Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CYCLING
Several of the lakeshore lodges hire out mountain bikes, usually for about US$10 a day.
Areas that are great for mountain biking include Nyika National Park (through Chelinda
Camp), with its hilly landscape and good network of dirt tracks, and the Viphya Plateau
(through Luwawa Forest Lodge). Both offer hire bikes.
Business Hours
Offices and shops in the main towns are usually open from 8am to 5pm weekdays, with an
hour for lunch between noon and 1pm. Many shops are also open Saturday morning. In
smaller towns, shops and stalls are open most days, but keep informal hours. Bank hours
are usually from 8am to 3.30pm weekdays. Post and telephone offices are generally open
from 7.30am to 5pm weekdays, sometimes with a break for lunch. In Blantyre and Lilong-
we, they also open Saturday morning.
Children
There are few formal facilities for children in Malawi; however, Malawi is generally a
safe and friendly place for children to visit. Older kids will love the many outdoor activit-
ies that Malawi has to offer and many of the lodges in Malawi's wilderness areas and
beaches are geared towards families.
Most of the big international hotels in Blantyre and Lilongwe can provide babysitting
services, family rooms and cots for babies, as can several of the tourist lodges up and
down the coast. Similarly, many of the big city restaurants frequented by expats and tour-
ists will be able to provide high chairs. Disposable nappies and formula are widely avail-
able in supermarkets and speciality shops in Lilongwe, Blantyre and Mzuzu, but they can
be difficult to find elsewhere.
One caveat - never let your children swim in Lake Malawi just before (and after) dusk;
tragic stories about kids who outstayed their welcome and got taken by crocs and hippos
(who come out at this time) are many.
Climate
Malawi has a tropical climate with a number of regional variations. The country's steami-
est areas are the Shire Valley and Lake Malawi. Malawi's highland regions include Nyika,
Mulanje and Dedza and can be very cold at certain times of the year, especially at night.
The hot rainy season kicks in between November and March.
