for transport and end up arriving after dark which is never a good thing.
Heather Ahearn, UK (Sep 03)
Last year I travelled in Southern and Eastern Africa. To get from Nkhata Bay on Lake Malawi to Dar es Salaam, the bus seemed the only reasonable way. Reading the adverts for the bus company, it sounded like a long ride (around 20hrs) but the buses sounded nice, and the scenery definitely had potential, with part of the route passing through a private game reserve in southern Tanzania. We made our way from Nkhata Bay via minibus, which took the usual 45 minutes to fill up before navigating the horrible road to Mzuzu.
Once at the bus station, we went to the office and purchased tickets for a bus that was to leave at midnight. When the bus pulled up precisely at 12:45, we quickly realised that something didn't look quite right. There were about 20 people waiting for the bus and the bus was already full. Surely, most of these people were getting off here in Mzuzu.....nope. One or two people may have disembarked, but the bus remained full. The rest of us were herded onto the bus for the pleasant overnight journey to follow. We were packed into the isles and could barely move. Half of the time, only one of my feet was actually touching the floor, and all of the time it was bloody hot. I was assured by the bus driver, that quite a few people would get off the bus when we got to the Tanzania border, and that was only 5-6 hours away. It was night, it was raining, and it was late April, so it was a bit cold and wet outside. These facts led to a constant struggle between the passengers to keep windows open to relieve some of the stifling heat. The struggle would go on all night, with neither those seated next to the windows, nor those in the aisle, relenting for more than 10 minutes at a time. It was one of the most uncomfortable experiences of my life.
At the border, the struggle for a seat began. After customs, the bus driver told us to grab a seat. It turned out to be the seat belonging to a couple of guys who had boarded the bus in Lilongwe and had assigned seats. We put up a good fight, being the stubborn travellers, tired of being taken advantage of and assured of our right to a seat. At one point, I was fairly sure I was going to get a fist in the face for my stubbornness, but the bus driver came back and managed to find us each a seat in another part of the bus.
The rest of the ride was better than the first part, and my companion and I even managed to sit together for the last five or six hours of the ride. We even saw a few giraffe in the game reserve that morning as the rain stopped and the sun was beginning to shine. Dumped in the middle of Dar Es Salaam at 10pm is not the best situation to be in, but we trusted one of the guides from a local hotel to lead us to a much-needed meal and a bed, and were only slightly ripped off.
If I were doing this journey again, I would get to the nearest station of the TAZARA Railway, probably Tunduma or Mbeya, and take the train from there. A friend had recommended this, saying it was a great trip, but at the time, the bus was closer and sounded just as good. There's a lot to be said for learning from the experience of others.
Chris Scobie, Canada (May 03)
Instead of the MV Ilala's run up and down the lake, the only large scale lake transport is currently the MV Nkhwazi between Nkhata Bay and Likoma/Chizumulu. It leaves Nkhata Bay at 8pm on Tuesday and Saturday evenings, arriving at Chizumulu about five hours later. Here the timetable becomes meaningless - it'll wait at Chizumulu for an unspecified number of hours. Then it goes on to Likoma, and it's supposed to leave for the return leg at 10am on Wednesdays/Sundays. When I got it, it actually left at 4.30pm on the Sunday. Arrives at Chizumulu about an hour and a half after it leaves Likoma, then heads back to Nkhata Bay. It arrived at 1.30am when I got it.
Roger Wesson, UK (Nov 01)
Scams & Warnings
At Zomba Mountain we met travelers who were mugged while hiking there and we heard stories about others. It is advised (but not compulsory) to take a local guide.
Gep Aadriaanse & Teun van Metelen, Netherlands (Feb 03)
I want to warn people about Senga Bay in Malawi. There is a local group of youths intimidating every traveller that visits and the police will not touch them. They will get physical if they need to. Avoid this place at all costs.
Richard Stokes, UK (Aug 01)
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