Malawi Travel Facts

Land
Malawi is a long, narrow country situated in the southern part of the East African Rift Valley and lying between 9 and 17 degrees south of the equator. Its area is over 118000 km² of which one fifth is taken up by Lake Malawi. It is land-locked, cradled by Mocambique in the east, south and southwest, with Zambia to the west and Tanzania to the north/north-east.
Lake Malawi is Africa's third largest lake and the world's ninth largest. Besides the magnificent Lake, Malawi offers visitors five National Parks and several smaller game parks, modern, comfortable hotels, varied recreational facilities and magnificent scenery including high mountain plateaux throughout the country.

Climate
There are three seasons. A cool, dry period, May to August, is followed by hot weather (very hot in low-lying regions) during which humidity builds up until the rains commence November/December; the rains peak around the turn of the year and continue intermittently until April. Rainfall varies countrywide from 600mm to 3000mm.

Topography
Topography is immensely varied and constitutes the catchment area of the Shire River, which flows from Lake Malawi to the Zambezi river. From a valley floor in the south almost at sea level, mountains range up to 3000m. The valley and the lower hill country are fertile. The principal cities lie at elevations between 1000 and 1500m.

Language
While Chichewa is the national language and Chitumbuka widely spoken in the Northern Region, English is the official language of the country and the language of the commercial sector.

Regions
The country is divided administratively into three regions:

Southern - hilly, densely populated
Central - fertile, well-populated plains
Northern - mountainous and sparsely populated

The main commercial and industrial city of Blantyre (pop. 400 000,1992 est.) is in the Southern Region, the capital city of Lilongwe (pop. 200 000) is in the Central Region and Mzuzu (pop. 50 000) serves as the administrative and commercial headquarters of the Northern Region.

Transport
Roads. Malawi's road network totals over 12 000km. The main M1 highway which runs north/south from north of Mzuzu to south of Blantyre is a two-lane tarred road. While many rural roads are untarred, they do provide vehicle access to most parts of the country, especially during the dry season. Four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended for many roads during the rainy season. Driving is on the left-hand side of the road as in the U.K. and elsewhere in southern Africa. The use of safety belts is mandatory. There are several car rental agencies in the main cities.
Public Transport. Bus services are available throughout Malawi. Three times a day, the Stagecoach Coachline service provides comfortable facilities between Blantyre and Lilongwe, daily to Mzuzu.
Railway. Malawi has a commercially important rail network but it is not geared for tourist travel.
On the Lake. The m.v. Ilala makes a fascinating weekly trip around the lake. The ten cabin class berths offer simple, not luxurious, accommodation for those who consider themselves travellers rather than tourists.
Air. Malawi's main international airport is Lilongwe International, situated 23km outside the city. It is regarded as one of the cleanest and most efficient of Africa's airports. Domestically, Air Malawi flies to Karonga, Mzuzu, Lilongwe, Blantyre and the Lakeshore hotels. Major air links exist between Malawi and South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Mocambique, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Dubai, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

Economy
About 85 percent of the population works in the subsistence sector, engaged mainly in smallholder farming, including a variable proportion of cash crops. The rest of the economy is also agriculture-based, principally tobacco, tea, coffee and sugar. Smallholders raise cassava, maize, pulses, cotton, groundnuts, rice, fish and livestock. The main export crops are tobacco, tea and sugar. Other economic development consists mainly of infrastructure and import-substitute products with a small service sector and secondary manufacturing for export. Tourism is rapidly becoming a major earner of foreign exchange.

Electrical Supply
The electrical supply is based on the 220/240 volts system and the three-pin plugs used are of the British "square bayonet" pin type, not the round pin South African type. Special adaptors are needed for rounded two-pin types of plugs.

Radio, TV & Press
While an off-air television service in Malawi is still being planned, major hotels have satellite dishes with 24 hour television. Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) broadcasts on FM, MW and SW in both Chichewa and English. The Daily Times, Daily Nation and The Monitor provide local and international news.

Time
Malawi is in the GMT + 2 hours time

People
In 1988 at the time of the last census, the population of Malawi was estimated at 8.2 million. This included some 350 000 Mocambican refugees. At one time the number of refugees increased to well over one million although nearly all have now been repatriated. The population is presently growing annually at a rate of 3.7 percent. Less than one percent of the population is non-African and these, mainly Asians and Europeans, reside in the urban areas of Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Zomba.

Excursions
Excursions may be organised by any of Malawi's several travel agencies or tour operators. Information about National Parks and Game Reserves is obtainable from the Department of National Parks and Wildlife. P.O. Box 30131, Lilongwe 3. Telephone 723 505.

Photography
Photographs should not be taken in the vicinity of airports, police or defence installations, radio transmitters, or near any of the State Residences. If in doubt always ask permission to take photographs. Negative film may now be developed and printed in Blantyre but there are, as yet, no facilities for transparency processing.

Hotels
Malawi's cities, larger towns and resort areas all have hotels, inns and rest houses available and suitable for the visitor.

Freedom of Dress
The Malawi Government which used to provide guidance on the dress code applicable to tourists and residents has repealed the legislation which banned the wearing by women of miniskirts and trousers. Visitors are now free to wear whatever they please. However tourists are reminded that Malawians are traditionally a modest people and it remains inappropriate for visitors to the lake to wear scanty beach attire in the villages away from the hotels.

Visas
Travellers must have a valid passport or travel document, as well as visas for any countries they will pass through en route to or from Malawi. However, business visitors or tourists from most countries do not require visas to enter Malawi provided they are in possession of an onward air ticket to a country to which they have right of entry or the cash resources to acquire one.

Currency
The Malawi Kwacha (MK) = 100 tambala. Kwacha means dawn and tambala means cockerel. One hundred cockerels herald the dawn! Travellers' cheques and foreign currency notes of all major currencies are accepted by banks, authorised hotels and bureaux de change. There is no restriction on the amount of foreign currency notes visitors may bring into Malawi. Visitors may not import or export Malawi currency notes in excess of MK200.

Airport Departure Tax
A departure tax payable by visitors of US$20 (to be paid in US dollars) is levied on all international departures from Blantyre's and Lilongwe's international airports.

Customs
Duty-free import is permitted for the following items provided they are declared and carried in the passenger's accompanied baggage: 200 cigarettes or 225 gm tobacco in any form, 1 litre spirits, 1 litre of beer and 1 litre of wine. This concession does not apply to those aged under 18. The passenger is allowed to bring into the country a reasonable quantity of consumable goods to meet his or her immediate needs while travelling within Malawi.

Health Requirements
It is essential for visitors to take the usual prophylactics against malaria. Inoculations for smallpox, cholera or yellow fever are not necessary, although they may be required if you intend to pass through an infected area. Mosquito repellents are highly recommended in the summer months, especially for those taking a camping holiday. The use of a mosquito net is also advised. Although bilharzia is now easily treated once diagnosed, it is recommended that visitors do not swim in still-water pools or ponds in the rivers below the plateaux, or on the shores of Lake Malawi away from the sandy beaches of the hotels and the lake-side resorts. To be absolutely safe use the hotel swimming pools. Although Lake Malawi is one of the cleanest lakes in the world, it is not advisable to use the lake as a source of drinking water unless the water is first boiled.

Recommended Reading
A Guide to Malawi
by David Stuart-Mogg, Blantyre 1994
ISBN 99908 14 11 2

Malawi - Lake of Stars
by Frank Johnston and Vera Garland
Second impression, Blantyre 1995
ISBN 99908 14 12 0