We’d had a rough couple of days driving in Zambia after discovering we had driven 1100 kilometers in the wrong direction. The result was a total re-route to our trip in Africa. The border post felt like a miracle because there was zero information on this border post, anywhere!

I’ll start from the beginning with hopes that no one will make the same mistake we did.

Driving in Zambia

Lusaka

We spent a week holed up hiding from the rain in the Protea Hotel Lusaka Tower. We had made the decision that New Year’s Eve would be fun in the capital city and we were craving good WiFi, healthy food, and a movie theater. Which is exactly what we got in Lusaka. We had another week until we were supposed to visit the amazing South Luangwa National Park before making our way into Southern Malawi. We had been very eager to visit both destinations.

We were almost guaranteed to see Leopards at South Luangwa by the multiple guides we had spoken with. Not wanting to spend another whole week in Lusaka, we decided to head north to Kasanka National Park and Mutinundo Wilderness reserve before crossing South Luangwa park.

Kasanka National Park

January in Zambia…the rainy season. The rainy season had yet to affect us, but once we got to Zambia we saw what all the fuss was about. We had driven 16 hours through the mud around Lake Kariba on some of the worst roads of our life. Thankfully, we have a trusty 4×4. So when we made our way to Kasanka National Park the rain and the mud were no different.

The largest mammal migration takes place every year in December at Kasanka. Millions of bats come to the swamp land and viewing the wildlife spectacle is supposedly incredible. We knew it was the beginning of January, but we thought we may still catch the winged creatures at Kasanka.

After paying an exuberant cash price to get into the deserted (and I mean deserted) park we were informed that the last bats had left the day prior. Perfect. Even though the bats were gone we still had the chance to be one with nature in the deep bush. We even managed a few short game drives between the downpours. Which, allowed us to spot the rare sitatunga, a semi-aquatic antelope, from a distance…

Mutinondo Wilderness Area

We left Kasanka with an empty wallet and zero photos of wildlife. It was still a beautiful spot in the untamed bush, we just wish we could have been there at a different time in the year.

We drove towards Kundalila Falls to see the view over the Luangwa Valley. When we finally saw the dilapidated sign for the falls we hung a right and made our way 13 km on the mud track. Almost every single Zambian we passed either stared hard daggers at us or held their hand out screaming “money” as we drove past. I suppose it was the first time they had seen a white traveler in a while.

We made it to the entrance way to the falls when a lone man appeared. He told us it would be 150 Kwacha ($15) a piece to walk down to the falls and 50 Kwacha ($5) to leave our car sitting in the big empty dirt car park. With another reminder of the price gouging in Zambia, we declined to pay $35 to see the falls and continued on our way.

We made it to our next destination, Mutinondo Wilderness, a while later. I told them we just needed one night at their campsite. Without them asking I decided to tell them of our future plans (and thank god I did). “We are heading to South Luangwa tomorrow. How long do you think it will take to get there?”

The two Dutch managers stared at me. “Oh, you can’t get to South Luangwa this time of year. You’ll have to drive back to Lusaka and around. I think it should take you about 21 hours.”

I stared at them, I looked at Cam, I stared back at them. I think I giggled a little in between…they had to be joking. “There has to be some sort of way to South Luangwa?” We were literally right next to it!

I continued to tell them that we just came from Lusaka and couldn’t even imagine paying the crazy petrol prices or taking the time to drive all that way again.

You see. There is a road between Mutinondo Wilderness Area and South Luangwa – even paper and  Google Maps confirm it. But see, it’s the rainy season in Africa, meaning the normal bad mud roads are now bad brown mush roads that are totally impassable. The road we thought we were going to take is only open three months out of the year. Traveling it any other time is pretty much signing a death certificate.

My friends, this is why you cannot just “wing Africa,” which I see so many people claiming they want to do. This is also why I really really wish Cameron and I were more bush smart and could just know this thing like the other overlanders we meet.

Our Choice?

After an hour of kicking ourselves and having a little cry (and a strong gin and tonic), we decided that we would have to cut out South Luangwa and Southern Malawi. With petrol in Zambia costing a whopping $1.40/Liter (over $5 a gallon) and time being a precious commodity, we would continue to northern Zambia before trying to cross over into Malawi from the north.

Leaving Zambia

We had to make the most out of our mistake so we spent a few fabulous days hiking in between the rain near Mutinondo before making our way up to Kapishya Hot Springs. From the hot springs, we were to drive into Malawi via the Chitipa border. The Chitipa border exists on a map, but outside of that, I couldn’t find any info on it. Some of the Africans we asked mentioned that the border post may, in fact, be absolutely nothing, and when I asked in the Overlanding Africa facebook group no one had been through the border.

This is Africa and things don’t always make sense. Even though there is a border post on the map doesn’t mean there is one in real life. I was beginning to stress how we would make it into Malawi legally with our car and once again cursed myself for not making it to South Luangwa so I could cross over the “easy” border post at Chipata. With nothing to lose…besides a ton of gas and time, we awoke at 5 am and made our way toward Malawi.

The Chitipa Border Post

We drove from Kapishya Hot Springs towards the Chitipa Border post. We stopped in Chinsali knowing this would be our last chance to get fuel. We followed Maps.me the whole time which is extremely accurate for bush driving. It takes three hours to get from the hot springs to Isoka. From there we turned off onto a dirt road. If you make the same drive then pray that it hasn’t rained in the past day because this road is long and muddy. It took us 2.5 hours to drive 114 km through what seemed like fifty small villages.

About one hour on the dirt road I finally said to Cam, “I hope we are going the right way.” My doubts started to get ahold of my mind so we pulled over so I could ask someone. We found a young Zambian on one of the coolest motorcycles I had ever seen. He told me we were heading towards Malawi, and that was good enough for me to keep going.

We never saw one single car the entire way, but we eventually made it to Malawi. I knew we made it to Malawi, not because of a large border post, but because I finally saw a pristine tarred road (yes, most of the roads in Malawi are tarred).

The border post does exist! We quickly stamped ourselves and our car out of Zambia, and I could sleep soundly knowing I didn’t have to enter or exit a country illegally.

Once you hit the tar road and stamp out of Zambia, the Malawian border post is 7 km further. The guards were all playing a game of bao when we rolled up and were some of the friendliest border guards I’ve ever come across. The visa fee for Americans (and many other nationalities) is now $75 paid in USD only, with bills only from 2013 or newer.

To get the car in we had to pay 10,000 Malawian Kwacha for a temporary import permit, payable in Kwacha only. We didn’t have any local currency so the border guard let us go to the nearest ATM to pull some out. We had Comesa (third-party insurance in Africa), which we flashed at the police officer on duty who seemed to care about his Facebook updates more than us. We experienced no runners at the Chitipa border and absolutely no hassle. It was honestly my African border post of dreams (unlike the border coming into Zambia).

Even though we drove 1100 kilometers in the wrong direction, and skipped Southern Malawi and South Luangwa, we are now on the shores of Lake Malawi sipping on cheap mojitos and kicking back on the clear blue water in the warm heart of Africa.

Africa Travel Tips

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Safari Destinations

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• A Masai Mara Guide For Safari Goers
• Africa’s Safari Animals And Where To Find Them
• Gorilla Trekking in Uganda – All You Need To Know
• Inside Tanzania’s Selous Game Reserve
• A Week in South Luangwa National Park

I knew that I had to visit Malawi while we were venturing around Africa. We crossed over the Chitipa Border Post from Zambia with very little expectations, and what we found shouldn’t be missed by anyone traveling around Southern and Eastern Africa.

5 Reasons You Should Visit Malawi!

There’s a big lake! Aka Lake Malawi

Malawi is a land of varying landscapes. From rolling hills to African plains and long valleys, visiting Malawi truly surprised me with all it had to offer. However, perhaps the country’s most well-known feature is Lake Malawi.

Lake Malawi, or “Lake Nyasa” (Malawi was once called Nyasaland when under British rule) is the ninth largest lake in the world and the second deepest lake in Africa, after Lake Tanganyika.

The UNESCO World Heritage site is 360 miles long and its shores can be found mixing with the land in Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania. However, Malawi gets the privilege of claiming most of the lake theirs. I was excited to visit Lake Malawi. I had heard of the dazzling, sparkling blue waters filled with countless species of fish.

Needless to say that the first time I laid eyes on the beautiful lake I was not disappointed. The water was crystal clear and cool shade of turquoise. No time was wasted and Cameron and I grabbed some snorkels and made our way straight under the sheet of blue. We had never snorkeled in a lake before, but Lake Malawi holds more than 1,000 species of cichlids of all types of different colors so I knew I would see something! Besides the rainbows of cichlids, we also found eel, killifish, and catfish in the lake!

It’s the Warm Heart of Africa

From the moment we entered the country from Zambia I fell in love. Malawi is dubbed the “warm heart of Africa,” and once you arrive you will see why. The people here are known for being the friendliest in Africa. No one is pushy, most areas are safe, and locals just walk around with a smile on their face.

Children, teenagers, men, women, grannies – just everyone was friendly and eager to chat. I would say 100% of the time we met a Malawian a handshake was immediately extended to us and a conversation ensued.

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, but you honestly wouldn’t think it given everyone’s seemingly positive outlooks. Instead of stares, we received waves, smiles, and curious questions from locals. The children were some of the happiest we’ve come across in Africa.

In fact, my favorite memory from our visit to Malawi was when a group of four young girls came up to me as I was walking and just held my hand. They asked my name and I told them it was “Natasha.”

The girls, perhaps they were between three and five, said back to each other “NASHASHA.” They walked with me back to where we were staying for the afternoon. They didn’t ask me for sweets or money like we’ve been asked for in the past, but instead, they asked me for pens.

We’ve been traveling around with small notebooks and pens to give to school children so I got some out of the car and gave them each a notebook with a pink, orange, and purple pen. I told them to please study and do well in school (not like they could understand me), and they stared at me as I had just given them a million dollars. I walked away and then they started running, smiling, and chasing after me chanting “NaShaSha, NaShaSha, NaShaSha!” It was heartwarming, genuine, and amazing at what a little thing like a pad of paper can do for a child.

The more we travel, the more we see that the children with absolutely nothing are some of the happiest in the world.

Wonderful Livingstonia

High in the mountains of Northern Malawi is Livingstonia. A small town established in the late 1800’s by missionaries looking to escape malaria around the Lake. Livingstonia was a highlight for us while traveling in Malawi and is definitely worth exploring. Livingstonia is 900 meters above the lake and is accessible by either driving or hiking up the hairpin dirt roads. Not wishing to put any more strain on dear Charlie and in desperate need of a good hike we decided to walk up to Livingstonia.

The hike took us about three hours in the humid Malawian air, but we met locals who said they do it in an hour and a half. Of course, we were not local, did not know the short cuts, and wanted to take countless photographs. We met a few other travelers who were also hiking, but if that is not your thing you can hitch a ride on one of the local trucks going up and down (we felt more confident on our feet given the state of the road).

Once at the top visitors can take in the stunning views, visit Manchewe Falls, and relish in the cool mountain air. The town of Livinstonia is also home to some impressive Scottish architecture, the beautiful Livingstonia Mission Church, and even a coffee shop.

You Can Work Off the Calories

We found good food choices around Lake Malawi. We found fresh grilled fish, nsima, and relish. In Nkhata Bay we enjoyed a Thai restaurant and an Indian joint. We ate till our hearts contempt around the lake, but never worried about gaining weight.

There are so many ways to stay active in Malawi. All the activities make us feel so refreshed and rejuvenated after spending so long driving around Africa. Snorkeling, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, and swimming is all on offer around Lake Malawi.

We found the hikes around Northern Malawi fantastic as well. From hiking up to Livingstonia to wandering through Nyika National Park on a walking safari there is plenty to stay active within Malawi. Just make sure to have the right clothes for your safari or hike. Add that to the fact that the country is pretty safe compared to its neighbors so even just walking around the streets is more popular than in other African nations.

You’ll Have Complete Solitude

For a country so central in Africa we were a bit surprised to find so few travelers in the country. Actually, never mind, I am not really that surprised. We knew Malawi wasn’t a popular African destination and that’s what drew us to the country even more.

Malawi is tiny so most tourists either overlook the country or pass through giving it two to three days on their way going north or south on the Cape to Cairo route. During our three weeks in Malawi, we met the only handful of other travelers. I even got surprised when I saw other mzungu at points! (Swahili for white people) Many of the foreigners we encountered in the country were in fact there for a long-term NGO project or working in the country.

Malawi is tiny so many tourists overlook the country or pass through giving it a day or two on their way along the Cape to Cairo route. During our three weeks in Malawi, we met only a handful of other travelers. We even got surprised when we saw other mzungus at points! (Swahili for white people) Many of the foreigners we encountered in the country were in fact there for a long-term NGO project or working in the country.

I’m not sure I should even be writing this post and letting others know how awesome Malawi is because a little part of me wants to keep it to myself. However, the other part of me wants everyone to go experience how warm the people are and to spend a day hiking around the beautiful the rolling mountains before jumping in the cool waters that make up the lake.

So go to Malawi and enjoy removing yourself from some of the main hotspots in Africa. I promise you a paradise without the crowds that won’t disappoint you.

General Info for Visiting Malawi

• We entered overland from Zambia via the Chitipa border. Other popular land crossings are the Songwe from Tanzania, Chapati from Zambia, and Mulanje from Mozambique.
• Most nationalities now need a visa before they can enter Malawi. We got one on arrival for $75 USD paid for in cash only.
• New USD notes are gold in Malawi. The banks do not take old currency so if paying with dollars most businesses will only accept fairly new notes. At the border, we were told we had to pay with dollars newer than 2013. When we tried to pay for lodges and food inside the country businesses wouldn’t accept any notes before 2006.
• ATM’s are readily available in major towns. We were limited to pulling our 80,000 Kwacha per transaction. Just about nowhere takes credit card in Malawi. You may get lucky with a Visa card at some locations to pay, but don’t count on it outside of big cities.
• If you’re not much of a driver, but still want to see Malawi check out some of these  Malawi tours. 
• The official languages of Malawi are English and Chichewa. We got by fine with English just about everywhere.
• We went in Lake Malawi despite the slight risk of Bilharzia. Bilharzia tablets can be picked up at any pharmacy and cost us a whopping 1000 Kwacha each for Bilharzia treatment.
• If self-driving expect a plethora of police roadblocks throughout the country. The police usually just asked us where we were heading and occasionally asked to see the paperwork. We never experienced any bribery, but did get a ticket for 6000 Kwacha after the police caught us going 7 km’s over.
• Malaria is a big risk in Malawi. Cerebral malaria (the most dangerous kind) is prevalent in the country so take your medicine, spray insect repellent, and sleep under a mosquito net at all times.

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