Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ing under the stars, and various hiking trails (there's a booklet in your room with sugges-
ted one- to five-hour hikes on well-marked trails through montane forest). The lodge's or-
ganic food should also be credited. From the ridgeback dogs that greet you on arrival to
the warm service of the staff and owner George, Luwawa Forest Lodge is a rare treat.
There's no public transport to Luwawa, so you'll have to ask the bus driver to drop you
at the Luwawa turn-off and either walk from the main road or call the lodge for a pick-up
(US$10 per group). The lodge lies 10km east of the main M1 road between Kasungu and
Mzuzu and is well signposted, but in the wet season you'll definitely need a 4WD to reach
it.
Matolas
(pick-ups) regularly pass by on the M1 between 8am and 9am if you're headed
back to Lilongwe.
Nkhotakota
Described as one of the oldest market towns in Africa, unassuming Nkhotakota had a sig-
nificant and sinister part to play in Malawi's history. In the 1800s the town was home to a
huge slave market, set up by Arabic trader Jumbe Salim bin Abdullah. From here thou-
sands of unfortunate captives were shipped annually across the lake to Tanzania, before
being forced to march to the coast.
Today the town is strung out over 4km between the busy highway and the lake and
makes a break in any journey along the lakeshore, but don't expect much action. In the
grounds of the St Anne's Mission Hospital is a large tree called the
Livingstone Tree
,
where the explorer David Livingstone camped while leading an expedition to Malawi in
the 1860s. When he returned a few years later, he met with a local chief called Jumbe, and
tried (unsuccessfully) to persuade him to abandon the slave trade.
Sleeping & Eating
HOTEL
Stima Inn $$
( 0999-260005;
www.sanibeachresort.com
; dm per person US$8, standard r
US$40-55, superior r US$75; )
Within staggering distance of the
Ilala
ferry, this
low-slung, cream building with art deco aspirations is quirky to say the least - somewhere
between a tug boat and an inspired architectural feat. Adorned with nautical motifs, it sits
in isolation looking out over sand-flats to the nearby lake.
