Lifestyle
Ashley Chakanyuka 0

Lake_Malawi2

Malawi is a southeastern African country.

With a population of around 18 million people and a Gross Domestic Product of about $5442 billion in 2016.

It is landlocked between Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania. The official language of Malawi is Chichewa. Malawi has a sub tropical climate. The wet season is typically from November to April and the cool-dry season is from May to August. During this period temperatures range between 17 and 27 Celsius. The hot-dry seasons occur between September and October, when temperatures range between 25 and 37 Celsius.

Malawi is serviced by two international airports, namely: Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe and Chileka International Airport in Blantyre. Tarmac roads connect the airports and key borders to all major cities and towns in Malawi. It’s capital city is Lilongwe. Here are some of the things you need to know about Malawi before you visit:

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  1. Visa: Do you need one? According to the Passport Index you do not require a visa to enter Malawi if you’re a South African citizen. You are however required to carry your passport.
  2. Health care: What vaccines do you need? A vaccination certificate is required for yellow fever, but only you are arriving from any country where the disease is endemic. Check on anti-malarial medication well in advance of travel to Malawi.  For up to date advice it is recommended to consult a Doctor well in advance of travel to Malawi.
  3. Things to do in Malawi as a tourist? You can go Bird Watching and see the over 650 recorded bird species in Malawi from the 9000 that is found on the continent. You can also visit the Liwonde National Park that is one of the more popular parks in the country. There’s also Lake Malawi to explore, which is the third largest lake on the continent, ninth in the world. There are also cultural museums that can teach you more about the country and her people.
  4. Places to stay while exploring the country
    The country has a number of top accommodation options for tourists looking to stay in the country. A simple Google search will show all the available options.
  5. CurrencyThe currency in Malawi is the Kwacha, divided in 100 tambala. Currency notes are in  K1000, K500, K200, K100, K50, K20. One Malawian Kwacha is equal to 0.019 South African Rand.

    Foreign currency and traveller’s cheques can be exchanged at banks, some tourist hotels and lodges and bureaux de changes.
    Major credit cards are accepted in major hotels and restaurants.

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What is one thing you haven’t done in a long time? For me it is doing a backflip, ganor or any type of flip into a lake. The feeling is priceless. It’s the ability to walk up to an edge, trust your body and control it while free falling for a split second right before gliding into crystal clear water. It’s elegant when it’s right or down right cringe worthy when it’s wrong. Before this well-timed decently executed backflip, a ranger who had asked if I was going to jump said something along the lines of “enjoy it while you can”. He said this at the same time as investigating if we had our park permits and walked off after chatting a bit. It seemed like a such an insignificant statement, but in a place like malawi where a small injury can be life altering, that sentence was heavy. Breaking your ankle can leave a child disabled for life or an elderly person struggling to simply survive. Every jump, flip, or flop after that was enhanced by the simply joy of doing. Not knowing why this story is important, do something you haven’t done in a long time that brings you blissful joy simply because you still can.

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For more information on the country visit the Malawian Consulate.


Consulate

AUTHOR: Travel, Independent Media

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Categories: Lifestyle