Hostellerie de France is only situated 2 minutes drive from Blantyre City Centre just off Glyn Jones Chilomoni Ring Road. The House is set in tranquil spacious gardens with fantastic views and a large swimming pool salt water and Spa. On offer B&B: Executive room ,70us$, standard room 50/60 us$,family room 100 us$ B&B (4peoples), self catering:Flats 25/30/40/50 us$, Apartment 100 us$(4 people) , restaurant,bar,gym and Conference room. Bus at 20 meters.

www.hostellerie-de-france.com
hostfrance@globemw.net

Michel

Just wanted to add some info on Nyika. DNPW are running the park at present and accomodation can be booked via them. Chalets are K12,000, rooms K8,000 and camping K1,000. Try dnpw@malawi.net or ring Mzuzu office on (00265) (0) 1312014. The tourism concession has been awarded – I understand it’s Wilderness Safaris though I don’t know when they’ll start operating. So for now at least no horse safaris, mountain bikes etc. DNPW guides are available to accompany walkers or take game drives (you need to supply the vehicle though!). Access is pretty good at the moment with the road up to the park having been newly graded. There are some gnarly stretches once you are within the park en route to Chelinda but a car with good clearance – and preferably 4 x 4 will be OK. ( Please note there is no fuel at Chelinda so ensure you stock up at Mzuzu and then again at Rumphi. There was no fuel at Rumphi yesterday so don’t wait until then. Animal sightings are good. We saw a herd of 25 elephants a couple of weeks ago (including 5 juveniles and 4 new borns. Leopard are seen every few days often close to camp. The scenery is spectacular at the moment.

Lisa Holyhead

I am currently attached to the Zomba branch of the WESM (Wildlife & Environmental Society of Malawi; tel: 01 526212. email: wesm-za@sdnp.org.mw) and would like to let you know we are now offering birdwatching trips to Lake Chilwa.

The advertising material is as follows:

What to expect:

A local guide will meet you at Khanda village where you will walk to the harbour (15 minutes). From here the guide will take you out in a plank boat, and you will sail around the community and the village sanctuary. Depending on your interests, the guide will point out bird species and show you how local fishermen work on Lake Chilwa.

Getting there and back:

Khanda Village is located in Zomba District, 25 kilometers (15,5 miles) from Zomba town. If you have your own vehicle you can follow the route as described below from the WESM Zomba office to Khanda Community Home Based Care (HBC) centre where a guide will meet you.

Route description:

Turn right at Jokala township (9km from WESM Zomba office). Turn left at crossroad (13.5km from the main road) and continue until you reach Khanda Community HBC centre on your left.

If you do not have your own vehicle, we can arrange for transportation from WESM’s office in Zomba to Khanda for a fee of 3000 kwacha.

Note that during the rainy season the area can be muddy and it is therefore advisable to bring a raincoat or an umbrella and wear gumboots (gumboots can be borrowed from Khanda Bird Hunting Club upon request).

Practical information:

A bird watching trip lasts for approximately four hours (including transportation from Zomba). We charge a fee of 900 kwacha per person. While 100 kwacha goes to the Bird Hunting Association (BHA), and 200 goes to WESM, the remaining 600 kwacha is allocated specifically to Khanda Bird Hunting club for maintenance of boats and local income generating activities.

When to go:

Bird watching is open throughout the year every day of the week. It is advisable to go early in the morning (between 7 and 9 am), since birds are nesting in the reedy areas and feeding in the small pools inside the designated sanctuary wherefrom they fly out in the morning.

Note that the best time to go bird watching is in the rainy season (from December to April) when birds are migrating. Nevertheless, you will be able to see birds such as Storks, King Fisher, Pelicans, Gallinules, Herons, Flamingos, Eagles, Harriers, Geese Ibises, Ducks, Egrets, and Jacanas all year around.

Background:

The Lake Chilwa wetland has since 1997 been the first and only Ramsar site in Malawi, as it contains large populations of waterfowl of international importance. Since the summer of 2006, Khanda Bird Hunting club has offered, with support from the Wildlife & Environmental Society of Malawi (WESM), bird watching trips on Lake Chilwa. The well-vegetated and in parts rather marshy shore is a birdwatchers’ paradise, supporting a great variety of herons, waders and other shorebirds. Khanda Bird Hunting Club is one of 20 Bird Hunting Clubs around Lake Chilwa. The club is established on local initiative with the aim of legalizing hunting through sustainable management. Thus, bird watching trips have offered an alternative means to traditional hunting for the local people of Khanda, who traditionally depend on bird hunting.

Jan Nikkelborg

The Wildlife Centre (www.lilongwewildlife.org) is moving forward in leaps and bounds. We have our first lioness, rescued from a zoo in Romania by Born Free. And we have finally started construction of our auditorium and education block, plus we have our annual Run for Wildlife fun run coming up next month to help raise funds to build the first wildlife veterinary clinic in Malawi, at the Centre. Tracey Dettmer (Marketing Manager)

There is now a 19km drive loop in Mwabvi, the camp site has a lovely ablutions block, and the wildlife reintroductions are continuing at Majete.

The private concession at Nyika is just being readvertised by the government after the first tendering exercise ended in allegations of corruption. A government minister is being investigated. The previous company was not awarded a new contract, so the horse-riding has gone and most of the staff have been made redundant.

There’s also a new transport museum at the Heritage Centre, Limbe (the base for the Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi)

John Macdonald

The guide was invaluable during my trip to Malawi last month. However, I would recommend travellers avoid the ‘other’ bus from Lilongwe to Lusaka!… Take the Zambia-Botswana bus if you’re travelling this route and do NOT even consider taking the ‘KOBS Zambia-Malawi’ bus -even if they push you to, as they do- unless you want to spend 4 hours in Chipata waiting whilst they hail customers until the bus fills up. It was a nightmare! The drivers did not care at all at the complaints from most of the passengers for the delay. A ride that would normally take 7-8 hours took 14! from 6am to 8:30pm!

Hi Philip,

We recently opened a new Backpacker & Lodge in Lilongwe, Malawi. Your redaers can find all the information about us in our web page http://www.mufasabackpackers.net. Since January we have got new prices as follows: Twin & Double En Suite 35$ Private Twin non En Suite 28$ Dorm bed 14$ Budget Dorm bed 10$ Continental Breakfast is incl. except for the Budget Dorm.

Best Regards Katrin

Now two issues old, The Eye Malawi is a free quarterly magazine based on its Ugandan namesake, which has been going for 10 years now. It is basically a directory on where to go and what to do upon arriving, however it caters to not only tourists but expats and high end income brackets also. For more info see www.theeye.co.mw.

Lena Mitchell (editor)

 Cape maclear:

§         Steven’s lodge is very basic, doesn’t have internet facilities and a room for 3 persons was 2500 KW

§         Gaia is very attractive and I would recommend it, sgl 2000 KW, dbl 3000KW, dorm 1250 KW, telephone number is missing

§         Gecko’s lodge is a bit more expensive. You can rent kayaks (2 persons) here for $10 half/day and snorkeling equipment $5 h/d. Single kayaks are for rent at Kayak Africa for $10 h/d.

§         Where to eat: Thomasen’s had very good (local)food for ~500 KW.

§         If you arrange a ride back with a private car, make sure how many people will join you, because the driver asks other people too, without you knowing. Never pay all the money in advance, because the chance of a breakdown is not minor.

·        Liwonde:

§         Chinguni Hills Campsite has a 3 course dinner for $15 and safari’s from $15. There is no electricity. Recommended for backpackers (better than Mvuu I heard).

·        Zomba:

§         CCAP cottage 2000 KW pp, 8 beds, there is a living room with couches and it is allowed to sleep on them, but you still have to pay 2000 KW.

§         Troutfarm 800 KW

·        Monkey bay:

§         Zawadi guesthouse sgl 750 KW

§         Venice backpackers $7 dorm, nice place at the beach, but half an hour walk from the village

§         meals white rock bar 500 KW, Ulemu 350 KW

·        Satemwa tea estate:

§         Chawani Bungalow $110 for the whole house. Very beautiful, but you need your own transport.

·        Mulanje:

§         Every hut on the mountain had 4 mattresses (first come, first served). You can rent a sleeping bag and/or mattress for ~1000 KW per day.

§         A porter is 1000 KW per day, a guide 1300 KW per day, while a porter also knows the way (confirm this!)

·        Nkhata bay:

§         Mayoka village dorm 700 KW, every Tuesday free dinner

·        Ilala ferry:

§         2840 KW to Likoma Island (1^st class deck)

§         Likoma Island, Mango drift dorm 700 KW, dinner 800 KW

§         Chizumulu Island, Wakwenda retreat dorm 900 KW, dinner 800 KW

§         fishing boat (=dhow) between islands costs 100 KW, leaves Likoma at 5.00 am, takes 1 h and returns at 1 pm.

·        Livingstonia:

§         30 min. walk from roadblock with junction to Livingstonia to Chitimba beach. Not likely to find a lift to Livingstonia on a Sunday.

§         ~3 hrs walk from Chitima beach to mushroom farm, where you can storage your bags if necessary. Especially the shortcuts in the beginning are not too steep and save a you a lot of time. A lot of Malawians offer to guide you, but there is only one road, so not difficult to find your way.

§         Mushroom farm: camping 700 KW, tent+matras+sheets 700KW, abseiling and other activities are only possible when Mick is around.

§         Walk to the waterfalls from mushroom farm ~30 minutes, to Livingstonia 1.30 hrs.

·        Vwaza

§         Rhumphi has only a small market with a very small selection of fruits and vegetables

§         Kazunu: 4000 KW for a hut with 2 sgl beds. Cooking utensils can be provided, but is very marginal

§         Walking safari costs 750 KW,you see mainly elephants and hippo’s

·        Safari:

§         Zambia much better than Malawi

§         Kiboko safari 4-days South Luangwa NP $375, good value for money. Recommendable

·        Nkhotakota:

§         Pick and pay 2: 1800 dbl s/c, local guesthouse, not very nice place

§         You can also do pottery with a local, which is a lot cheaper and very nice to have some contact with locals, try to ask for Denes at the BP filling station.

·        Kande beach:

§         Dorm 1000 KW, horseriding 1 hr $25, 2 hrs $50 (with swimming), 3 hrs $75

§         Sketch map is a real sketch, it’s about 4 km from bus depot to Kande beach resort. Call the lodge and ask if someone can pick you up. If there are horse riding trips the car of Kande Horse goes there 4 time a day.

·        Viphya forest reserve:

§         Rest house 700 KW pp, lodge 800 KW, Joseph is an excellent cook

·        Lilongwe:

 

                        §                    There are no buses from the airport to Lilongwe, you    have to take a cab. This will cost around 4500 KW

§        

Annie’s coffee pot lodge doesn’t exist, there is only a restaurant

§         Cheap good local food you can find behind Ali baba, in summer park. There is also an internet place for 4 KW/minute