Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BUS
It is possible to cross into Malawi by bus from Tanzania, Zambia and South Africa, and
there are direct services from Johannesburg, Dar es Salaam, Nairobi and Lusaka to
Blantyre and Lilongwe. When crossing the border you will have to get off the bus to pass
through customs and pay for your visa.
BOAT
The Lake Malawi ferry
Ilala
stops at Metangula on the Mozambican mainland. If you're
planning a visit you must get a visa in advance and make sure to get your passport
stamped at Malawian immigration on Likoma Island or in Nkhata Bay. The
Ilala
was out
of service for repairs at the time of research but will hopefully be back on the water
shortly.
CAR & MOTORCYCLE
You will need a valid
carnet de passage
for your car, which will require entry/exit stamps
when entering/leaving the country, as well as full car registration details and insurance
documents, and you will have to pay US$20 road tax. If you don't have a
carnet
you will
need to purchase a temporary import permit for US$3 and compulsory third-party insur-
ance costs US$25 for a month. You won't find fuel or supplies at the borders themselves
so take enough to continue to the nearest town.
TRAIN
If you're heading to northern Mozambique, a freight train
sometimes
departs from Limbe
on Wednesdays at 7am, travelling via Balaka and Liwonde to the border at Nayuchi. From
Nayuchi (where there are moneychangers) you can walk to Entre Lagos, and then get a
chapa
to Cuamba. That said, this is an unreliable mode of transport and you're better off
taking the bus.
Getting Around
You can travel around Malawi by air, road, rail or boat. Compared to other countries in the
region, distances between major centres are quite short, and generally roads and public
transport systems are quite good, making independent travel fairly straightforward.
