Lake Malawi is the third largest lake in Africa and the ninth largest in the world and borders Tanzania, Mozambique, and Malawi. It is home to over 1,000 fish species making it unique in the world. This is one of the reasons it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A section of the lake, land, and some islands form the Lake Malawi National Park.

Coming from Lilongwe, I was warned to take the main roads as there has been heavy rainfall and much flooding. Leaving the city I found green landscapes dotted with brown huts. The local population walked around mostly and there were barely any cars.

I broke up the trip with a stop about half way.

Dedza Pottery

In Dedza the highest town in Malawi, is an old pottery factory started in 1987. The company makes all sorts of clay crafts ranging from full dining sets and cups to masks and figurines.

In the main room, you can purchase items or watch the artists create the pottery. I went through the showroom and enjoyed a small exhibit by a local artist. Picking up a couple of souvenirs, I walked outside and saw the cafe in the garden.

I continued the drive through the mountains admiring the fantastic views of the valleys and even waterfalls. Children from the villages were really curious and would run up to me, sometimes 300 meters, when I stopped to take pictures. I had some fruit with me and when I offered an apple the kids were so ecstatic. Their eyes lit up and they ran home with their prize.

They seemed to have so much fun, I ended up giving away all my fruit.

The drive down the mountain was full of hairpin turns and flanked by small stands selling wooden toy cars and trucks.

The base of the mountain was more populated though still very rural. Huts blended in with large baobabs towering on horizon. Though most stood whole and strong, it was a shame to find some mangled and used for wood.

I eventually arrived at Club Mak and checked in. After chatting with the owner over a locally brewed Carlsberg, I relaxed the rest of the evening playing with the wild monkeys.

The next morning I was off to take a tour on the lake.

Baodzulu Island

With limited time, I couldn’t visit the popular Cape McClear Nature Reserve. Only a 15 minute speedboat ride from the resort was a small protected island. Fishermen in single canoes paddled around and we even snagged our engine on a fishing line.

We drove around the island where a plethora of bird and fish called home. The first activity was feeding some of the African Fish Eagles. Unfortunately the fish we used as bait was sinking, so the guide started stuffing the fish with styrofoam to help them float… Not sure that is great for the environment or eagles, but it did help the fish stay afloat long enough for the eagles to pick them out of the water.

After circling the island we anchored in a small quiet bay, protected from the wind, to do some snorkeling. Though visibility was low with the recent rain, there were still a lot of tropical fish.

The tranquil bay was full of birds like weavers building their nests and cormorants fishing. I later asked about crocodiles and the guide mentioned they do come into the lake, but very rarely because its too deep for their liking.

That concluded my tour. I packed up and was off to Liwonde National Park.