Lilongwe was created in the late 1960s and
early 1970s. It has been the capital city of Malawi since
1975 when the capital was moved from Blantyre.
Lilongwe is situated in the fertile central region of the country. It owes its status to Dr Hastings Banda, the country’s
first President, who was born just north of the town. It’s
very small for a capital city, with a population of only 250
000. It's split into two main centres a few kilometres apart,
known as the New and Old Towns.
The New Town is where all the airline offices, travel agencies,
Government Buildings, embassies, International Aid Agencies,
the Reserve Bank Headquarters, upper crust hotels and some
mini shopping malls are located. It is distinguished by gleaming
high rises with manicured lawns, smart security guards and
expensive aid agency 4x4s.
The Old Town couldn’t be more different. The original
village of Lilongwe has bustling markets, bus stations, Asian
shops, street vendors, restaurants and dubious hotels. Neither
centre holds much interest for travellers and Lilongwe is
usually just used as a stop-over for people entering and leaving the
country or on the way to and from the resorts on Lake Malawi
to the east. |
Days in Lilongwe are generally
warm and sunny. The city doesn’t experience the cold
night-time temperatures of the highlands or the humidity found
at the lake shore.
The single wet season from October-April brings afternoon
thunderstorms that can flood the streets in minutes. Because
of the poor roads and infrastructure, pools of stagnant water
lie around for weeks and the streets turn to slurries of mud
and rubbish, so this is not really the best time to visit. |
| There are few distractions
to keep you in Lilongwe for long. In the Old Town a visit
to the market on Malangalanga Road is well worthwhile. It
has the best display of fresh produce in Malawi - a limited
resource in other regions of the country. There are also
some old Indian spice and cloth shops and a big curio market
outside the post office with probably the biggest selection
of Malawi chairs. There are, along with soapstone, colourful
batiks, cane and raffia work, and every other conceivable
kind of wood carving.
On Kenyatta Rd, between the Old and New Towns, there is
a 150ha nature sanctuary. It attracts a number of birds
and small mammals, including the odd hyena - a rare sight
so close to a city. The Lingadzi River running through it
is home to a few crocs. There is a wildlife information
centre and a number of walking trails through the woods.
|
Several weekly flights operated by South African Airways, Kenya Airways,
Malawi Air and Ethiopian Airlines stop
in Lilongwe. These are en route to the regional
hubs of Johannesburg, Nairobi, Lusaka and Dar es Salaam. Only
British Airways has a direct service from Europe once a week.
Lilongwe International Airport is 22km or a 20 minute drive
from the city and you’ll have to take a taxi. The taxis
meet the flights and you will need to negotiate a price. It
helps if you ask someone at the airport how much you should
pay. There’s a departure tax of US$30 payable only in
US$ cash. There are road connections with Mozambique, Tanzania
and Zambia, and with Zimbabwe via the Tete Corridor through
Mozambique, but roads are generally very poor.
The main Lilongwe–Lusaka highway has recently
been upgraded. This is the road you are likely to use if
you are travelling through Lilongwe overland. |
Taxis are in short supply and
they are usually nothing more than a dilapidated old car with
a sign in the window and no meter. Ask at the airport what you should pay and negotiate a price before
you get in.
The Old and New Towns are rather frustratingly a few kilometres
apart so whilst each is small enough to walk around, to get
between the two you’ll have to find transport.
The easiest is taking the minibus taxis that go when full. They run frequently between the two centres for a few Kwacha, but you should avoid them at night. In the Old Town you can find
them lined up opposite the post office and in the New Town, outside the shopping centres. |
Generally Malawi is very safe
and you will experience few problems with crime. But as in
all African cities, watch out for pick-pockets or bag slashers, especially in Lilongwe’s crowded markets.
Don’t be too flashy with your valuables as it's insensitive
to many very poor Malawians. Also watch out for scams such
as people asking you to break a US$100 into smaller notes.
The US$100 note is bound to be a fake.
When buying souvenirs look at them very carefully. You might
think you’ve got something made of ebony when in fact it could be
inferior wood craftily dressed up with boot
polish. And keep an eye on the boys in the curio market who
package your curios. If you don’t agree on a price first,
you’ll pay more for the wrapping than you did for the
curio! |
If you are arriving by air, make sure
you make use of the exchange facilities at the airport as
they are more familiar with changing foreign currency than
anywhere else in the country.
In the Old Town there are branches of the National and the Commercial
banks. Trying to change money here is a painfully slow
process and a mountain of paperwork comes with every transaction.
Rather use the bureaux de change across the street from the
Post Office. They are quicker and offer the best rates.
You will probably be hustled by money changers in the curio
market, but remember that it is illegal to change money on
the black market. It is okay to buy souvenirs with
US$ cash, however. |
There are plenty of street
kiosks serving up fried samosas and greasy chips, or plates
of meat, veg and rice to the office workers during lunchtime.
Thanks to a large Asian population there are a few good Indian
and Chinese restaurants in both the Old and New Towns. These
are probably the best places to eat, and you can be assured
the food is well cooked.
There’s an ice cream parlour near the post office and
the big hotels all have fairly decent restaurants. Fresh fish
from Lake Malawi is an obvious speciality, chambo (Tilapia
fish) being the main lake delicacy.
There is little nightlife in the European sense but plenty
to drink. Local Carlsberg beer is very good, as is Malawi
gin which is well known and inexpensive. Surprisingly,
the tonic and Malawi G&Ts have reached almost cult
status. |
Not very easily! Malawi’s
telephone system is not especially reliable, and until three
years ago only the cities had access to phones. This has
changed recently and a phone line now runs the length of the lake, causing the number of phone numbers in Malawi to double. For now,
the only place to make an international phone call in all
of Malawi is from the public telephone and fax offices in
Lilongwe, Blantyre and Mzuzu. Expect to spend considerable
time getting a line.
Otherwise, ask at the big hotels in Lilongwe where you’ll
pay more but won’t necessarily get through any quicker.
The postal system tends to be slow, but Poste Restante in
Lilongwe is not a bad place to pick up snail mail sent to
you. Internet access is very limited. There are very few places
in the cities offering a service and access is a victim
of the poor phone lines. |
|
 |
