Mozambique or Malawi ?

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

For architecture, Maputo for sure! It is a gem.

Malawi is easier, Mozambique probably more rewarding.

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.

You can fly into Pemba from Jo'burg I think it's a weekly flight.

you could also fly into Malawi (Lilongwe) and out of Mozambique (Pemba). This won't give you oceans of time but it is very much doable.

Chris

Edited by: CK514

reply to Fulana
I was not talking about archi or Maputo I was talking about the south of Moz being run by south africans that's all but if u know better good for u...
Jahou

Mozambique, yes, wonderful, but Malawi, that marvelous boat all the way down the lake , and the people are so nice. Tough choice.

While I agree that Mozambique has more to offer on the colonial architecture and snorkelling fronts, I found Malawi far more enjoyable and far better value for money overall.
Travelling is Mozambique was often real hardship (I have only been to the North) and it offered some of the most overpriced dumps in Africa when it came to accommodation.
I also found it much easier to connect with the locals in English-speaking Malawi.

Look don't dump on beautiful mozambique ;-) I also found Mozambique to be rougher travel, but this is also part of its appeal. Mind you that many people feel mozambique has become far too commercial. Malawi and Mozambique are very different countries with very different attractions. I personnally found mozambique more rewarding partly because getting from A to B sometimes involved sitting in the back of a tarpaulin covered truck. I loved the diving and the architecture. Malawi was beautiful because of the people (very friendly), the lake and the boat...