Find places in Malawi

Must-Haves

• Lilongwe Wildlife Centre (Area 13)
  A rescue and rehabilitation sanctuary for orphaned and injured animals, with woodland trails along the Lingadzi River.

Fun for Everyone

• Lilongwe Golf Club (Area 3)
  A relaxed club with a golf course, tennis, a pool and a sociable bar.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Old Town Market (Old Town)
  A sprawling, busy market for fabric, produce, second hand clothes and everyday Malawian life.
• Tsoka Market (Old Town)
  The produce and fish heart of Old Town, full of dried usipa, beans and fresh vegetables.

Must-Haves

• Lilongwe Craft Market (Old Town)
  Woodcarvers and basket makers sell chief's chairs, carvings and beadwork near the old post office.

Fun for Everyone

• Gateway Mall (Area 3)
  A modern shopping mall with supermarkets, banks, cafés and a cinema.

Must-Haves

• Kamuzu Mausoleum (Capital Hill)
  The grand marble tomb of Hastings Kamuzu Banda, Malawi's first president, set in landscaped grounds.

Off the Beaten Path

• Parliament Building (Capital Hill)
  Malawi's striking modern parliament, built on the former New State House site, visible from Presidential Way.

Great for Date Night

• Mamma Mia (Old Town Mall)
  A long running Italian restaurant with wood fired pizza and pasta in the Old Town Mall courtyard.

Must-Haves

• Buchanan's Grill (Four Seasons Centre)
  Steaks and lake fish in a garden setting at the Four Seasons Centre, a favourite for special dinners.

Fun for Everyone

• Ama Khofi (Four Seasons Centre)
  A garden café with good Malawian coffee, breakfasts and cakes under the trees.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Mzuzu Coffee Den (Old Town)
  A café serving coffee from the Mzuzu cooperative of northern smallholder farmers.

Great for Date Night

• Latitude 13 (Area 43)
  A design led boutique hotel with a pool and a calm, contemporary feel.

Must-Haves

• Kumbali Country Lodge (Area 44)
  A lodge on a working farm and forest reserve just outside the city, with walks and a cultural village.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Mabuya Camp (Area 9)
  A friendly backpacker camp with dorms, chalets, a bar and a pool, popular with overland travellers.

Fun for Everyone

• Sunbird Capital Hotel (City Centre)
  A large, central hotel close to Capital Hill with a pool and gardens.

Off the Beaten Path

• Dzalanyama Forest Reserve (Southwest of Lilongwe)
  Miombo woodland on the Mozambique border with birding, walking and mountain bike trails.

Must-Haves

• Mandala House (Mandala)
  The oldest building in Malawi, a colonial trading house with a gallery and the Society of Malawi library.
• St Michael and All Angels Church (Blantyre Mission)
  A redbrick church built by Scottish missionaries and local builders in the 1880s and 1890s.

Fun for Everyone

• Museum of Malawi (Chichiri)
  The national museum, with displays on history, traditional crafts, transport and Gule Wamkulu.

Great for Date Night

• Café Mandala (Mandala)
  A café on the veranda of Mandala House, with homemade cakes and art on the walls.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Blantyre Market (City Centre)
  The city's main market for produce, fish, fabrics and the buzz of daily trade.

Off the Beaten Path

• Limbe Market (Limbe)
  A huge, crowded market in Blantyre's twin town, where locals shop for everything.

Fun for Everyone

• Chichiri Shopping Mall (Chichiri)
  A shopping centre with supermarkets, banks and cafés, handy for supplies.

Must-Haves

• Michiru Mountain Conservation Area (Michiru)
  Forest trails, birding and a hilltop view on the edge of the city.

Great for Date Night

• Protea Hotel Ryalls (City Centre)
  Blantyre's oldest hotel, rebuilt and smart, with a good restaurant and bar.

Fun for Everyone

• Sunbird Mount Soche (City Centre)
  A central, established hotel with a pool, close to the shops and offices.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Kabula Lodge (Kabula Hill)
  A good value guesthouse on a hill with views and a friendly atmosphere.

Fun for Everyone

• Jungle Pepper (Blantyre)
  A local pizza chain that is a dependable family favourite.

Great for Date Night

• 21 Grill on Hanover (Protea Hotel Ryalls)
  A polished grill restaurant for steaks and wine on a special night out.

Fun for Everyone

• Blantyre Sports Club (Victoria Avenue)
  A historic club with a pool, bar and sports fields, open to visitors on day membership.

Must-Haves

• Lake Malawi National Park (Cape Maclear)
  The world's first freshwater national park and a UNESCO site, home to hundreds of cichlid species.

Fun for Everyone

• Otter Point (Lake Malawi National Park)
  Rocky shoreline perfect for snorkelling among bright cichlids, with otters sometimes seen.

Must-Haves

• Thumbi West Island (Lake Malawi National Park)
  An island in the park where boat trips stop for snorkelling and fish eagle feeding.

Fun for Everyone

• Kayak Africa (Chembe)
  The outfit behind the island camps, running kayak trips and PADI dive courses.
• Sunset dhow cruise (Chembe)
  An evening sail or boat trip out to the islands as the sun drops over the lake.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Chembe Village walk (Chembe)
  A walk through the fishing village to see boat building, usipa drying and daily life.

Great for Date Night

• Mumbo Island Camp (Mumbo Island)
  An eco island camp with tents on stilts, kayaks and no crowds.

Off the Beaten Path

• Domwe Island Camp (Domwe Island)
  A simple self catering island camp reached by kayak or boat.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Mgoza Lodge (Chembe)
  A relaxed beachfront lodge with a good restaurant and sunset views.
• Fat Monkeys (Chembe)
  A big, sociable beach lodge and campsite at the end of the bay.

Fun for Everyone

• Thumbi View Lodge (Chembe)
  Friendly chalets and camping close to the beach in Chembe.

Off the Beaten Path

• Missionary Graves (Chembe)
  The graves of the first Livingstonia missionaries who settled here in 1875.

Must-Haves

• Liwonde National Park (Liwonde)
  A river park managed with African Parks, where lions, cheetahs, rhinos, elephants and hippos live along the Shire.

Fun for Everyone

• Mvuu waterhole (Liwonde National Park)
  A waterhole near Mvuu where elephants and antelope come to drink.

Off the Beaten Path

• Majete Wildlife Reserve (Chikwawa)
  A restored reserve in the Lower Shire with the Big Five and few visitors.

Must-Haves

• Shire River boat safari (Liwonde National Park)
  Boat trips past pods of hippos, crocodiles, elephants and fish eagles.

Fun for Everyone

• Game drives in Liwonde (Liwonde National Park)
  Open vehicle drives through mopane and grassland in search of big game.

Great for Date Night

• Mvuu Lodge (Liwonde National Park)
  A riverfront lodge in the heart of the park with game drives and boat trips.
• Kuthengo Camp (Liwonde National Park)
  An intimate tented camp on the river run by Robin Pope Safaris.

Fun for Everyone

• Mvuu Camp (Liwonde National Park)
  Chalets and tents on the Shire with a waterhole view and family friendly rooms.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Liwonde Safari Camp (Liwonde town)
  A budget camp just outside the park, organising boat trips and drives.

Off the Beaten Path

• Chinguni Hills Lodge (Liwonde National Park)
  A lodge in the quieter southern section of the park, set among the hills.

Must-Haves

• Mount Mulanje (Mulanje)
  A granite massif rising above the plains with peaks, forests and mountain huts.
• Sapitwa Peak (Mount Mulanje)
  The highest point in Malawi and central southern Africa, climbed with a guide.

Fun for Everyone

• Dziwe la Nkhalamba (Likhubula)
  A natural pool below a waterfall, an easy walk from the trailhead.

Fun for Everyone

• Likhubula Forest Lodge (Likhubula)
  An old forestry house at the main trailhead, a classic base for the mountain.

Off the Beaten Path

• Chambe Hut (Chambe Plateau)
  A simple mountain hut beneath the sheer face of Chambe peak.
• Thuchila Hut (Mount Mulanje)
  A mountain hut on the multi day trail across the massif.

Great for Date Night

• Kara O'Mula Lodge (Mulanje)
  A lodge at the foot of the mountain with views, a pool and easy walks.

Off the Beaten Path

• Mulanje Porters Race (Mount Mulanje)
  An annual mountain race inspired by the porters who carry loads up the massif.

Must-Haves

• Lujeri Tea Estate (Mulanje)
  A historic tea estate on the mountain's southern slopes with walks through the plantations.

Fun for Everyone

• Guided Mulanje hike with porters (Likhubula)
  Licensed guides and porters can be booked at the forestry office for routes across the massif.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust (Mulanje)
  The trust that protects the massif and the Mulanje cedar, a good source of trail information.

Must-Haves

• Mayoka Village (Nkhata Bay)
  Chalets stepping down a hillside to the water, with a famous jetty for swimming.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Njaya Lodge (Chikale Beach)
  Simple chalets on the hill above Chikale Beach.
• Butterfly Space (Nkhata Bay)
  A community minded backpacker lodge with clifftop chalets and local projects.

Fun for Everyone

• Kande Beach Resort (Kande)
  A long sandy beach and overland favourite with a lively bar.

Great for Date Night

• Makuzi Beach Lodge (Chintheche)
  A peaceful lodge on its own private beach south of Nkhata Bay.

Fun for Everyone

• Aqua Africa (Nkhata Bay)
  A dive centre offering PADI courses and freshwater dives among cichlids.
• Kayaking the bay (Nkhata Bay)
  Paddle along the rocky coves to snorkel and spot fish eagles.

Fun for Everyone

• Chikale Beach (Nkhata Bay)
  A sandy cove south of town for swimming and kayaking.

Off the Beaten Path

• Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve (Rumphi)
  A wild reserve with hippos, elephants and few visitors.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Nkhata Bay market (Nkhata Bay)
  The town's market by the harbour, busiest when the ferry arrives.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Mzuzu Coffee Den (Mzuzu)
  The original café of the Mzuzu coffee cooperative in the northern capital.