Travel costs and information for Malawi - Karonga, Mzuzu, Nkhata Bay, Lilongwe, Mount Mulanje, Blantyre

Note that all information in here was valid at the time (July 2009) - it may well have changed since.  It's also possible that I was ripped off, that I did some exceptional haggling, or that I accepted a price that I should have haggled over :-)  Currency indicators are £ (British pound), $ (US dollar), and K (Malawian kwacha).  At the time, the official exchange rates were roughly K140=$1 and K230=£1.

Malawi
 

• Little hassle at all, and certainly a very pleasant change from Tanzania.  In fact the only hassle I encountered was from "rastas" in Nkhata Bay, who were pretty persistent in trying to get me to visit their stalls but weren't aggressive.
• ATMs will generally accept foreign ATM cards on the Mastercard network (didn't try Visa).  The only place I went to that didn't was Karonga.  Some of the ATMs had a limit of K20,000 per withdrawal, meaning if you needed a larger amount then you would have to make multiple withdrawals.
• Note that there is a black market for kwacha, giving rates for $ that are ~15% better than the bank rates. 
• Long distance buses often come in both local and express versions, with the former cheaper but stopping at more places (and hence taking longer).
• If you buy anything in a bottle (e.g. beer, lemonade, etc) from a shop then there will quite likely be a refundable deposit on it.  Sometimes you can simply redeem this at a checkout, sometimes you have to hand it in elsewhere and are given a credit voucher that you can then redeem at a checkout.
• Note that minibus prices are not always fixed - sometimes you're charged a tourist rate, sometimes you can get it cheaper if there are 2 or more of you, and often the price going one way is not the same as the price going the other due to supply/demand.

17th July 2009 Free 30-day visa for a British citizen at the border.  Remember to put your watch back an hour.
17th July 2009 K500 Shared taxi (a real squeeze ...) from the border to Karonga, taking about 45 minutes on a good road.  For such a short journey, it was slightly surprising to be stopped and inspected several times at police roadblocks. 


Karonga 

• There seem to be regular power cuts here. 
• The National Bank would not accept my Mastercard ATM card.
• Internet available at K5 per minute.

17th July 2009 K3,000 Nightly rate for a large private ensuite room (cold water only) at Safari Lodge, with fan and breakfast.  Water only available in the room in the morning - any time later, you have to use an outside tap to fill up a bucket.  There were lots of mossies in my room.  A bit of a plod from the centre of town, but compensated for by the presence of black cats of all ages.
18th July 2009 K500 Entry to Karonga Museum. They also have Internet available, but it's rather dear at K10 per minute.
19th July 2009 K750 Bus (Axa) from Karonga to Mzuzu, leaving at 12:30PM and taking 4 hours 15 minutes, including a food break after 1 hour 30 minutes. 


Mzuzu

• I originally intended staying at Mzoozoozoo hostel but no-one at the bus station knew where it was, so I ended up at my second choice.
• I was told that taxis within the town are K300, and bike taxis K50. 
• Internet available at K5 per minute.

19th July 2009 K3,000 Nightly rate for a private ensuite room (with hot water) at Flame Tree Guesthouse, with breakfast.  There's also a small library.
21st July 2009 K350 Minibus to Nkhata Bay (many throughout the day) taking about an hour.  Seems as though it will only stop in the centre of town, so don't waste your time trying to get off earlier.  I also heard that, once per day, an Axa bus goes from Mzuzu to Nkhata Bay, costing only K250 and having more room for luggage. 


Nkhata Bay

• Internet available in the centre of town for K300 per hour.  Or you can visit Jessie's (next to Big Blue Star Backpackers) and pay K8 per minute (K19 per sheet for printing).
• There are umpteen "rastas" wandering about the place, most with stalls that they will try to lure you to. Be very careful if you are offered weed - I heard from a guy later that he had bought some, and the "rasta" had then attempted to blackmail him with the threat of informing the police.

21st July 2009 K1,000 Nightly rate for a bamboo hut (with shared bathrooms with hot water) at Big Blue Star Backpackers. Hut has power sockets, mossie net, and a small balcony.  The place also has a friendly cat (plus two shy ones).  Food available too.
24th July 2009 K2,900 Nightly rate for a really nice stone chalet with private ensuite bathroom at Mayoka Village.  Free lift from town (though when you leave you have to arrange your own transport - they charge K700 for a taxi) - it's walkable if you don't have much luggage.  Though very nice, this place attracts hordes of teenage backpackers.  Prices are higher than average, and ludicrously don't include the 16.5% government tax that then appears on your final bill.
26th July 2009 K350 Minibus to Mzuzu (many throughout the day) taking about an hour.  I also heard that, once per day, an Axa bus goes from Nkhata Bay to Mzuzu at about 1PM, costing only K250 and having more room for luggage.


Mzuzu (again)
26th July 2009 K3,000 Nightly rate for a private ensuite room (with hot water) at Flame Tree Guesthouse (see 19th July 2009 for further info).
27th July 2009 K1,180 Bus (Axa) to Lilongwe, leaving at 6:30AM and taking about 6 hours 30 minutes.  Unlike the bus from Karonga to Mzuzu, this one was overfull (i.e. all seats taken and people standing in the aisles).  Axa also has another bus at 7:30AM but I think it's slower.  I got off at the main bus station in Lilongwe, but it's possible that the bus actually terminated at the Axa terminal (at the corner of Murray Road and Downs (Street?)) - the latter is pretty much in the centre of town so would save on a taxi fare.


Lilongwe

• Yet another place for which some people forecast a dire ending if I ventured out after dark, whereas others said it was perfectly safe.  I had no problems, except that streetlights are few and far between, and there are stray dogs that bark like crazy.
• Frequent power cuts.
• An expensive place for taxis - I was told that, even as a local, you can't get a taxi anywhere for less than K500.
• Little in the way of cheap accommodation and seemingly high occupancy rates too - I had to try 3 different places before I found an empty room for any price (in this case, ~$40!)  Even a dorm bed at the Golden Peacock was K2,000.  Plus the town is quite spread out, so traipsing from place to place is either tiring (on foot) or expensive (by taxi).  In other words, probably best to book in advance.
• The restaurant Huts has some decent but expensive Indian food, but the waiter may tell you not to put any tip in the bill wallet, as apparently the owner (who does all the cash transactions) won't then pass the tip on.

27th July 2009 K700 Taxi from the main bus station to the Golden Peacock, taking about 10 minutes.
27th July 2009 K5,500 Nightly rate for a private ensuite room at Crescent Guest House, with fan, TV, hot water, mossie net, breakfast, and the use of a kitchen.
28th July 2009 K5,250 Nightly rate for a private ensuite room at Mufasa Lodge, with mossie net and usage of a kitchen (oddly, the sink is in a separate room to the kitchen).  The staff are annoyingly efficient, and will swipe any dirty kitchen implements to wash them up, even if you haven't finished with them.  There's a bar on the premises.
29th July 2009 K80 Minibus from just outside Shoprite to near the Mozambique High Commission.  Basically you want something going towards the City Centre, e.g. to Area 12.  Get off just after you turn into African Unity Avenue.  It's the same stops for coming back, just on the opposite side of the road.
29th July 2009 K6,700 30-day visa for a British citizen at the Mozambique High Commission. You need to hand in 2 photos and fill in the form they give you.  The visa gives you a 2 month window in which to use your 30 days.  I paid for "urgent" (i.e. same day) processing - other options were K5,800 for 10-15 day's processing, or K5,200 for a transit visa.  In theory the High Commission opens at 8AM and you can pick up your "urgent" visa after 2PM the same day, but give it maybe 30 minutes' leeway each time.
30th July 2009 K110 Stamp for postcard to Europe (however I don't think there's a stamp for this standard amount, so instead you'll get ones for K75, K20, K10, and K5)
30th July 2009 K115 Stamp for postcard to US
31st July 2009 K500 Haircut at Beatrice barbers
1st August 2009 K3,000 Bus (Axa) from the Axa terminal (at the corner of Murray Road and Downs (Street?)) to Blantyre, leaving at 7AM and taking 4 hours 20 minutes.  This was one of the most luxurious buses I took in Africa - it had aircon, a loo, and a small breakfast.  The first stop in Blantyre is very close to Doogles (see below).


Blantyre 

• Limbe is the sister city of Blantyre (~6km away) - I think that most transport out of Blantyre actually leaves from Limbe.
• When entering larger shops, you may be asked to leave your bags at a cloakroom.
• Internet available at K4 per minute. 
• The Tourist Information place on Victoria Avenue seemed permanently closed. 

1st August 2009 K3,450 Nightly rate for a private ensuite (with hot water) room at Doogles.  There's a projector TV, a swimming pool, Internet access (expensive), laundry, and information boards about different parts of the country.  Ended up here because it was the only accommodation I had any info for.  It's overpriced, not very welcoming, and fills up with expat South Africans every evening, however it's also where many backpackers seem to end up so the bar is extremely lively and they also play some excellent cheesy music.  It's close to one of the bus stations.
1st August 2009 K50 Minibus from near Doogles to Limbe (or anywhere on the route, e.g. the Chichiri shopping centre) - same price for the return journey.
1st August 2009 K2,950 Hugo "Learn Portuguese" book from the bookshop in the Chichiri shopping centre.  Despite Malawi neighbouring Portuguese-speaking Mozambique, this shop - supposedly the best book shop in Malawi - had no Portuguese dictionaries at all.  Chichiri shopping centre also has a load of large shops and restaurants.
5th August 2009 K450 Minibus from Limbe to Chitakale (one half of Mulanje Town next to Mt Mulanje), taking 1 hour 25 minutes.  I think there are many throughout the day.


Chitakale (one half of Mulanje Town - the other is Mulanje Boma)

• Info Mulanje in Chitakale is a pretty good place to get information about hiking the Mulanje Massif.  You can hire sleeping bags for K700 per night and can leave your luggage with them (however they said they'd be open at the time I intended returning from my hike but they weren't, meaning I had to find someone to phone them up and send a person along to let me retrieve my stuff).  Maps are K100, but you won't need one if you get a guide.
• Note that in theory you should ONLY hire guides and porters at the national park registration centre at Likubula (i.e. where the hikes start from), as that means that some kind of a fair rotation can be used, but you will no doubt be approached by would-be guides in Chitakale (or even Blantyre).
• Huts should be booked and paid for at the national park registration centre at Likubula, except if you want to stay at the Hope's Rest CCAP hut at Lichenya, which must be booked at the CCAP mission near the registration centre.
• The huts on the massif have running water and firewood, but you will need to bring all your own food and cooking utensils and there's no electricity.  You can buy (poor quality) cooking utensils in Chitakale market, as well as some basic foodstuffs (e.g. pasta) in the shops, but I couldn't find any pasta sauce anywhere - make sure you bring some from Blantyre if that's what you're planning to eat.  Also make sure you bring a torch and candles.
• Your guide should provide his own food - in all likelihood, he will eat with the watchman at the hut rather than with you.
• The National Bank in Mulanje Boma wouldn't accept either my Mastercard ATM card or my Visa credit card.

5th August 2009 K850 Nightly rate for a private room with shared bathroom (cold water only) at the Chididi Motel.  The staff seemed to be drunk, and the place was not pleasant at all - avoid!
6th August 2009 K150 Minibus from Chitakale to Likubula.  I had an argument with the conductor because everyone else (with tons of luggage) was paying K150, whereas he expected me (with little luggage) to pay K200, i.e. a tourist tax.  I don't normally bother quibbling this, but it was so blatant that I couldn't stop myself.
6th August 2009 K1,300 Price for a Mt Mulanje guide (per day).  Speaking to other people who did this hike, they all had good guides so I think I was just unlucky.  Mine clearly wasn't 100% well - he had some kind of abscess on his leg (for which I gave him some sticky plasters and Ibuprofen), was climbing as slowly as me (and I'm hardly fit), and fell into such a deep sleep whenever we had a break that I had to keep waking him up.  He hadn't brought enough food for himself so I had to give him some, and he volunteered an absolute minimum of information about the massif.  Plus he kept banging on and on about some European woman who used to send him money but had recently stopped doing so.  The best that can be said is that we didn't get lost.
6th August 2009 K100 Entrance fee to Mulanje National Park
6th August 2009 K700 Nightly rate for a bunk in France's Hut at Chambe.  You're provided with a foam pad "mattress" and a blanket.  The kitchen has a fire and a metal grill on which to cook - you can also buy beer (K250) and Coke (K150).  There are a couple of pit toilets, plus a washroom into which you can take a bucket of water and wash yourself in peace (there's a standing tap outside).  You're expected to tip the watchman (I gave K200).
7th August 2009 K885 Nightly rate for a bunk in Hope's Rest CCAP hut at Lichenya.  This hut is larger than France's, and also has its own cooking utensils, but the toilets are just holes in the ground.  You're expected to tip the watchman (I gave K200).


Blantyre (again)
8th August 2009 K100 Minibus from Likubula to Chitakale (cf reverse journey on 6th August 2009)
8th August 2009 K300 Minibus from Chitakale to Limbe, taking (cf reverse journey on 5th August 2009)
12th August 2009 K600 Minibus from Limbe to the border at Mulanje, taking 1 hour 20 minutes to Chitakale, where we waited for 50 minutes for more passengers, then another 30 minutes to the border (I think it might be best to buy a ticket just to Chitakale, then find the next departing minibus to the border, which should minimise the wait time).