We had planned to visit Blantyre, but on our own time. As immigration at the border didn’t have visa stickers, we were sent to their main office within 3 days of entering the country. The minibus led us through the tea plantations and the rolling hills of green. It dropped us in Limbe, which is a suburb of Blantyre, and we boarded another minibus to the outskirts of town. As we didn’t know where we should get off, we asked the man next to us. He said he was getting off at the same stop and guided us to immigration. As we walked, the main street was lined with tailors working with different colored fabrics and their samples hanging on the shop windows behind them.
Tailors working in the streets
The building was full of people and we were directed to the visa office. We handed over our passports with the restriction we were given at the border. The woman sent us upstairs to pay the cashier and then we returned with the receipt. The office had closed by this time and we were locked in while we waited for them to process our visas. Not long after, we were individually handed our passports with stickers and stamps inside.
That evening we stayed at Doogles Backpackers. The GPS sent us through an open field that led us through a market to the bus station. The hostel served its purpose of providing us with food and a place to stay for the night. We woke up early the next morning and stopped in Limbe on our way back.
Malawi produces a large amount of tobacco and we had hopes of seeing the auction floors. We were allowed in and were given a tour, but it was a contract day so it was quiet. The farmers had brought in their bags of dried leaves and the buyers were walking around writing down their offer on a piece of paper. A strong smell of tobacco filled the air and we were asked not to take any pictures.
Zomba
Even though we’d just spent the 3 previous days hiking in Mulanje, we were headed to Zomba for more. The town, which used to be the capital of Malawi, is at located at the base of a plateau. Our plan was to spend a night at the top to give us more time to explore.
We arrived in record time as our minibus took the direct route to Limbe and there were only a few villages between there and Zomba. When we reached the outskirts of town, I looked out to see them unloading our bags into another car. I immediately jumped out to find out what was going on. While they hadn’t communicated it to us, they wouldn’t be going into town so they had arranged a taxi, free of charge, to take us there. We were grateful they’d coordinated it, but watching our bags being taken away gave us a scare.
We asked the taxi to take us to Pakachere Backpackers, where we’d be staying. The afternoon was spent washing our clothes and shoes by hand after the hike in Mulanje. Then, we headed into town to explore and get food for the next day’s hike. We went to the market to get vegetables and we’re impressed with their presentation. Almost every vendor had the same items, which was normal, but they displayed their carrots, tomatoes and lettuce with pride. We wandered around to find the best prices and moved into the Irish potato section before finding the last vendor that had the best selection. Once we were sufficiently loaded, we found a local restaurant for dinner and called it a day.
The map of Zomba Plateau
The market with all its vegetables aligned
It had been overcast since we made our descent of Mulanje, but we had hopes of it clearing. We woke up the next day to a large cloud sitting on top of the plateau and occasional rain/mist. Our bags were packed and ready, but we decided to wait a few hours to see if it would pass. We would look out the window and see that it was still wet and go outside to see the cloud every now and again. While it did stop raining, the cloud didn’t move. We decided to cheat and take a taxi to the top for lunch at the resort.
Zomba Plateu covered by the fog
As the car got higher and higher, we could see out over the town. The cloud was sitting on the top, but there was still a view of the plains. Once we reached the top, we were in the cloud and visibility decreased significantly. We entered Sunbird Ku Chawe and immediately felt out of place as we’d just stepped into a high-class establishment. After looking over the menu, we decided to stay for lunch and use their internet. While we ate, the fog got thicker and thinner, but it never disappeared.
From the resort, we walked the few kilometers to the Trout Farm. We’d rented a 2 bedroom house for a fraction of what we would have paid at the resort. We left our bags and walked along the river to explore a little before dark. The path was in a rainforest with ferns and greenery surrounding us. About a kilometer in, I reached into my pocket to feel for the key, but it wasn’t there. We retraced our steps and assumed that it probably fell out when I slipped and almost fell. There was grass everywhere, but we combed through it and were thrilled to see the silver key amongst the green.
The Trout Farm
The guardians of our brick house for the night
Starting the afternoon hike
Tico walking in the amazing paths of Zomba Plateau
The missing key
We bought a bushel of firewood and started to heat up the brick house. The fire would also be our stove and drying rack that night. Our clothes were still damp from the day before as it hadn’t stopped drizzling. We had everything spread out in front of us and our shoes propped against the edge. While we thought we were paying close attention, I pulled away one of my shoes to see that the foam above the sole was melting. Structurally it was fine, but it left with a scar.
Drying our clothes by the fire
The fog was still on the plateau the next morning, but it didn’t stop us from going out. We followed the same path as the night before to reach William’s Falls. The road continued up and we walked around a small dam to the viewpoints. We had lunch at the Queen’s View and felt lucky that the clouds were moving so fast as they’d clear and then return within a minute. We looked out across the plains and tried to find Mulanje in the distance. A few meters away was the Emperor’s View and we took our time to enjoy the slightly different angle as the clouds had cleared completely.
Starting the early morning hike
The bottom of Williams Falls
William’s Falls at Zomba Plateau
Waiting for the fog to clear
Clear horizons from the Emperor’s View
Having fun with the clear view
The GPS showed a trail that would pass the big dam and take us back to the Trout Farm. When we reached the turnoff, we actually passed it as there was no indication of a path. We pushed our way through the trees and found a path going down so we followed it. It wasn’t the path on the map, but they eventually joined. The dam was in the distance and we were getting closer, but there was still a large valley in the way. We started down another path that didn’t exist as we pushed the plants out of our way. It finally rejoined the trail we had taken earlier in the day and we retraced our steps back to our bags.
Going through the forest
The view of the dam
Refilling our bottles with fresh mountain water
We decided to hike down the potato path back to town and thankfully this time the GPS sent us in the right direction. It led us through maize fields and back to the main road as women with firewood were also making their way home. We stopped for a beer before heading back to the hostel. The minibus was leaving early for Cape Maclear, where we’d work for the next week and a half on the edge of Lake Malawi.
The view of town from the potato path
Women collecting firewood from the mountain
Our beer of choice “Kuche Kuche”
Helpful tips:
- Call to find out the days of the auction before visiting. They also have locations in Lilongwe and Mzuzu. Tours cost $10 USD per person.
- Guides are available to explore the Zomba, but the 3 main attractions are along the road.
- Clouds are common during the months when the weather is changing.
Como asi que necesitaban visa para Blantyre, no estaban ya en Malawi?
Nos dieron permiso para entrar al país por 3 días pero tuvimos que irnos a Blantyre para terminar el trámite dentro de esos días. Al final no era problema pero nos hicieron cambiar nuestro plan.