The south shore of Lake
Malawi has Malawi’s greatest concentration of lodges and hotels
between Mangochi and Monkey Bay. Along this stretch are half a dozen
resorts. They vary from luxurious hotels with their own golf
courses and airstrips to simpler backpacker spots. All have excellent
uncrowded beaches and offer a range of activities on the lake.
The village of Cape McLear is the springboard for the Lake Malawi
National Park. This part of the lake has been declared a World
Heritage Site for the hundreds of species of tropical fish that are
endemic to the lake. It’s also the world’s only freshwater national park and the fish are more abundant here than anywhere
else in the lake. The park includes a land area around the cape and
bay as well as the lake and islands up to 100 metres offshore. There’s
plenty of opportunity for watersports in the park, including diving
and snorkelling in the rock pools and around the islands.
The biggest town in the south is Blantyre, the main commercial and
industrial centre of Malawi. Stretching some 20km, it has joined up
with its ‘sister city’ Limbe, but like Lilongwe there
is little of interest here for the traveller.
The spectacular 3 000 metre Mount Mulanje, the highest in Malawi,
lies just to the east of Blantyre. Here there are choices of gentle
hiking or more serious trekking for the experienced mountaineer.
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