Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
GUIDES & PORTERS
Porters are not obligatory but they make the hiking easier, especially for the first day's
steep hike from the Likhubula Forestry Office (
Click here
)
. Guides are definitely recom-
mended to help you through the maze of paths.
Arrange guides and porters only at Likhubula, as the forest station keeps a registered
list, which works on a rotation system.
There is a standard charge of around MK2000 per day per porter and MK2500 per
guide (regardless of group size). The total fee for the whole trip should be agreed before
departure and put in writing. Fees are paid at the end of the trip but porters are expected to
provide their own food, so about 25% may be required in advance. You may want to tip
your porters and guides if the service has been good; a rule of thumb is to pay something
around an extra day's wage for every three to five days. The maximum weight each porter
can carry is 18kg.
HIKING ROUTES
The three main ascent routes go from Likhubula: the
Chambe Plateau Path
(also called
the Skyline Path), the
Chapaluka Path
and the
Lichenya Path
. Other routes, more often
used for the descent:
Thuchila Hut to Lukulezi Mission
;
Sombani Hut to Fort Lister
Gap
; and
Minunu Hut to Lujeri Tea Estate
.
Once you're on the massif, a network of paths links the huts and peaks, and many dif-
ferent permutations are possible. Be warned that some of the routes are impassable or oth-
erwise dangerous. The route from Madzeka Hut to Lujeri is very steep, for example, as
are the Boma Path and the path from Lichenya to Nessa on the southwestern side of Mu-
lanje.
As a rough guide, it takes anything from two to six hours to hike between one hut and
the next, which means you can walk in the morning, dump your kit, then go out to explore
a nearby peak or valley in the afternoon.
A MULANJE TRAVERSE
The route described here, from Likhubula to Fort Lister Gap, is the most popular of several options. It can be done
in four days.
Likhubula Forestry Office to Chambe Hut
There are two options: the Chambe Plateau Path, which is short and steep (two to four hours), and the Chapaluka
Path (3½ to five hours), which is less steep and more scenic. From the hut verandah, there are good views of the
