MALAWI REPORT TRAVEL.

To enter Malawi for Italian citizens it is necessary to obtain an Entry Visa. For more information: http://www.immigration.gov.mw/

The visa must be requested at the Malawi Embassy in Brussels (Belgium):

Address: Avenue Herrmann-Debroux 46 - B-1160 Brussels, Belgium

Phone: +32 (0) 22310980

Fax: +32 (0) 22311066

Email: embassy.malawi@skynet.be

Website: http://www.embassymalawi.be/

For those who enter the country by crossing the land borders, it is possible to obtain an entry visa for Malawi directly at the border, in scarce half an hour, by filling out 2 forms and paying 75 USD (to me the employee also asked for a 5 USD tip) . Those who reach Malawi by air will have to check with the chosen airline (only some allow you to travel without a visa, thus allowing you to pick it up on arrival).

Below are the paths to access the explanatory pages of the Embassy of Malawi in Belgium and the contacts of the Honorary Consul of Malawi in Italy:

http://www.embassymalawi.be/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=30&Itemid=89

http://www.embassymalawi.be/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=87&Itemid=102

In Tanzania, the vast majority of the population is Christian.

There is an hour of time zone behind, compared to Tanzania and therefore none compared to Italy.

Bear in mind that there are a lot of roadblocks in Malawi.

Once you have obtained your visa and Malawi entry stamp, you can take a minibus to Mzuzu for the price of 5,000 MK, (a generous 5 hours). Instead, I asked for a lift to a private car which, at a price of 12,000 MK, took me to Salima in 13 hours, allowing me to make stops in Karonga, Mzuzu and Nkhata Bay.

In Salima, near the bus stop located on the main road connecting Lilongwe and Mua, there are several cheap guesthouses that cost between 4,000 and 10,000 MK, including the Chikungu Lodge, which costs 5,000 MK for a double room (there are single), without breakfast.

To reach the center of Salima I use a bike with a biker paying 200 MK even if the correct cost for a club is 100 MK.

From the Bus Station of Salima, located in the city center, Big Bus and Minibus for Senga Bay depart very frequently from 5.00 am until after sunset. The trip takes less than half an hour and costs 400 MK. You pay after getting on.

The best way to get around Sandy Bay is by motorcycle taxi. One ride costs 500 MK.

From the Bus Station of Salima, located in the center, minibuses leave, when full, for the capital of the Malati Lilongwe. Beware that this is a little traveled route and you are unlucky you have to wait even 3 hours before the minibus fills up and then you can leave. The trip takes about 3 hours and costs 2,000 MK. You pay after getting on.

All buses and minibuses from Salima arrive in Lilongwe at the Bus Station located in Malangalanga Road, near the Main Market.

If you want to reach Liwonde from Lilongwe, you have to go to the Bus Station, where minibuses and big buses leave for Zomba when they are full, which also stop in Liwonde. Prefer minibuses as they are much faster than buses and keep in mind that for the latter the wait before leaving can reach up to three hours. The Big Bus Journey takes only 6 hours and costs 4,000 MK. You pay after getting on.

If in Liwonde, you want to sleep at Shire Camp, located adjacent to the Shire River, keep in mind that you must tell the driver to stop in front of the National Bank (which is the first stop in Liwonde). From there it is necessary to walk about 300 meters. The cost per night for a double in a Bungalow is 14,400 MK, or 20 USD, including breakfast.

Shire Camp organizes boat trips of 2 hours and 30 'in Liwonde National Park, to see a sea of hippos, some crocodiles and with a little luck some elephants. The cost is 20 USD for the entrance to the Park and 40 USD for the rental of the motor boat and for the Guide. You can also pay in MK. Logically, if you are 2, 3 or 4 people the price of 40 USD can be lowered up to 25 USD.

In Liwonde, on the main road connecting Lilongwe and Zomba, minibuses to Mangochi pass every day, from before sunrise to after sunset, with excellent frequency (some continue to Monkey Bay). The trip takes about 1 hour and a half and costs 2,000 MK. You pay after getting on. Collective taxis also travel this route.

In Mangochi, on the main road connecting Liwonde and Monkey Bay, minibuses leave when they are full, every day (including Sundays), from sunrise to sunset, with good frequency, minibuses to Monkey Bay. The trip takes about 1.5 hours and costs 1,500 MK. You pay after getting on.

The minibuses in Monkey Bay stop first at the junction for Cape Maclear and then (5 km later) at the square located a few hundred meters before the port.

Cape Maclear, can be reached from the aforementioned junction in Monkey Bay, along the 20 km of dirt road. There are Matolas that leave from 6 in the morning onwards, but only when they are full and often this happens after hours. The trip takes about 1 hour and costs about 1,000 MK. You pay after getting on. You can also take a motorcycle taxi for the price of 7,000 MK.

 

In Monkey Bay, you can get carried around on a bicycle, paying 200 MK for each ride.

In Mangochi, on the main road connecting Monkey Bay and Liwonde, minibuses to Blantayre leave when they are full, every day (Sunday included), from 2 am until 7 pm, with excellent frequency, which logically also stop in Liwonde (1 hour and a half) and Zomba (3 hours abundant). The x Zomba ticket costs 3,000 MK. You pay after getting on.

In Zomba, I slept at the Chichango Guesthouse at the price of 4,000 MK, for a double room (there are no singles), without breakfast and without electrical sockets, located 200 meters away. approximately from the Bus Station.

From Zomba to go to Blantayre, you can take a minibus from the Bus Station, which leaves when full, or a collective taxi on the main road connecting Liwonde and Blantayre. The latter solution is slightly more expensive (1,000 MK), but significantly faster (40 'scarce). In both cases you will most likely finish the race in Limbe, a town located 5km south-east of Blantayre.

To reach Blantayre from Limbe, you can take one of the many minibuses for the price of 200 MK. The same price you pay for a minibus inside Blantayre.

Blantayre Airport is located in Chileka, about 15 km from the city center. The cheapest way to get there is to take a minibus that leaves quite frequently for Chileka from Glyn Jones Road, near the intersection with Laws Road and near St. Paul's Cathedral. The ride takes about half an hour and costs 500 MK. Remember to tell the driver that you intend to get off at the airport.

In the arrival hall of the small Blantayre Airport it is possible to change money.

Punctual as never before from Blantayre (Malawi) at 3.40 pm my plane no. ET877 of the Ethiopian Airlines Company in the direction of Terminal 2 of the International Airport of Addis Ababa Bole (Ethiopia), (price of the multi-route ticket including taxes from Malpensa to Kigali (Rwanda) and from Blantyre (Malawi) to Malpensa with a stopover in Addis Ababa : Euro 699.51).

Dinner is served on the aforementioned aircraft.

Arrival on time at 8.40 pm, at Terminal 2 of Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (Ethiopia). There is a 1 hour time zone compared to Italy.

At the aforementioned airport, I stay in the transit area (where there are seats where you can lie down to sleep) and therefore it is not necessary for me to be stamped with the Ethiopian entry stamp.

Punctual as never before, my Airplane no. 2 leaves from Terminal 2 of Addis Ababa Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) at 11.45 pm. ET734 of the Ethiopian Airlines Company in the direction of Bruxcel International Airport, but with a stopover at Malpensa (multi-route ticket price including taxes from Malpensa to Kigali (Rwanda) and from Blantyre (Malawi) to Malpensa with a stopover in Addis Ababa: Euro 699 , 51).

Dinner is served on the aforementioned aircraft.

I therefore arrive at 5.20 A.M., at Malpensa International Airport, where my long journey ends.

My complete travel report with map, photographs and videos is available at this link:

http://vivendosalendo.blogspot.com/2018/02/viaggio-in-rwanda-burundi-tanzania-e.html