What makes people come to Malawi I wonder? What is the appeal of this landlocked country with its 4th largest lake in the world?
Being the poorest country in Africa their government unfortunately charges a high price for a holiday visa, rental cars are few and very expensive, so traveling is either for the budget traveler who is not afraid to take public transport and different local busses to get to the final destination or the higher end who rent cars with a chauffeur. Plenty of those big cars are around in Malawi but mostly to transport the overpaid UNAID, UNICEF or Save the Children consultants around as if they are royalty, but that is another article about how the aid industry has so little true impact on Africa and is more concerned with keeping its massive budgets spent then really making a sustainable and real change.
So, what keeps the normal travelers and tourists from coming to Malawi? This small and friendly country has so much to offer with its lake filled with ‘cichlids’ (like you are in an actual aquarium), the highlands, national parks with the Big 5 and hills and mountains to explore. The people are extremely welcoming and friendly, there is little to no crime and it is cheap to stay at some wonderful lodges and resorts. Especially when you compare the costs of going on a safari in Malawi to for example Zambia, Botswana or Namibia where the costs of visiting their national parks is ridiculously expensive. So, what is still putting people off to come and volunteer and travel in Malawi? It can’t be that its cheap and friendly or warm and welcoming. It can’t be for its crime or bad roads, because that is not the situation to worry about.
So if you are looking for a truly exciting and unique travel destination that even has a name that tells us that it is special (the warm heart of Africa is quite the nickname to have), come to Malawi, I challenge you to visit this country on your next adventure and I can honestly say that it is one of my most favorite countries in Africa. It is very poor and has many challenges for sure and that is why we should support such a country and its people, think about it.
