Marvellous Malawi

Wahoo, country number 7 in Africa and we’ve been on the road for a number of months already.  

We’ve visited places we hadn’t even heard about and now we are in country number 7 with Andi the Landy going strong.

The border crossing into Malawi was easy enough from Zambia and the first thing we notice are the locals and their lifestyle industriously going about their daily existence.  Five sacks of their wonderful home-made charcoal stacked on high on the back of a bicycle.  Unsteady and balanced  precariously we were sure we’d see a tumble down of black charcoal!  Thatch roof huts of tabasco drying, hanging line after line of this precious commodity being air dried.  Thatch roof huts of bananas for the passers by to purchase.

A couple of nights camping before moving onto KumbaliLodge in Lilongwe.  Lilongwe is the capital of Malawi and is a bustling place with people all around.  Kumbali Lodge on the outskirts of the capital in a banana plantation.  Thatch huts and gardens to just wind down away from it all, staying here is a perfect combination after the bustling busy city.  Whilst staying at Kumball Lodge we played the only 18 hole golf course in Malawi, Lilongwe.

An inner city parkland course Lilongwe is welcoming and friendly to visitors.  Set along the Lilongwe River the course and is also pretty challenging too.  Although fairly flat, there was some movement up and down through gentle hills.  Tree lined and a pleasure to walk around, even if the golf was rubbish!

Lilongwe Golf 

Lunch after golf, was pretty good, especially for golf club food in Africa!

Leaving the capital we head to Game Haven via Dedza Pottery for one night camping.

Game haven is a series of varying accommodations to suit all.   Our room was in a single story green roof building which didn’t seem out of place.  Adopting more of a colonial feel and blending with the overall game park theme.  You can watch wild animals from the room, or better still, get out to play golf in amongst them.  The nine hole course will satisfy the golfers and the wildlife enthusiasts amongst us.  Zebra or wildebeest wander freely around course in good size herds.  Despite the moving target, they are a good way to mark your line.

Game Haven Golf

  Giraffe, Kudu and a whole host of other animals can make for some interesting lies but the fun playing on such a course far outweighs the condition of the course, which really wasn’t the best.  The best is in the experience.  Back to the lodge that night, our lodge was made up of a big bedroom, a living room and a bathroom.  Slightly dated but comfortable, we were able to relax.  In fact we liked Game Haven so much we asked if we could camp one night too and chose a spot down by the lake to watch the amazing sun set

Camping Game Haven 

over the horizon, gin and tonic in hand.

Back in the Landrover the next day and we find ourselves heading towards Blantyre to play two golf courses, Country Club Limbe and Blantyre Sports Club.

Country Club Limbe has a fairly weak starting hole, but soon picks up after hole 2 and actually is a very pretty course.  Tall African trees dot along without being too oppressive or too much in play.  The course does have some hills and this does give it appeal.  Nice and green, CC Limbe is a nice 9 hole course.

Country Club Limbe 

Blantyre Sports Club is more than golf, but we only played the golf course.  Again another nine hole course which ducks up and down towards the river.  Sadly the river was really smelly, a result of pollution up-stream according to our caddies, but the plastic bags and rubbish clinging to the higher walls of the ravines tell the story that this water course can flow much higher.  Blantyre Sports Club is such a nice course, in decent contain, it is such a shame the river gives it a bad mark.  Take away the river, and arguably take away of lot of trouble for golfers, and also take away the unique design of the water courses cutting through.  By doing this you dont have Blantyre Sports, you have somewhere else, less exciting to play - maybe just clean up the river or stop the pollution up stream to give this course a chance of being amazing.

Blantyre Golf

A quick cross country scoot - who am I kidding, we’re in a Landrover so don’t go quickly anywhere! So a slow cross country

scoot and we are at a very different place, Makokola.  Clean, spacious and incredible, Makokola is located directly on Lake Malawi.  The lake is quite high, but it didn’t really detract from the scene, more akin to a top beach side resort.  But that’s what it was, a white sandy, with blue water - on a lake as opposed to the ocean.  Quality accommodation overlooking the lake and it was really hard to believe we weren’t on the Indian ocean side!

Large modern rooms, great bathrooms and even a gym for the fit ones amongst us, but it’s the view that makes this wonderful place an especially wonderful place.   We were quite a walk from reception, but that suited us as the walk to and from was pretty under the mango trees watching and listening to the huge fruit bats and watching the water features  in the gardens is just pleasurable.

Mlamba Golf 

The nine hole golf course is probably one of the nicest nine hole par 3 courses I’ve ever played.  It isn’t lake side and doesn’t give far reaching views, but it is special as it is set in amongst the Baobab trees.  Called Mlambe after the baobabs this short course plays right up to, past and around the prolific and awe inspiring huge trees.  It also crosses over water and there is barely a driver hole in sight.  A huge eagle owl is perched on the branch above on one tee, watching our every move and almost looking plastic or stuffed, but certainly real as we toyed with the idea it was a decoy, before it  swivelled its head.

Back at this luxury resort and we get on a boat to one of the islands to watch multiple pairs of African fish eagles swoop down to catch the fish.  In the water are the famous blue fish of Lake Malawi, plentiful and only the size of a sardine, they are the life blood of many animals and local people.  People have asked, are there crocodiles in the lake, and I’ll be honest, I don’t know!  The locals swim happily in it, the cows graze alongside it and it just doesn’t look like a crocodile infested lake, its far too pretty with its crystal clear waters watching fish dart here and there being unable to hide in the clear waters.

The pool at Makokola was a big hit with us too - warm and perfect as the day fades away, you can watch the sun set across the lake and still have to pinch yourselves in this tropical idyl.

Breakfasts at Makokola is by way of a buffet, and never being ones to say no, we certainly enjoyed well cooked and tasty food.  A perfect start to another day on the road, as we set off again northwards.  Travelling along the lake towards Tanzania, we came across a number of fantastic campsites, OK the facilities were seriously suspect at some, but the scene is one of peaceful tranquility with the lake forever on our right.

Our final goal course in Malawi is at Kasasa.  A sugar plantation owned golf course with the

Kasasa Golf

club house set high up overlooking the nine holes on offer.  Oh it was so hot on the day we played, couple that with the cut grass, and I struggled playing golf as my ball was once again hidden by the piles of cut grass being collected by the estate workers.  Shame really as the course is ok in its design with trees offering not as much shade as I’d prefer that particular day.  But that aside, it is really a nice course to visit and play some golf.

The added bonus being Ngala Lodge is very close, and this lodge is a lovely family run site.  Lake side and with its own beach our

Ngala Lodge Pool 

room was hidden up some steps  behind trees which slightly obscured view to the water, yet framed it at the same time.  Thatch pitched roofs with a unique bathroom at the rear.  A good and clean mosquito net we didn’t mind having across our bed at night, and we were set for a couple of nights.  Our short time at Ngala was filled with delicious food, fresh, tasty and plentiful.  This oasis in amongst the trees and has more of a rustic feel to it, a comfortable rustic feel.

We watched local fishermen come into he beach with their nets of blue fish, tossing them aside for their dinner once free’d from the tangle of the net.

We travel inland slightly and take on some of the scenery as we traverse up and down hills.  With occasional glimpses of the lake and lots of glimpses of Malawian roadside life; lorries fallen of the camber stranded and being manhandled back into place, animals wandering across the roads and high up views for miles.   Camping in the hills was certainly cooler for a couple of nights.

As the Tanzanian border looms, so we drop down to the lake for one final foray at a campsite where we ended up staying two nights, despite their being no hot water for showers.  We were just happy listening to the waves crash on the lakeside beach just 20 meters way.  The water level was high all along the lake, and watching the cows being herded through water they could only swim was an interesting way to herd them as the local wave on their way past.

The simple life suited us as we spent a long time watching the huge ants carry off full crisps in an efficient way working as one team.  Mesmerising and teamwork at its best.

All too quickly we had to leave Malawi to tackle another new country, Tanzania.

Watch our Malawi video here