Blantyre is the second largest, oldest and largest city in the country, the center of the southern region and the business capital of Malawi. Ancient buildings and streets side by side with modern offices. The city has an international airport.
Recommended hotels. Mount Soche Hotel, Protea Hotel Ryalls, Victoria Hotel.
Lake Malawi National Park since 1984 it has been included in the UNESCO Natural Heritage List. The park is located on the southern tip of the vast and deep Lake Malawi (Nyassa) surrounded by mountains, which has very clear water. This is one of the African Great Lakes (the third largest) occupies a quarter of the country’s territory. The famous African explorer David Livingston first saw Lake Nyasa (now Malawi) in 1859 and was mesmerized by its beauty. He called it the Lake of Stars for the myriad of heavenly bodies reflected in the transparent water surface. The ichthyofauna of the lake is very interesting from the point of view of studying evolution. About 1000 species of fish live in the lake, of which 600 are endemic. There is excellent yachting, diving and snorkeling, excellent fishing, wonderful sandy beaches. The best time for scuba diving is from August to December. The water in the lake is warm and visibility is good. Many athletes from different countries are attracted by the annual July marathon of yachts. The competition lasts eight days. The route starts from the resorts of the southern coast and covers a distance of up to 560 km.
How to get there. The transfer from Blantyre will take 4.5 hours, from Lilongwe – three hours.
Monkey Bay is built around a beautiful harbor on the wooded south shore of Lake Malawi. A variety of hotels and restaurants lined up along the luxurious shores in this beautiful place. A unique local attraction is the otters at Otter Point. Traveling by motorboat Itala from the port of the city is one of the most popular tourist routes. Most travelers go to the shores of Cape Maclear.
How to get there. Transfer from Blantyre (4.5 hours) and from Lilongwe (3 hours).
Recommended hotels: Club Makokola, Sun`NSand Holiday Resort, Sunbird Nkopola Lodge.
Cape Maclear. The first cape in the south of the Lake of Stars is named after David Livingston’s friend Astronomer Royal Thomas McLear. Cape Maclear has more than 20 dive sites and organizes short glass bottom boat cruises, dive safaris and luxury catamaran yacht trips.
How to get there. Transfer from Blantyre (4.5 hours) and from Lilongwe (3 hours).
Recommended hotels: Danforth Yachting`s Luxury Lodge, Mumbo & Domwe Island Camp.
Liwonde National Park, located 205 km southeast of the capital, on the shores of Lake Malombe, is the best in the country. There is a diverse wildlife and very beautiful landscapes. The park includes part of the coast of the lake and the Shire River. Hippos and crocodiles live in these waters. Here you can also meet elephants, antelopes and rhinoceros… A large area of the park is closed during the rainy season, but tourist camps are open all year round. The park is guarded by a special detachment of rangers.
How to get there. By air charter (one hour) or ground transfer from Lilongwe (3.5 hours) and from Blantyre (2.5 hours).
Recommended hotels: Mvuu Wilderness Lodge&Camp, Chinguni Hills Lodge, Hippo View Lodge.
Lengwe National Park is located 74 km south of Blantyre on the banks of the Shire River. The roads here are unpaved and many are closed during the rainy season from December to April. From September to December it is very hot here, in other months it is more comfortable.
How to get there. Transfer from Blantyre Airport (1.5 hours).
Recommended hotels: Nyala Lodge.
Majete Nature Reserve is located in the south of the country near the village of Chikwawa, 45 km from Blantyre. Elephants, antelopes, water goats live in the park. On the territory there is a colorful waterfall Kapichira (Kapichira) with rapids that blocked the path of the expedition of David Livingston up the river on the paddle steamer Ma-Robert. The waterfall is used to generate hydroelectric power.
Other attractions include Mpatamanga Gorge, near Chikwawa – the grave of geologist Richard Thornton, a member of the unsuccessful expedition of Livinston on the Zambezi, as well as an amazing form of baobabs growing among sugarcane fields.
How to get there. Transfer from Blantyre Airport (1.5 hours).
Mwabvi Reserve is located in the south of the country, 130 km from Blantyre. This is the realm of sandstone mountain ranges, rocky gorges, groves and forests. Here you can meet black rhinoceros, leopard, hyena, antelope…
How to get there. Transfer from Blantyre (2.5 hours).
Zomba Plateau is a beautiful mountain range between Lake Malawi and Blantyre, there are many mountain waterfalls and small lakes.
How to get there. Transfer from Blantyre (one hour), from Lilongwe (4.5 hours), from Livonde Park (1.5 hours).
Recommended hotels: Ku Chawe Inn, Zomba Forest Lodge, Hotel Masangola.
Mount Mulanje is a separate granite mountain range with an area of 1 thousand square meters. km south of Blantyre in an hour with a little drive. There are unique opportunities for abseiling, mountain trekking, mountaineering (the highest point is 3002 m). The area is famous for tea plantations.
Recommended hotels: Lujere Lodge.