In this blog – with VLOG included – you will read all about my Journey through Malawi. I’ll tell you about my trip, where I stayed, my best tips and my voluntary work. Lets gooo!
The country Malawi
Malawi lays in the south-eastern part of Africa, close to Mozambique, Zambia
The country hosts one of the friendliest inhabitants of the world. There is a strong community feeling and people take care of each other. Unfortunately, there is also a high number of death caused by decease. Mainly HIV and Malaria cause death in many families. The community takes care of the family left after death.
Malawi got affected by cyclone Idai. 900.000 people got affected and many homes were flooded. 56 people were registered dead from the cyclone. The cyclone destroyed multiple towns, many houses and agricultural working areas.
Malawi has multiple sights to see. One of the most popular places to visit in Lake Malawi (National Park). The lake is a big part of the country, has many exotic type of fish and serves the fishing industry. You may also find wildlife in Malawi, as there are several national parks such as Liwonde National Park and Mulanje National Park. The nature is beautiful and pure, as tourism is still very small – sometimes even rare – in this country.

My trip in Malawi
Monkey Bay
I entered the country of Malawi through the city Mchinji. I arrived in Mchinji by taxi from the border with Zambia (MK 1000,-). Here I took some cash from the ATM (National bank of Malawi) and booked a local bus to travel further to Lilongwe. With a small


Cape Maclear
After two days I moved from Monkey Bay to Cape Maclear. Cape Maclear is also in the Lake Malawi National Park, just on the other side. In only one hour you cross the park and you find Cape Maclear. This town is known for it’s best sunsets over the lake and offers about 10 lodges. Alongside the

Lilongwe
After three days in Cape
From


Where I stayed during my trip
- Monkey Bay Beach Lodge
- Price: $$
- Service: Personal and local. Things are handled with care but very slow and most of the time there is one option.
- What I got: A room with en-suite bathroom in a small house. I had my own entrance and a little balcony to sit on. I had my breakfast included.
- Overall stay: A very calm lodge, more like a European B&B. Nice views, beautifully furnished, a lovely private beach, a home-style restaurant with MARVELOUS breakfast and the option to do water activities. I think this is the prettiest lodge in the area. You can tap water for free all day. You can opt to buy WIFI here. The first
gb’s are free, then you pay to use some internet. But it works well:) - Perfect for: writing, to unwind, to go offline and to do some light water activities such as canoeing.


- Cape Maclear Eco Lodge
- Price: $$
- Service: a local eco-friendly and Social supporting lodge where about 20 rooms are situated. During my
stay it was pretty empty. Their garden is amazing, their views stunning and the project (HEEED) as part of the lodge a big plus. - What I got: A room with
private bathroom and porch. Breakfast wasn’t included so I took breakfast in the hotel sometimes, but also went to the Funky Cichlid for breakfast sometimes. Internet is not available (or existing) in this lodge. - Overall stay: The garden is stunning, a true dream. They have
sun beds you can use and they offer multiple water activities through Scuba Shack. A very friendly diving instructor will get you comfortable with the water. You can dine in the garden or around the porch of the main house, you just have to inform them about your preference in advance. Very friendly staff who greets you and prepares everything for. PLUS: such a sweet dog:) And it’s a big plus they have their own social development organization that is funded by the lodge. You can visit iteveryday for free,its just across the street. - Perfect for: Resting, sunbathing, writing, scuba diving, going offline and reading a book.

- Ad-lib executive Lodge Lilongwe
- Price: $$$
- Service: A small scale hotel in a house-style building. Everything is on the ground floor. The rooms are huge and the big garden has a swimming pool. Friendly staff and very personal.
- What I got: A insane big room (64m2) with private bathroom and breakfast included. For breakfast, you pick your preferences the day before and they serve you in the morning. They offer wifi in the hotel, but during my
stay they had trouble to track down the password for almost a day. To give you an idea.Oh and I had a cold shower the first day. - Overall stay: This hotel is perfect for the last nights. It is situated in a neighborhood just outside the vibrant city streets so it’s calm and very safe. They have a guard during the evenings. I had a very spacious and clean room so I loved to pack here. The garden is big and the pool good to relax and get some tan. The breakfast is good and the beds ok. One’s I got the wifi code, the internet was good enough to check the necessary things.
- Perfect for: short stay, city days, good nights of sleep, packing, some last hours in the sun.
My best tips for traveling Malawi
Transport
In general transport in Malawi is very basic. They usually don’t drive on schedule and things go slow here due to lack of money to develop good roads and public transport system. Public transport is barely there – I took it though – it works but you should be patient and not bother any comfort.
Money
I always thought I would be fine as long as I brought my credit card (Mastercard). But credit cards PIN-machines and transactions are an expensive business in Malawi, therefore most lodges, restaurants
My best tip when cash and credit
Internet
It may sound logical, but to me it was still a surprise: internet is very rare in Malawi. Even when you stay in a chique hotel in the capital, wifi is uncommon here. So please, be prepared. Check in advance the facilities of your hotel/lodge if you’d need to use the internet. Some restaurants and hotels offer paid wifi – you buy MB through a token. The prices are doable ( MK 1000 for 1mb) but it just is a bit of hassle sometimes. For me, during blogging you had to re-buy a new token. Uploading pictures was a headache and you are limited in posting stories etc. So please, be prepared. That said, if you like to offline and take some rest from IG: Malawi is the best place:)
Beds
Normally I am not someone who complaints easily. But I think it should be said: I had the worst mattresses of my life in Malawi. They are so incredibly thin and soft, I could feel the planks with my hips and my but. It’s ok for a night or
Food
The options are limited in restaurants but here and there you have something to choose. A good tip is to check availability for restaurants around lunchtime (13h – 14h) and let the restaurant know what you’d like to eat. This way they can prepare upon your wishes. I ate a lot of chicken during my time in Malawi but also many curries and stews. Around Lilongwe you’ll find multiple Indian restaurants and many more bistro style restaurants.

Voluntary work in Malawi
During my time in
Around Lake Malawi
- Nkhata Bay – Butterfly Space
- Senga Bay – Cool Running
- Salima –Wildlife Action Group
Around Lilongwe
- Likuni – Zikomo Foundation
- Lilongwe – Mustard Seed Organization
- Lilongwe – Ascent Academy (Soccer Academy)
- Lilongwe – Children of the Nations
- Lilongwe – Youth Organisation
- Other destination – Raising Malawi (organization by Madonna)
Of course there are many more voluntary options throughout the country. If you like to find your perfect voluntary work in a different area, please have a look here.

Malawi VLOG
In this vlog I will bring you along to the Lake Malawi, I show you the incredible sunsets and I visit Lilongwe – the capital of Malawi. During my stay in Lilongwe, I volunteer with Taste of Malawi. Hope you like what you see!
