Malawi is landlocked. It is a long and narrow country, covering more than 1000 km from north to south. Lake Malawi, nearly 600 km long and up to 80 km wide, dominates the countryside. The Rift Valley is an ancient geological formation with fertile soils. Everywhere you go in Malawi one sees evidence of this. Throw down a seed and a plant or a vegetable grows. When David Livingstone arrived at the lakeshore in 1861, he was the first foreign explorer to see the lake. He was so in awe that he started missions here.
Malawi’s scenery is diverse and the habitats are varied. At its lowest point, the country is only about 35 m above sea level yet the nearest coastline is nearly 300 km away. Its highest point, Mount Mulanje, is 140 km away and over 3000 m above sea level.
Between these altitude extremes, there are rolling hills, plateaus, cool misty mountains and much varied scenery. Each of the many diverse habitats is protected within Malawi’s eleven national parks and game reserves. Everything, from Elephants to orchids, is protected.
Today, Malawi is a wonderful, warm, friendly and welcoming country that offers visitors great scenery, interesting parks and some of the friendliest villagers in all of Africa. If you are keen on experiencing African culture, Malawi is possibly the best country for this.
The capital city, Lilongwe, is easily reached via London (on British Airways) or Johannesburg, Harare and Zambia. We have aircraft and vehicles in Lilongwe, which can transport you to the main attractions – and across the border, to Zambia’s Luangwa Valley. Lilongwe is the best springboard to access the Luangwa.