Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Mandala Rd; 7.30am-5pm Mon-Sat)
A souvenir shop selling T-shirts, postcards, jew-
ellery and other crafts.
MARKETS
To see what Malawians buy, go to the city's main market by the bus station. It's always lively and colourful and is
a great place to buy secondhand clothes, although photography is not appreciated.
There's also a craft market outside the Old Town post office, where vendors sell everything from trinket wood-
carvings, basketry and jewellery to traditional Malawian chairs. If you go late in the day you're likely to get a bet-
ter deal.
Information
Dangers & Annoyances
You definitely don't want to be around Lilongwe Nature Sanctuary after dark thanks to
the late-night hyena appearances, which have taken a few locals in recent years. Also,
there have been isolated cases of muggings around the Sanctuary Lodge, so ask for a se-
curity guard to escort you to your cabana.
During the day it's fine to walk everywhere around Old Town and City Centre, al-
though it's much quieter at City Centre at the weekend so you should be on your guard
then. At night, Malangalanga Rd can be dangerous, and walking to Area 3 is not recom-
mended. The bridge between Area 2 and Area 3 is still a favourite haunt for muggers. Al-
ways watch out for your things when at the city's main bus station, and if you arrive on a
bus after dark take a minibus or taxi to your accommodation. As a general rule, it isn't
safe to walk around anywhere in the city after dark.
Bus tickets should only be bought at the bus station; some travellers have been conned
out of money by buying tickets on the street when there is no such service.
Emergency
Ambulance
(
998)
Fire
(
01-757999)
Police
(
01-753333)
