Hello, we'd like to go to Africa next summer but we don't know if it's better to go to Malawi or Mozambique. We like snorkeling, hiking and architecture. So what would you advise ? Thanks for your help.
I'll vote for Mozambique over Malawi--freshwater cichlids can't compete with the Indian Ocean, and Mozambique Island alone stacks up architecturally against just about anything sub-Saharan Africa has to offer.
CK

Hello there
Moz but stick to the north( above Ilha do moz) real stuff up there the south it's like SA....
enjoy great country but u'll need some times and patience to travel around.... best diving in canal do Moz big fish !!!!!!!!!! for archi go to Ilha do Moz but for treking malawi is great with Mulanje mountain ,Zomba Plateau adn so on.....
Enjoy
but malawi is one of the best country to travel to (people, lake, landscape, treks, ....)
Jahou
ps; if u need more info feel free to ask....love those countries
I would advise you to go to Mozambique, particularly the north of the country. I don't do much snorkeling myself, but I imagine it's excellent along some parts of Mozambique's coast, and it's also possible along the Mozambiquan shore of Lake Malawi (which I would recommend very highly). I'm with Chris on Ilha de Mocambique - it's possibly the most interesting place in sub-Saharan Africa architecturally speaking. Maputo's quite a nice city, and most provincial towns in Mozambique have at least a few nice colonial-era buildings. I haven't done much hiking personally in Mozambique, but places that would be interesting to hike include the shore of Lake Malawi (I've walked for a few hours along the lake shore here, and it's very, very beautiful) and the hills and mountains around Gurue, in the north. Gurue's also very beautiful.
Malawi has perhaps more hiking possibilities, but other than Livingstonia there's not very much interesting architecture in the country and you could just as easily snorkel Lake Malawi from the Mozambiquan coast.
Giora

Thanks for your help. Most of you obviously love the north of Mozambique but can we fly straight from Europe via another African city, for instance Dar El Salam or Jo'burg ? Otherwise isn't it quite expensive to fly from Maputo ? In fact we'll be leaving our son in France so isn't it better just to stick to the nortn - or south- if we can only stay 3 weeks ?

Dar is also good for architecture.
Simbakubwa either does not know Maputo or architecture, Maputo architecture (except the very recent one) has nothing to do with RSA architecture.