Malawi - you must go there

The lakeshore at Cape MacLear
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Malawi – the warm heart of Africa

Lake Malawi - a good place to watch an extraordinary mating ritual.

An edited version of a feature in Explore Magazine, December 2006

Women wash dishes and clothes while men dry fishing nets
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THE LAKE

Submerging into translucent warm water, I found myself surrounded by enormous granite boulders pierced by shafts of light and interspersed with abundant fish. At 30,800sq km, Lake Malawi has more fish species than any other body of inland water in the world, home to an estimated 1000 species of cichlid (pronounced sick-lid) with new ones being discovered all the time. Brightly coloured fish of every colour and shape, and a good place to watch an extraordinary mating ritual.

Bicycles used for transport at Monkey Bay
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After spawning, the female cichlid collects the eggs in her mouth, so it’s not surprising that they are commonly known as ‘mouthbreeders’. Most males have dummy spots on their anal fin which they use to trick the female into thinking she has left some eggs behind. When she goes to pick up the ‘forgotten’ eggs, the male releases his milt and the eggs, already in her mouth are fertilised. What a sneaky little fellow!

Another way to enjoy the lake is to hire a canoe or sea kayak and row along the shoreline or to one of many small islands. It had been a long time since I’d rowed a canoe and yet the tranquillity of being lulled by gentle lapping waves against the bow of the boat, while flushing out fisheagles and cormorants from baobabs, wild mango and brachystegia, was a welcome respite from diving. Passing occasional fisherman in dugout canoes and isolated villages was food for my soul, but after all, Malawi is regarded as The Warm Heart of Africa.

Nkhata Bay on the western shore of the lake
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BLANTYRE

My adventure started at Blantyre’s Chilewa airport, followed by a short drive along a road lined with stalls, mainly selling second-hand clothes donated by well-meaning overseas organisations. Unfortunately this has ruined any chance of poorer African countries ever having their own clothing industry and everywhere, tailor’s who run-up clothing from local material, are going out of business.

Surrounded by gum tree plantations and hills, sprawling Blantyre is the commercial capital and main industrial centre of Malawi with a laid-back atmosphere and natural beauty. Streets bustle with traffic, particularly pregnant minibus taxis and people, the women wearing colourful sarongs of African fabric. The main landmark is Le Meridien Mount Soche Hotel. Perpendicular to this is Victoria Avenue lined with craft stalls where traders are eager to do deals. It was fun bargaining for hand-painted animals in soapstone and wood, clay figures, mats and baskets, model bicycles, trucks and cars made from wire or raffia and of course Malawi’s famous chief chairs. In the main market, I was amazed to find pharmaceutical drugs for sale, from headache pills to anti-malaria medication. Multi-coloured little piles, unlabelled and sold in tiny handfuls.

Nkhata Bay
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ILALA FERRY

Exercise taken care of, now it was time for some RandR, making my way to Cape MacLear on the southern tip of the lake and the Ilala Ferry. This 1950s era lake steamer comes complete with wicker chairs and open bar on the top deck from where we watched the lake slide by. Apart from offering an unforgettable experience for the more adventurous traveller, it’s also famous for not running on time. Just finding out the schedule was an ordeal. It’s the only means of transport between many villages along the lake so the ferry carries cargo and its not surprising that there are delays, as we were soon to find out.

Chaos boarding the Ilala Ferry
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As we sat on deck in the harbour, dozens of Malawians boarded the ferry and were so amused to see mzungu (white people) onboard that they insisted on being photographed with us. The atmosphere was electric with lots of bell ringing, siren shrieks, hooting and laughing crowds. Baggage included bicycles, cages filled with squawking fowl, sacks of food and even goats. They played an African game called Bowa. It's one of those games that seem to have no clear set of rules or strategy and depending on who you ask, and their level of intoxication, you get a different story.

Ilala Ferry near Monkey Bay
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The following day was frustrating. We had to wait six hours for a replacement captain. Our old one vanished because his wife had gone into labour and the replacement had to drive around the coast. Eventually we set sail and were rewarded by an amazing spectacle as the sky darkened with clouds of what turned out to be insects. Our journey ended as the ferry docked at the jutting peninsula in Nkhata Bay, cradled among hills on the northern lakeshore.

MALAWI BASICS :

Capital : Lilongwe

Ilala Ferry
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Area : 118,484 square kilometres

Official language : English and Chichewa

Time zone : GMT/UTC +2

Dialling code : country 265, international 101

A brief stop in Mozambique
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Budget US$15 – 25

Population : 11 million

Visa’s : issued at point of entry, free for most nationalities and valid for 30 days.

Tax : a departure tax of US$30 must be paid when flying out of the country, paid in US dollars only

A warm welcome in Mozambique
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Tips : you will need anti-malaria medication, insect repellent, sun block and a few books

Kayak Africa, phone (021) 783 1955, e-mail letsgokayakafrica.co.za or visit www.kayakafrica.co.za

Ilala Ferry contact ilala@malawi.net

Flights from Johannesburg to Blantyre take 2½ hours costing US$540.

Colourful fabrics are sold all over Malawi
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WHERE IS IT

This tiny landlocked country is wedged between Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique with the Great Rift Valley passing through. The country’s most obvious geological feature is Lake Malawi running in a trough, the third largest lake in Africa covering almost one fifth of the country’s total area. Most of the lakeshore is sandy with natural beaches in bays of calm water, particularly in the south where most of the hotels and resorts can be found.

Soche, Michiru and Ndirande, the slopes of these hills have been declared forest reserves with Mount Michiru being the best for hiking. Once a year the Mountain Club of Malawi links all the summits in a Three Peaks Circuit.

LM Nat Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984 in recognition of the high species of fish and biological importance of its fauna.

Despite the lack of coral reefs and a wider variety of marine life, it is impossible to compare lake diving to deep sea diving and yet it isn’t disappointing.