Malawi
Where else can you kayak in tropical water one day and gallop along a high plateau in search of duiker the next?
Lake Malawi - Africa’s third largest inland lake - is a magnet for honeymooners and adventurers. Dr David Livingstone called this 580km stretch of water “the lake of stars” but its true riches lie beneath its glittering surface. More indigenous fish species live here than any other lake on earth.
Best known are its cichlids, or mouth-breeders, so-called because the eggs are fertilised and matured in the female’s mouth. Also, the babies zoom straight back into their mother’s mouth, if threatened. When all is clear, she spits them out again.
Want to scuba dive? Beginners can qualify for their Padi Discover Scuba Diving certificate in Lake Malawi’s calm shallows. Then it’s straight out in the boat for a backward tumble with tanks into the depths. No sharks! No crocs! No worries!
Traverse the lake with the MV Ilala II, a no-frills old cargo ship that leaves weekly from the southern end of the lake stopping at designated ports along the way. Cape Maclear in the south, a Unesco World Heritage site, is a great base for diving, snorkelling, kayaking and sailing, while two islands in the north — Likoma and the smaller Chizumulu, offer sandy beaches, isolated coves, baobabs and mango trees.
Hire a bike and explore. Drink a Chibuku Shake Shake (beer milkshake) at Likoma’s legendary Hot Coconut Bar then head on to St Peters Cathedral, Africa’s third biggest church. The crucifix wood was taken from the tree under which Dr Livingstone is buried.
Thanks to its basic infrastructure of roads, Malawi is far more approachable than many wilder areas west. Shop for Makonde carvings in Lilongwe, then motor two hours northwest to Kasunga National Park, home of the puku, or north-east to the Nkhotakota Reserve. You should spot elephant, rhino, lion, hippo and crocodiles. Four hours away, the Vwaza Marsh Game Reserve also teems with wildlife.
Charter a small plane north to Mzuzu for superb aerial views of the lake and surrounds, drive up to the Nyika Plateau for a horse-back safari, where the cooler altitude attracts 450 of Malawi’s 650 species of birds and ferns, fireball lilies and wild gladioli dot the hills. Pass children running between grass-thatched huts and women carrying buckets on their heads or selling sugar cane from the roadside.
Confused about what direction to head? Ask a local for advice and most likely you’ll find yourself with a tour guide. Miles of smiles! Such is the warmth of Malawi’s heart!