1

There are coaches to Mzuzu (haven't traveled on one myself but you always see them on the road). Then a matola (minibus) to Mzuzu. they should be able to accommodate your bike but it is likely to be tied to the roof.

2

John.

Traveling with a bike eh?! What might you be doing with such a thing in Malawi? (pardon my nosiness)

Last time I was in Malawi (2006) I used to haul my bike around on the roofs of buses and trucks no problem. Lilongwe - Mzuzu is a busy route, plenty of buses a day from downtown Lilongwe (which is a nice easy cycle from the airport, by the way) and then there should be a couple of evening toyotas on to Rhumpi

3

Hello,

If you are agree to use publics transports, you can leave Lilongwe by bus (coach) to Mzuzu.
You have a lot of buses all the day but it's better to leave in the morning.
When you will reach Lilongwe, you can catch a Hiace (minibus) to Rumphi.
If you are leaving in the morning, you will sleep in Rumphi at night.
Your bicycle will follow.
Have a nice travel.
It's a nice country with great people...

Michel

4

Sorry, I was a little disturbing...

If you leave the airport, first you need to join the M1, the road between Lilongwe and Mzuzu.
When you reach the road, you need to catch a bus (better option), a minibus (Hiace) or a matola (but you will need to change more north)
Or going south to Lilongwe and catch a coach from the bus station (to Mzuzu where you will catch a lift to Rumphi)

Have a nice time there.

Michel

5

Hi Everyone,

Thanks so much for your advice, very useful and good to hear that transporting a bike on the roof of buses or matola's is possible.

LukeIRL - To satisfy your curiosity... Purely for the adventure of it! I'm planning to spend 2 weeks cycling in Malawi and am thinking that the Rhumpi to Livingstonia road is a good place to start as from the sounds of it it should be quite a challenge. Then probably heading down to Chitimba to enjoy the lake, then catch a bus up to Mzuzu and try to find some quiet back roads roads to cycle. Eventually ending up in Zomba where I will catch a bus back to Lilongwe.

.... So if anyone has any tips on beautiful/quiet or roads to cycle or any has general advice re cycling in Malawi please do let me know.

Once again many thanks for everyones advice

Best regards
JB

6

The ride down the hill from Mzuzu to Nkhata Bay would be fun. And yeah, Rumphi to Livingstonia sounds great.

Two other offroad options are the Mzuzu - Usisya road (i did it in 2006, really beautiful ride) and I think you can mountain bike from Luwawa Forest Reserve up on the plateau all the way down to the lake at Chintheche. I haven't done it but have heard it's great. I plan to do it later this year. Contact the guys at Luwawa Forest Lodge about it

Enjoy Malawi!

7

Quite a climb up the escarpment to Livingstonia - I hope you're fit! The road may be quite rough in parts as the small trucks gouge it up during the rains but it will be doable by bike - maybe just a bit slower than you might hope. I recommend Lukwe to stay when you get to Livingstonia.

Try and keep off the main roads on your bike. Size is all Malawi and the lorries will leave it to you to get out their way. The roads are also a bit too narrow. I'm sure if you've cycled those sorts of places before it will be nothing new.

You could cycle down to Vwaza NP if you'll be in Rumphi. The turn off is about 10km north of Rumphi and it's then perhaps 20km?. You can camp in your own tent or stay in a hut. The camp is only 500m inside the gate so there should be no problem going that far on a bike. But do watch out for elephants - they are often around the camp area. Vwaza is a lovely place to relax a couple of days. watch the wildlife come down to the lake to drink and perhaps go on a guided walk.

8

Hi Itchyfeet38

Thanks for the advice and I will heed your advice about the main roads! Lukwe looks fab so I'll definitely try to stay with them.

Good idea about visiting Vwaza as it sounds great and is quite close to Rhumpi.

My flights to Malawi are now booked so I'm looking forward to that Livingstonia to Chitimba decent already.

Thanks again
John