Travel Diary: Malawi

The latest edition of our travel diary, this one covers the two months we have spent in Malawi. In addition there are links to the picture galleries, our hopefully “useful info” pages for anybody perhaps planning a trip here in the near future and of course the obligatory maintenance log showing what has required attention (not just Mr. Jones related)

After an exhausting day to enter Malawi and a less than desirable first night at Palm Beach campsite we were up early and on the road, first task of the day was to obtain local currency and a local SIM card in the closest town (Mangochi). The banks only allow 3 withdrawals of KWH80 000 per person (ZAR1600) and as credit cards are not easily used we made sure to obtain the maximum and nearly needed a kitbag to store it all as the largest denomination is 2 000!

A SIM card proved to be a far greater challenge and after stopping at numerous street side vendors we eventually found one who had a SIM. A lengthy registration process ensued and an even lengthier mission to get airtime due to a simple mistake by the vendor. While frustrating, it was easy to see how the mistake was made when we were trying to purchase KWH 18 000 worth of data and typically all the vendor deals in is transactions of KWH100 per person. He was absolutely devastated by the mistake and did his utmost to fix it, so after 3 hours standing on a bustling sidewalk we were finally on our way to the lake.

The first 2 days at Cape Maclear were spent cleaning out Mr Jones after the horrific roads of Mozambique and getting some items fixed in the village (small sewing jobs and welding of our rear step). Just as we were getting ready to relax the lodge informed us they were expecting a group of 40 school children and it might be best of we relocated our camping spot, so we moved in close to another South African couple and laagered up… Kitty & Gerit had initially set off from PE with the intention of driving up to the Serengeti and back down again, after many diversions their children back home have decided “Africa had swallowed them”.

Just as Kitty & Geritt left another group of 4 vehicles from SA arrived and where once again advised to laager up by us as a large church gathering was taking place in the village and much noise was expected for the next 4 days, so a few more social days followed.

Cramped quarters at Chembe Eagles Nest, Cape Maclear

Just as we were getting ready to leave we got wind of 3 days of planned protests around the elections held earlier in the year. Previous protests had got a bit ugly so we decided to sit tight and wait those out. The say bilharzia is a risk at Lake Malawi but quite possibly a much greater risk is “Lake Fever”. Symptoms vary but generally include the inability or lack of desire to leave the lakeside, days may blend into weeks and then who knows after that..

Every evening we watched glorious sunsets and the village children playing and laughing while they played on various sorts of craft on the lake. In general life is hard for children in Africa as there are many chores to be done and no time for play, this is one of the few places were you just see children playing for the sake of playing.

In total we spent 13 days at Cape Maclear which was a little longer than we planned or wanted but nonetheless a pleasant break. Our days where spent taking the SUP out and paddling across to one of the islands or just chilling with a good book. We have become quite proficient on the SUP and averaged 3 – 4 km per day of paddling with our longest paddle being 9km.

When the protests fizzled out on day 2, the decision was easily made to pack up and head for the Lilongwe for a supply and admin run. On the list of “to-do’s” was: Extend our visas by 30 days, replace our inverter that had broken (needed for charging of electronics), food shopping and to get COMESA insurance so that we are covered for all of East Africa. Unfortunately we didn’t come right with the Inverter or Insurance but were pleasantly surprised with the smart Gateway mall on the outskirts of Lilongwe. That night we camped at Woodlands which is a little forest reserve in the heart of the city, it was really pleasant and surprisingly quiet considering it’s location.

The following day we headed back to Gateway to buy some more wine we had found “marked down” after having first tasted one with our braai at Woodlands. Wine is generally 3x the price here and so finding an “okay” bottle at almost normal prices meant we cleaned the shelves of all stock.

A short skip and hop got us to Nchisi Forest Camp. A lovely little spot in the mountains with flat grass to camp on and nice hot showers. They have marked trails through the forest, one of which we did and it turned into excellent training for our future gorilla trek as the first 2km just go straight uphill. That afternoon a lovely English couple arrived, Steve & Leanne, they have been on the road in East & Southern Africa for 3 years now. Their initial plan was for 6 months…

After two full days at Nchisi, we headed back down to the lake and were most grateful for Tracks4Africa as the roads were very minor with many diversions. Steve & Leanne were also overnighting at Nkhotakhota Pottery Lodge and over some wine and quite late into the night (for us at least these days) we swapped stories and experiences of life on the road.

Our original plan was to stay at the pottery lodge for Stuart’s birthday as the restaurant had some interesting and different choices from the standard offering but when the wind blew constantly for 24 hours and coated everything in a fine layer of beach sand we decided on the morning of his birthday to pack up and move. Before making that decision though we spent a relaxed few hours holed up in Mr J catching up on social media, receiving birthday messages and even a video call from his folks (go Jenny & Norman!). The marvels of modern technology keep you close to home.

Steve & Leanne had already moved just 100km further up the lake at Ngala Beach and said it was nice with lawn and trees so we took a leisurely amble up there, stopping along the way at a roadside market to do grocery shopping. A really pleasant surprise on arrival at Ngala was a card and beer (from Mozambique) as a birthday gift from Steve & Leanne, a very small gesture but it made Stuart’s day. The campsite was quite busy with a number of people using it as a last stop before arriving at the Lake of Stars music festival so we got to have a number of interesting chats.

Ngala beach was food for the soul with big trees, lush green lawns and just so peaceful. We ended up spending 3 days just chilling and reading, we even put the slack line up and spent an afternoon playing…

With time on our hands due to our visa extension we turned back south, our objective being Zomba plateau and Mulanje mountain, two areas we hadn’t been to and where we thought we might perhaps escape the heat, wind and dust for a few days.

The final road up to Zomba Plateau is a spectacular winding narrow road with great views and excellent roadside shopping (giant strawberries, gooseberries, mulberries). It gains 600m in altitude over just 8km. A slight mixup in our route planning meant we missed what we thought was the better campsite (but in fact wasn’t) and ended up at Kuchare trout farm. The campsite is nothing more than a picnic site in a clearing in the forest but it was divine, surrounded by massive trees with a mountain stream flowing past and we had it all to ourselves. A planned one nighter turned into two and we could easily have stayed more days if not for a lack of sunshine and the need to charge our dual batteries. The solar system did well but a misty day 3 meant zero chance of charging. On a whim we decided to follow some of the forest tracks before descending back off the plateau and were rewarded with some spectacular scenery. Unfortunately just as we were nearing the end of a rather long loop we found our path blocked by a broken down logging truck and although the driver said help would be there in 15minutes, he did not in fact have a watch (and 15 African minutes could be ??). As it was already 3pm we decided to play it safe and reverse our route.

80km south of Zomba is Mount Mulanje where we had hoped to spend a few days doing walks on and around the mountain but quickly changed our minds when from the moment we arrived at the turnoff we were swarmed by “mountain guides” wanting to offer their services and running after Mr Jones as we moved along the road, using shortcuts to catch-up and “point” us in the right direction, etc. It was too much of an onslaught for our liking and so we skipped out of there quickly. Luckily we found a pleasant new spot (Africa Wild Truck campsite) set in amongst the tea plantations and ended up spending 4 days there. It seems we are starting to settle into a slow method of travel and becoming less destination driven.

We had a loose idea to try and meet up with Steve & Leanne in Cape Maclear for Steves 60th birthday which was in 6 days time so we intended to go from Mulanje to Blantyre to restock supplies and then slowly work our way up to the lake. The plan quickly changed when Blantyre had almost no options in terms of wine and meat and so a quick decision was made to head for Lilongwe again. What is a 4,5 hour detour with 35deg temps inside Mr Jones when you are low on red wine? Speed markings in Malawi are usually very vague as to when they start and end and so Mr Jones picked up his first speeding fine ever, we could only hope that it would all be worth it when we got to Lilongwe.

Absolutely worth a speeding fine and a little bit of heat

The drive from Lilongwe to Cape Maclear goes down a spectacular pass just south of Dedza, along which there are many “ToyRUs” stores selling brilliantly carved and manufactured wooden replicas of Land Rovers, Landcruisers, Cameras and bicycles. A stop at one and we now have a “mini me” of Mr Jones on board for good luck, we only wished we had space for more items as they would make wonderful pieces of art when we eventually settle down again into a fixed homestead.

A short video of the amazing wooden art and how they work

Cape Maclear was once again spectacular in terms of scenery even if the madness of the village and people going about daily life on the shores of the lake can be a bit overwhelming at times. One sad observation is despite Cape Maclear being one of Malawi major tourism attractions, a national park and the existence of many lodges whose livelihood depends on tourism there does not appear to be any concerted effort by the role players to ensure a clean environment free of litter on the beach.

After two nights at Fat Monkeys, which still has the same chilled and bohemian vibe as it did 9 years ago when we we first stayed there, we moved into a room for the first time in 2 months. A lovely afternoon and evening ensued celebrating Steve 60th birthday.

From Cape Maclear we did a relatively big hop up the lake hoping to stay over at Makuzi, which we had so enjoyed 9 years ago as it has lovely grassed terraces and a quite secluded bay and private beach. It however was not too be as the International schools were having a week long holiday and Makuzi was full, after consulting iOverlander we moved just a bit further to Songa Muyo. This was perhaps an even nicer find than Makuzi with big lawns and trees to camp under, super friendly staff and wonderfully decorated ablutions and a nice beach with big rocks.

We had been hoping for an extended stay at Makuzi and certainly got marooned at Songa Muyo, in the end spending 7 days there whiling away the days reading, swimming and taking the SUP out including paddling to another lodge in order to catch the Springboks play Japan in the rugby world cup quarter finals. Our list of maintenance issues not related to Mr J continue to grow, this time the high volume manual pump for the SUP broke but fortunately we have an adaptor for the car pump and so could still use the board. Red Paddle have so far been great in attempting to deal with the issue and with a bit of luck we will have a replacement pump waiting for us at DHL Dar Es Salaam.

The road north takes you up into the mountains to a town called Mzuzu where we hoped to do some restocking. On the steep pass we passed a cyclo tourist pushing his bike, he seemed okay and we didn’t think to stop but when we come out of Shoprite he was wandering around our car looking a bit forlorn, turns out he was English but had been living in Cape Town for the last year and was now cycling home. He was feeling very flat and had in fact bummed a lift after we passed, so we offered him a coke and a chat.

On iOverlander we had seen an isolated lodge on the lake which had rave reviews “despite the road to get there”. The lodge doesn’t appear on Tracks4Africa yet but T4A did have a 4wd track heading to the area the lodge appeared in so we figured that must be the road. Fortunately when the track seemed to head in the wrong direction, Stuart decided to consult iOverlander again and google maps as we where definitely not heading to the correct place. The road that followed while a little rough and probably no fun in the rainy season but was spectacular and took us over the mountains and down into a little bay on the lake. It reminds us of Betty’s bay in South Africa but just with a sand track leading over the mountains into it instead of along the coast. Usisya lodge while not setup that well for vehicle camping (i.e.you camp in the parking area) has a great outlook, really cool outdoor shower and a very chilled vibe plus we had it all to ourselves apart from the owner and staff.

Halfway down the big descent to Usisya, the lodge is on the other side of the hill

The drive out from Usisya certainly challenged us and Mr Jones, you climb very quickly and steeply and on a relatively rough road. As Mr Jones struggles with such steep inclines unless he has high revs and a reasonable pace it didn’t take long until we had him in Low Range 3rd. All was going well until after one corner even in low range he started to lose power and then cut-out. This was a far from ideal place to breakdown as it is rather isolated, there are maybe 3 cars in the village and we were on a very steep incline! Even though we had 1/4 tank of diesel in the main tank Stuart assumed we had a fuel starvation issue so we started to pump fuel from the 3rd tank and to hand prime the fuel system. After 20min we were back up to half a tank and so we held thumbs and attempted to start, what a sweet sound when the engine kicked in. Mr Jones got a gentle slap of admonition for stressing us! As luck would have it the fuel transfer pump stopped working as we got started but as we now had enough fuel to move upwards we left that for another days worry and fortunately it turned out to be just a loose power connection.

The next couple days in Mzuzu were taken up with admin issues such as filling gas bottles, hunting down paraffin in the back alleys of the local market (for our fire stones instead of firefighters), shopping and some maintenance on Mr J. And we got to catch rugby semi-final on our way out of Mzuzu at the local tavern together with a couple of other Saffas who are also heading north.

We have far preferred the scenery along the lake of Northern Malawi as it has lovely mountains and far more indigenous forest than the central and southern portion, the drive from Mzuzu to the mushroom farm near Livingstonia was no exception. The road meanders along valley floors then climb up and over this big mountain which is clearly hell for the long distance truckers based on the number of trucks broken down on it before descending back to the lake and then climbing up to the mushroom farm via an iconic dirt pass. There are so many switchbacks that at one point the road almost looks like a big blob on the GPS.

The mushroom farm is perched on the edge of a cliff and it was very easy to spend a couple of idyllic days admiring the view with our biggest worry only being the repositioning of our solar panel through the day to ensure our fridge battery maintained optimum charge.

Livingstonia at roughly 500m above the lake was built by Scottish missionaries in 1894 after two previous attempts to establish a mission on the lakeshores (one of them being a Cape Maclear) had failed due to most of their people dying from Malaria. Many of the original buildings are still standing which the Livingstonia university now utilise but for us as tourists there was not much to see. In addition to the Mushroom farm there is another camp perched on the edge of the cliff called Lukwe Eco camp, the write-ups on IOverlander are very positive and so we had in mind to spend a night here too. We were very impressed upon arrival as the attention to detail and hand crafted art and buildings make a great impression, over a Coca Cola on the balcony we thought to spend a night in one of their little chalets as they look directly over the valley and from the outside look great however upon viewing one we were horribly underwhelmed. The campsite was at the back with no view so also didn’t really appeal and we therefore decided to head back down to the lake, a decision we would soon regret.

The descent back down the pass was as spectacular as the ascent 3 days earlier and fortunately any traffic we did meet was at a spot were two vehicles could squeeze past each other. The first time we found the iOverlander reviews to be totally foreign to our experience was on our first night in Malawi two months ago and now as we near the end of our stay we again experienced this. The owner and staff of Hakuna Mutata are very friendly and helpful but the campsite is just a large plot of sand with one central thatch shade area and a long walk to the waters edge. In 40 degree heat with strong “berg” winds this is far from ideal and was made worse when Stuart sunk Mr Jones into the sand trying to park in a shady spot. As we didn’t feel like letting the tyres down just to move the landy 10metres and with it being too hot to dig him out we decided the best course of action was to grab a couple of beers, sit under the thatch and wait for it to cool down. Having been grumpy and irritable about the situation we were served a good portion of humble pie when the staff arrived with a large hose to wet the sand down and help to get Mr Jones out.

Nothing could however change the environment and so the next morning we moved 60km further up the lake to what we hoped would be a campsite with more shade and some grass. FloJa camp turned out to be exactly that with lovely terraced camping spots, big trees, funky sitting areas and only metres from the waters edge. As a plus it looks like there is a good chance of being able to watch the finals of the Rugby World Cup here (Springboks versus England).

Our last beachfront property for a while

Final thought on Malawi and our time here

In total we will have spent 58 days in Malawi and have absolutely loved our time here, the people are super friendly and it still deserves to be called “the friendly heart of Africa”, it is easy to get marooned on the lake and in addition the various mountain destinations (Mulanje, Zomba, Mushroom farm/Livingstonia) are spectacular. It is therefore well worth a visit.

The negative side to Malawi is that it is one of the poorest countries in the world, 173 out of 182 and we cannot see how that will change in the foreseeable future. From our observations Aid and the provision of Aid is big business in Malawi, you cannot drive more than 5km without seeing a sign proudly announcing that XYZ was funded by ABC organisation or country. It is so bad we nearly crashed the first time we saw a sign stating that a project was funded by the Malawian government. Aid has been flowing into the country for 30+ years and yet there appears to have been no progress (88% of the population live on less than USD2 per day, 35% cannot read or write by the age of 15, etc, etc). In our amateurish observations the actual impact of aid has been to create a culture of “expectancy” whether it be from large aid organisations or simple travellers like ourselves. In addition after chatting with many people who have spent far more time here than ourselves there is a general frustration with the slow pace of change and implementation of programs. We are sure there is a very controversial thesis waiting to be written about the true impact of aid in developing or hindering a country’s development.