Getting to Malawi

European Airlines flying to Malawi British Airways and KLM (via Nairobi with Kenya Airways) African Airline flying to Malawi Air Malawi, Air Zimbabwe, Air Tanzania, South African Airways, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines Airports Most international flights land at Lilongwe, Malawi's capital, but several flights, especially those from Johannesburg and Harare, land at the business centre of Blantyre in the south. Airport Tax All travellers pay an airport departure tax of US$20 when flying out of the country. There is a charge for domestic departures of MWK100. Visas Check with your travel agent if you require a visa- some nationalities do and regulations change from time to time. Your passport should be valid for at least six months on arrival. Customs and immigration Officials try to make your arrival and departure as trouble-free as possible and baggage handling is efficient and fairly fast.

Travelling Overland
Malawi has become a very popular staging post for trans-Africa travellers and it is also a very good country in which to begin an African trip. Many tour operators offer packages into and out of Malawi and there are regular coach services from Johannesburg and Harare. There are trains from Mozambique but they are not recommended for tourism.

When to visit
Malawi is always beautiful. The cooler months (May to October) are comfortable for travellers from the northern hemisphere, but the lush green summer (November to April) is also a good time to visit if due care is taken to avoid mosquito bites. The May and June months combine the best of both seasons - cooler, still green with great visibility - and are especially good for photography. Be warned that country roads are often impassable to normal vehicles during heavy rains.
Game viewing is best in the hottest times of the dry season when the animals are forced to visit water sources, but the country is more attractive in the wetter, greener months. Bird watchers enjoy their best sightings in October and November.
Check for school holiday dates, particularly for those in South Africa when more tourists visit Malawi and resorts can become crowded.

Geography
The Great Rift Valley runs across eastern Africa like an ancient scar from the Red Sea in the north to the Zambezi valley in the south. Malawi has two rift lakes - Lake Malawi and Lake Malombe - as well as Lake Chirwa and Lake Chiuta, which lie outside the Rift system. In all, over 20% of Malawi is covered by water. The Shire River, the only outlet from Lake Malawi, joins the Zambezi river in Mozambique, thence to the Indian Ocean.
In the north the Rift Valley Escarpment rises steeply from the Lake, reaching altitudes of 2500metres, even more across the Lake in the Livingstone Mountains of Tanzania. Mountainous areas in the north include the beautiful Nyika Plateau and the forested Viphya Plateau. in the south the mystical Mulanje Mountain towers through the mist.