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Africa
Malawi
vital statistics
- Lilongwe
- 16 million
- English, Chewa
- Malawian kwacha
With stunning wild landscapes, super-friendly locals and very big smiles, Malawi lives up to its ‘warm heart of Africa’ hype. The eye-popping Lake Malawi makes up a fifth of this east African country, giving you plenty to explore. Cast a line with the local fisherman, play soccer with children, swim and snorkel the crystal clear waters, then shimmy and shake it in one of the happening bars.
Leave the throngs of tourist-toting 4WDs well behind at spots like the Majete Wildlife Reserve, where there are 3000 animals – lions, elephants, hippos and leopards among them – protected by a perimeter fence on the banks of the Shire River. Go on a night safari in Liwonde National Park to spot hushbabies, hyenas and jackals, before rising early to float along the river where you’ll spot elephants splashing, hippos swimming and crocodiles skulking by the banks.
