Oct 27, 2014 - 22 October - Kande Beach, Malawi

We have arrived at Kande Beach on the shores of Lake Malawi. The lake is the 4th largest freshwater lake in Africa, and the 9th largest in the world - it covers almost one fifth of the country and is so huge you can't see the far shore and it looks just like the ocean. It even had waves when we arrived yesterday afternoon and it was a really strange experience being in freshwater surf! We upgraded to a beach shack, a small cabin right on the beach so we could fall asleep with the sound of the sea - magic. Today (Thursday) five of us went...

Oct 27, 2014 - 24 October - Chitimba Beach, Malawi

Today we drove northward to another beach on Lake Malawi - Chitimba Beach. Fantastic scenery and you could still imagine you were next to the ocean, no land in sight over the lake. Just lazing around for the rest of the day, a quick swim at the beach then a few beers at the bar. We didn't dare poke our heads out of the campsite in case we bought more wooden objects, they really are beautiful. A local band was setting up on the beach for the night, so we were entertained this evening with their music. A big drive tomorrow to cross the...

Oct 21, 2014 - 21 October - Lilongwe, Malawi

A reasonably long drive today through pretty countryside, hilly and green with laden mango trees everywhere - as per usual, we are here a month or two early and the mangoes are still green! The good news is that Denford, our cook, says that as we get nearer to Nairobi the mangoes should be ripe. Just a one night stop here at Mabuyu camp and we have internet! Very slow, but at least it does work. We have upgraded to a room with ensuite so a bit of luxury for one night!

Jun 13, 2013 - week 7 - Nkhata bay

Hello again, Want to update you all before I move on tomorrow. We woke up Monday morning to no electricity or water as the pump requires electricity so after all that ferry travelling we had to bathe in the lake, but it turned out the showers were pretty cold and not very powerful so it wasn't too bad really! We lost electricty on nearly a daily basis which was slightly irritating, but we didn't spend a great deal of time in the accommodation so it was manageable. Nkhata bay is very different to the places we have been so far. There's...

Jun 11, 2013 - Week 6 - Travelling

Hello everyone, I am now at an internet cafe in Nhkata Bay so can tell you all about our journey to Malawi. Livingstone to Lusaka We set off from Livingstone on Saturday 1st June on a coach that was business class so was very comfortable with plenty of loo stops, free cake and drink and we arrived with no hitches at all! The only slightly annoying bit was the radio station that was playing as we arrived in Lusaka (the capital of Zambia) where the host was doing a phone in and just kept repeating "hello? hello? hello?" for about 10...

Jun 11, 2013 - Week 6 - Monkey Bay

So in Monkey Bay we stayed at a place called Venice Beach. It was right on the lake and we were the only ones there. This meant that we stayed in a self contained little cottage with our own toilet and shower and two bedrooms. We had our own private beach complete with hammocks and hanging wicker chairs, and a private chef! The first night we had fish and chips, and every meal he cooked was really good. The prices were higher than hoped though and it often felt he was making them up as he went along! He was new working there and it was a...

Jun 4, 2013 - Just a quickie

Just a quick blog to say we hav arrived in Monkey Bay after 3 days of travelling! Plenty of stories to tell about the journey so I will write a detailed blog when I can (borrowing a lap top at the mo)! Our plans have changed slightly, unlikely to go to Cape Maclear or Viphya Plateau now as we want to avoid more mini bus journies, but will be spending longer here and on Nkhata bay which we will get to on Sunday following a ferry trip north on Lake Malawi. The place we're staying in now is lovely; we have a self contained cottage type thing...

Dec 12, 2012 - Tansania

3.30Uhr: Aufstehen Glücklicherweise mussten wir nichts anderes machen als Zelte abbauen und Sachen verstauen und dann so schnell wie möglich in den Truck und weiter schlafen. Bis wir um 6.00Uhr an der malawischen Grenze waren hat keiner von uns so richtig was mit bekommen. Uns wurde zwar um ca. 5.40 emfohlen den Sonnenaufgang anzuschauen, aber kaum jemand war dafür wach genug. An der Grenze war ein totales durcheinander - T.I.A. Wir waren blöderweise gleichzeitig mit einem Reisebus Einheimischer an der Grenze und obwohl am Schalter an...

Dec 11, 2012 - Chitimba

Heute war eigentlich ein ganz relaxter Tag. Morgens waren wir auf dem Markt des Dorfes, wo sie Holzschnitzereien verkauft haben. Dannach haben wir eine Stunde Beachvolleyball gespielt, um wenigstens etwas körperliches am Tag getan zu haben. Nach dem Mittagessen haben ein pasr von uns (inkl. mir) Schnitzunterricht genommen, wo wir selber Sachen schnitzen durften. Gegen Ende des Nachmittags haben wir uns noch ein Fußballspiel angeguckt, was sehr lustig war, da alle gespielt haben wie sie wollten. Besonders auffällig fand ich, das etwa die...

Dec 10, 2012 - Kostümparty

Auf gehts nach Chitimba! Und schon wieder eine Verzögerung. Nachdem wir uns darauf geeinigt hatten, dass es kein Ausschlafen mehr gibt, damit wir wenigstens ein Mal vor Einbruch der Dunkelheit im Camp sind, saßen wir um 6.30 Uhr alle abfahrbereit im Bus. Die ersten haben schon fast auf ihren Sitzen wieder geschlafen als die Nachricht kam :„ Bitte alle wieder aussteigen, wir haben eine Platten!" Der laute Knall auf der Fahrt vor zwei Tagen war doch unser Reifen, der geplatzt war. Es war nur der innere der zwei Reifen hinten rechts. Es war...

Aug 6, 2012 - Day 45 Cape Maclear to Chintheche, Malawi

Tea and coffee and home made biscuits were brought to our tent at 6h30am, we enjoyed the sunrise over the lake on our last morning at Mumbo Island. Sofia and I lay in the hammock and fed crumbs to the birds and enjoyed our tea! Some of the girls did a last kayak ride around the island before breakfast, and then we took the boat across to Cape Maclear at 09h30am. We left Chembe Village at 10h30am and drove via Golomoti and Salima to Chintheche on the Western shores of Lake Malawi, arriving at 3h30pm just in time for a swim in the lake before...

Aug 3, 2012 - Day 43 & 44 Blantyre to Cape Maclear, Mumbo Island Malawi

We are headed to Cape Maclear - Mumbo Island tomorrow morning - we are likely to be off the grid but should be back again when we reach Tanzania in 3 days by the 6th of August. Update will follow tuesday evening with photos We had a very early start from Casa Mia Lodge in Blantyre, taking with us a packed breakfast, and leaving at 6am sharp in order to arrive in time to catch the 10h30am boat from Chembe Village, Cape Maclear to Mumbo Island on Lake Malawi. We are stopped 3 times by traffic police en route, but the cops here are very...