1

Hello,

Stay north!
Livingstonia, Ruarwe (by boat with the Ilala if it's running or by matola from Mzuzu to Usisya and, from there, you have to walk the last 15 kilometers along the lakeshore)
Vwaza Marsh or Nyika (but you need to have a lift to reach the last one)
Nkhata Bay

Michel

2

Livingstonia is amazing, if you don't like hiking up 15km, dont listen to the people in Chitimba (village where the road up to livingstonia is) saying that there is almost no transport up and down the mountain. Theres atleast 20 vehicles going up and down every day, there just is no time schedule. Those people just want you to use a guide or maybe go for a day tour and stay in their lodge down in Chitimba. The hike is beautifull though. The beach at Chitimba is very nice as well, much bigger than Cape Maclear for instance, which is the party place for backpackers.

In Livingstonia, i recommend the mushroom farm, very beautiful place with the most beautifull campsites i've seen so far. Right on the edge of the mountain overlooking the hills and the lake. Be prepared however, there is no electricity at the mushroomfarm. Others, like Lukwe eco lodge, i dont know if theres electricity. Both are still a good 1.5hr walk away from the Livingstonia town however. So you're in a very remote, but very beautifull place. I spent about 5 nights in livingstonia, i would do it again anytime.

Mzuzu has a fairly large market, and quite a busy town center for a village-like city. If you haven't seen that, might be interesting. There are a few internet cafe's with suprisingly good connections there too.

Nkhata bay is supposed to be a nice place too, but as far as i know much more touristy than the other places mentioned.

Jilke

3

Awesome replies guys.. Thank you... that is covering about 3 days..
And for the rest of the days?

www.clabbetravels.com
www.tipsoftravelling.com

4

For the rest?

Ruarwe, Vwaza Marsh (or Niyka but it's far away, take time to reach and you need a "private" transport)
If you think that Ruarwe Is to far away and difficult to reach, you can use a matola (only one a day) to Usisya.

Michel

5

I agree with staying in the north. Ruarwe is amazing but you will need to devote one day each to getting there and back. If you can arrange your transport so that you go Nkhata Bay (or Mzuzu) > Ruarwe > Chilumba/Chitimba (or vice versa), you might save yourself a day of transport. By February, hopefully the Ilala will be back in action and you can use it in at least one direction. Because of the schedule (north from NB on Sunday, south from Chilumba on Monday), using the ferry both ways means either one overnight or 8 overnights in Ruarwe). As noted here and in other posts, you can arrange either a local boat (figure 7+ hours) or get a matola from Mzuzu to Usisya, then hike.

You also need to think about roads and rains, especially if you are thinking about Nyika..

So, Mbeya to Chitimba, one day. Livingstonia, 1 to 2 days, To Mzuzu or Nkhata Bay, one day. Vwaza Marsh one day. Nkhata Bay plus Ruarwe, three to 4 days, depending on transport. If you decide to skip Ruarwe, you can relax at Kande Beach just south of Nkhata Bay. This can all be reversed if you figure out through transport from Dar or Mbeya to Mzuzu.

6

Thank you all for your information.
I take it that visiting the capital, if just for a day, is nothing to recommend?

www.clabbetravels.com
www.tipsoftravelling.com

7

Not too much to do in lilongwe, honestly.. You can walk around a bit, see the market or the wildlife center, have a look in the lilongwe shopping 'mall' and go to a club or bar in the evening/night. I'd much rather spend my week in Livingstonia, taking in the amazing scenery, than in a smelly city where as far as i know at the moment no or very little water is running. (something about LLW water board and the workers salary i think so they closed the pump for the second time)

8

I agress with Jillie. Unless you have a compelling reason to go to Lilongwe, it really is not worth the time if you are really limited to 6 days. Don't underestimate the slow rate of travel, unless you are hiring a car.