Malawi - Heart of Africa

Malawi - Heart of Africa provides an excellent opportunity to experience this charming country before mass tourism arrives. The peaceful central African country, renowned for the friendliness of its people, is host to a diverse kaleidoscope of stunning scenery. Malawi’s big draw is the lake: a magnificent shard of crystal water stretching 500 km along the eastern border. Isolated villages pepper the northern lakeshore and beyond the lake lie mountains, vast plateaux, forest and unspoilt game reserves.

Bordered by the Shire River, Liwonde National Park is home to large herds of elephant, plenty of hippo and crocodile, sable antelope, impala, reedbuck and prolific birdlife. In contrast to the plentiful landscape of the national parks, Zomba plateau rises to 1,800 metres and is dotted with wild vegetation and criss-crossed by streams and tumbling waterfalls. Views from Zomba were described in colonial times as “the best in the British Empire”.

The most dramatic views however, are of UNESCO biosphere reserve Mount Mulanje, referred to locally as the “island in the sky”, whose sheer size dwarfs all that surrounds it, vegetation varying with altitude and hosting a variety of wildlife including antelope and black eagle. A colonial legacy may be seen in the architecture of towns. Independence from the British Empire was in 1964 and modern-day Malawi credits its people as its greatest asset. Friendly, welcoming and vibrant, their hospitality never fails to engage the visitor.