We were very sad to leave South Luangwa and Msandile in particular. We enjoyed our time there and we loved the nature. Slightly tired of some long days in the bush, we were ready for the last part of our trip, starting with the last new country we could add to our list!
We had already been to Zambia, so that didn't count as a new country. Due to time constraints, we decided to skip Zimbabwe and Mozambique, so from South Luangwa the next step would be: Malawi!
We had heard many positive stories about Malawi, so we were eager to explore the country. We were concerned about a few things though. Poverty in Malawi is very high, especially since last year's drought, and fuel can be an issue. There is currently a petrol crisis, but diesel should be fine. That could change quickly, so we knew we had to fill our tank every change we got. Also the roads were said to be even worse than Zambia's roads, so fingers crossed.
We decided to not go straight from Msandile to Lilongwe. We spent the night at Mama Rulas, just outside Chipata. It was a simple, but nice campground and we had all we needed. The road back from South Luangwa to Chipata seemed much better than when we went to Msandile, so that was a bonus. Not sure if many of the potholes were really fixed, or whether it just seemed that way. Before we knew it, we reached Mama Rulas. We had some pancakes for lunch, chilled at the campsite, made popcorn for on the road the next day, cleaned some of our stuff, and went for dinner. After that, we did some sudokus in the tent. It was wonderful to spend a night in our tent again, after some wonderful nights in Msandile.
The next day we got up early to leave for the border. We arrived there without any issues and we were prepared for a lengthy border crossing. The opposite was true. The border crossing was super efficient and pleasant. Despite some 'fixers' trying to get work and some people trying to exchange money, we weren't hassled. The longest part of the crossing was due to someone who either overslept or just didn't show up. There was no one at the Zambian counter to stamp our Carnet out of Zambia. Jeroen waited for the person to arrive, while Emma already went to the Malawian side to get Gigi stamped in. After every counter was manned (and womanned), we received all our stamps and papers and were on our way. We were in Malawi!
The road to Lilongwe was not bad at all and we arrived at our B&B quite early. We had enough time to even get a SIM card, which we could pay in cash with the money we exchanged at the border (the first time we actually found traders with a decent rate). We planned a few days in Lilongwe to relax after a few days in the bush and to plan our trip through Malawi.
Our first days in Lilongwe were great. We had some very good food (better than in most towns and countries) and we planned most of our trip in Malawi. We are not used to plan most of our days and activities ahead, but with the time pressure this time, we needed to make sure that we would arrive in time to see all the places we wanted to go. Our days were easily filled with eating, planning and booking the trip, doing admin and even doing some work. After 3 days it was time to explore Malawi!
Add comment
Comments