What connects the friendliest people in the world with 500 elephants on trucks, and fish with amazing fashion sense? Malawi.

In this episode, André chats with Lindsay, a Malawi-born tourism expert who has been showing travellers the magic of her country for over 25 years, about why Malawi is Africa’s best-kept secret. From safaris without the crowds, to the sparkling waters of Lake Malawi (a.k.a. the “Calendar Lake”), to the misunderstood hyena who just wanted to go home… Malawi has a way of surprising even the most seasoned traveller.

We’ll dive into the Big Five, lake-side beaches, soulful highlands, and colourful cichlids you’ve probably seen in aquariums but never in the wild. You'll learn what a classic two-week itinerary might look like and what to expect in terms of accommodation and food (spoiler: no giant hotel chains, but plenty of soul)

Lindsay shares insider tips, funny stories, and what makes the “Warm Heart of Africa” truly warm. So, whether you’ve never heard much about Malawi (apart from Madonna and a baby…) or you’re already planning your second trip, this episode will make you curious, inspired, and maybe even a little hungry for Nsima Pap and curry.

Deutsch: Du kannst diesen Podcast auch auf Deutsch hören: “Africa with André auf Deutsch”

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Ulendo Safaris: https://ulendo.net/

Malawi Tourism: https://visitmalawi.mw/

Stops on a suggested Malawi Itinerary:

-             Lilongwe: https://visitmalawi.mw/lilongwe-capital-city/

-             Majete Wildlife Reserve: https://www.africanparks.org/the-parks/majete

-             Liwonde National Park: https://www.africanparks.org/the-parks/liwonde

-             Zomba Plateau in the Highlands: https://www.malawitourism.com/regions/south-malawi/zomba-plateau/

-             Mulanje area: https://visitmalawi.mw/mulanje-and-thyolo/

-             Shire Highlands: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shire_Highlands

-             Lake Malawi: https://www.malawitourism.com/experiences/lake/

-             Senga Bay: https://www.malawitourism.com/regions/central-malawi/salima-senga-bay/

-             Nyika Plateau: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyika_Plateau

-             Nyika National Park: https://www.malawitourism.com/regions/north-malawi/nyika-national-park/

-             Mandala House in Blantyre: https://societyofmw.org/the-mandala-house/

-             The Makokola Retreat: https://makokola.com/

African Parks: https://www.africanparks.org/

Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve: https://www.africanparks.org/the-parks/nkhotakota/visit-nkhotakota

Kasungu National Park: https://www.malawitourism.com/regions/central-malawi/kasungu-national-park/

Peace Parks: https://www.peaceparks.org/

Moving 500 elephants in Malawi: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/article/500-elephants-move-malawi-africa-video-spd

Cichlids – article about Lake Malawi: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/mystery-lake-malawi-180971442/

Idi Amin and the expulsion of Asians from Uganda: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expulsion_of_Asians_from_Uganda

The Musician and Poet - Q Malewezi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qabaniso_Malewezi

The Malawian Comedian from Britain’s Got Talent (and more): Daliso Chaponda

https://dalisochaponda.com/ and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqUDzfjuGbg

Nsima Pap Recipe – how to make Malawi’s traditional food: https://orantcharitiesafrica.org/learn-to-make-nsima-malawis-staple-food/

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Sound credits: uppbeat.io/ and https://pixabay.com/ 

 Welcome to a new episode of Africa with André, where we celebrate Africa - One Story at a Time.

And I suspect that many people would struggle to point it out on a world map. Some quick facts: Malawi is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the northern east, and Mozambique curls around the southern half of the country. It's about half the size of the UK and a third of the size of Germany, with a population of a little over 21 million people.

Today I'd like you to meet Lindsay from Ulendo Safaris. Her team has been my on the ground partners for several years in Malawi, and I'm glad that she could join me today in bringing Malawi a little bit closer to you.

Hi Lindsay, and welcome to my podcast.

[00:01:01] André: Give me the 30 second elevator pitch, as to why someone should visit Malawi.

[00:01:19] André: Okay.

[00:01:28] André: It's sounds like one of those countries that should be overrun with tourists but luckily isn't.

[00:01:46] André: Give our listeners a quick picture of who you are. Where did you grow up? How long have you been running Ulendo Safaris, which I know you do together with your husband, Rob.

[00:02:14] André: Yep. I get that.

[00:02:27] André: Wow. So, it's almost 30 years.

We were kind of their marketing team. And then after a few years, we wanted to be able to sell Malawi really, and not just one property and, and that's how Ulendo started. But yeah, my background is very much Malawi. My mom and dad moved there in the early sixties, so yeah, Malawi's been home for a very long time.

[00:03:19] Lindsay: I know. That's amazing

[00:03:33] Lindsay: Yep. Pretty hilly

[00:03:40] Lindsay: Yeah.

I would normally suggest that it's best to arrive into the capital city, Lilongwe, but, uh, Blantyre is the financial city which has also got a big airport. What would you suggest to a first-time visitor?

Um, and then from there, I'd head south to Majete or to Liwonde National Park for a little safari fix. Both offer really good viewing: Majete, a little bit more remote and rugged, while Liwonde has beautiful, beautiful boat safaris and lush, lush scenery.

[00:04:44] Lindsay: I'd then sneak off for a bit of time in the Highlands, so either to the Zomba Plateau, which overlooks the sort of old colonial capital, uh, sort of misty forest walks and that kind of thing.

Or I'd go a little bit further south to Mulanje to the tea estate area. So that's sort of more dramatic, big, towering peaks, and fresh air and walking and stretching your legs, after being in a safari vehicle for a while.

[00:05:23] Lindsay: It's just sort of green and rugged and, and because it's at the top of the valley rather than down in the lower Shire we call it the Highlands.

And then Zomba is also at the top of the, in fact, Zomba was the old colonial capital. It was like the sort of jewel in the crown of the various capitals and all the folk that weren't used to the heat, would all end up in Zomba.

[00:05:50] Lindsay: But not quite so hot. Yes, exactly. So that's why we refer to them as the Highlands. It can still get pretty hot, but it's cooler than being down in the valley.

And then after the Highlands, which is also where the tea growing region is, right?

After that, after I've done my safari and my walking, then I would head to the lake. I'd slow it down, and I'd go to the southern lake shore if I was doing my, you know, two-week thing.

[00:06:41] Lindsay: You could, yeah. So, you would go, you could do windsurfing; although in the central part of the lake and the northern part of the lake, you can get some pretty high waves. I used to body surf as a kid up near Senga Bay, is more like the central part, so you couldn't go proper roller surfing, no. But they get a fair wave action in some parts, but the southern part is very Mediterranean like, sort of calm waters. Very beautiful.

And then maybe if I had a bit more time, I'd explore the north a bit and, and go up to the Nyika Plateau and things like that. The Nyika is more like a surprise in Africa, it's more like, looks more like Scotland than it does Africa, but has the animals of Africa.

[00:07:33] Lindsay: Well, they have had elephants on the high plateau, but it's not a common sighting, but it has zebras and Roan and Eland and leopard.

[00:07:51] Lindsay: You would end up going through Blantyre on your way to Majete. So, you could see that secondary city as well, by doing that. So, you would go from Lilongwe through Blantyre, to Majete Game Reserve, which is in the south, and that's a sort of more rugged one,

[00:08:12] Lindsay: It's, it is a bit of a medium sized African city, but I do actually think cities have their place as well, a little bit, and a little bit more now, than they used to. Like the arts and crafts and things are becoming a bit more fun in the cities now than they used to

[00:08:38] Lindsay: Oh gosh I do as well.

[00:08:53] Lindsay: Oh my gosh. I know, really, some really nice old buildings that people are trying to keep. And there's one house there called Mandala House, where they've kept all the old archives, and they've got all old pictures of Malawi, and Malawi going through its stages. It's really very fascinating.

[00:09:14] Lindsay: Most definitely getting better. We have some great Indian restaurants and some really fine Italian ones too.

[00:09:31] Lindsay: I'd say, so most of the sort of lodges and hotels serve very, sort of Western style food, sort of your steak and chips and burgers and that kind of thing. But occasionally, some of them will do a traditional night, and then you'll get, like, the Nsima Pap and Chicken curry and rice and that kind of thing. But as a rule, probably sort of chicken and chips,

[00:09:59] Lindsay: that kind of thing. Although we do have very fine Indian restaurants and I've noticed that even more now that I'm living in the UK, that actually Malawi has some great curries.

[00:10:14] Lindsay: Quite a large one, yeah. So, I think a lot of the Indians, when Idi Amin

threw everybody out, a lot of them came south to Malawi.

[00:10:25] Lindsay: Yeah,

For those who don't know Nsima Pap, it's a food made of maize. It's a little similar to grits or polenta, but slightly different and arguably better. It's a staple food in many parts of Africa and goes under various different names.

He expelled them, allowing them to take very little money and almost no belongings, and they resettled in East Africa, some went back to the UK. I'll put a link to a recipe for Nsima Pap in the show notes, and a link to the Wikipedia page about the Idi Amin expulsions.

Give us an understanding of what sort of accommodation people can expect. I know that there are big differences from country to country in Africa, and I myself stayed in very differing accommodation, from a tent to a lakeside straw hut almost, to like, what could describe as a proper hotel, what do we expect for accommodation?

For example, on the tea estates, it would be the old owner's house. In the forestry reserves, it would be the ex-Forestry commissioner's house people have taken over, and they run them as lodges. And so, they tend to be small owner run places, are the nicer ones to stay in. And then in the safari areas, it's a mixture of tented camps and sort of brush grass places, but we don't have big, huge hundred room places. And the lake: a mixture of smaller places and a couple of resort style but even the resort style ones have managed to keep the Malawi touch, like the thatch roofs and, and those kinds of things.

So, it's nice offerings, but probably without the price tag of Botswana.

[00:13:05] Lindsay: I would say so, yes.

[00:13:19] Lindsay: Yeah, no, no. It is definitely smaller places.

What is your favourite spot in Malawi and why?

[00:13:59] André: Yeah. We like places like that.

[00:14:01] André: I have a place in the Cedarberg, in South Africa that's sort of also big open spaces, quiet, and I also say it's good for my soul. I go there, I lie down on the ground, and it literally feels like I'm recharging.

[00:14:18] André: No, but that's the beauty of Africa, and a country like Malawi, is how varied it is. And I think a lot of people are looking nowadays for places where they can just slow down and become closer to themselves. And maybe that's a good space to do that.

[00:14:43] André: What's special about Makokola Retreat?

[00:14:56] André: We learned about the different regions that you should consider including on your first visit to this country in Southern Africa or Lindsay, do you consider yourselves to be part of East Africa?

[00:15:19] André: Um, interesting. I wouldn't have considered it Central Africa. That for me is sort of that, vaguely impervious region in the middle of the continent where there are various amounts of unrest happening from time to time.

Malawi is too peaceful a country for me to include in that region, but geographically, I suppose Central East would make sense.

[00:15:44] André: religion wise, there's not of, not a lot of Islam in Malawi. It's mostly Christianity.

[00:15:55] André: Well then that speaks for East Africa as well, because Mozambique also goes from Southern Africa up into East Africa, bordering onto Tanzania, and the northern part is Muslim.

[00:16:09] André: Even though Malawi is a landlocked country, you can actually have a bush and a beach holiday Let's talk about that and start with the wildlife, because that's what a lot of people want to come to Africa for. What animals can we see in Malawi?

In January I went to Liwonde with my mum and dad, and had some of the best game sightings, like you can now see the Big Five in Malawi, which is something people don't expect.

African Parks must have taken over in Majete and Liwonde about 15 years ago Majete, and about 10 years ago in Liwonde, and now we have everything. And the beauty of Majete and Liwonde is, Majete is like a rough, like a rough, rugged place and you turn a corner and suddenly something's there.

Whereas Liwonde is sort of a much calmer and has the bigger river, loads of crocodiles, loads of hippos, I mean, you basically can't move for hippos and crocs on the Shire River, it's amazing. So, I mean, I'd say Liwonde is the finest one and Majete is a nice little surprise.

[00:17:38] Lindsay: And they're both in the southern part. Then going up north, we've got Nkhotakota Game Reserve, which has also now been taken over by African Parks, and I think that was probably about five years ago. And that was when they did, I dunno if you ever heard about it, when they moved 500 elephants from Liwonde to Nkhotakota. They moved them by trucks at night.

[00:18:04] Lindsay: 500 elephants by truck from Liwonde to Nkhotakota, which must be, about 400 kilometres.

So, the Ellies in Nkhotakota are starting to chill out now a little bit, they were a bit sketchy at first. But that's more like a reserve. I mean there's not a lot of wildlife there, but it's starting to build up.

[00:18:25] Lindsay: Uh, and you did mention one on the sort of west side, which is Kasungu National Park, which is run by Peace Parks. And unfortunately, that took quite a hit, but now games improving there. But that, I mean that I have very fond memories of, 'cause we used to go to that park when I was a kid and it was one of the classic family trips, Lilongwe it was only an hour and a half. I love that park and I'm pretty glad it's starting to get back on the radar again.

It didn't work. Until I had the brainwave of putting a towel under each of the rear wheels and then that gave us enough grip to then get out of that sandy patch.

Um, what are the roads like?

And when you sort of go off to your little different places, the dirt ones are, are pretty well maintained.

[00:19:58] Lindsay: yeah, that will definitely happen.

[00:20:36] Lindsay: No, no. So, you are seeing them. In Liwonde, which is where the rhinos are. I follow Central African Wilderness Safaris, and they've been seeing the rhinos pretty regularly close to camp. So, they are seeing them quite often. Lion fairly often.

[00:20:54] Lindsay: You know, the only thing that they don't have in that park is giraffe.

[00:20:57] Lindsay: They've got that in Majete, but they don't have giraffe in Liwonde. But yes, I would say they're seeing things quite regularly. Uh, we had a brilliant game viewing time in Liwonde in January, which is supposed to be one of the times when it's hardest to see everything.

[00:21:23] André: What is the best time of the year to visit Malawi?

But we had some pretty good sightings. Uh, we saw a cheetah, so they've got cheetah in Liwonde now, and my dad hadn't seen Cheetah ever.

[00:22:01] Lindsay: So, you know, we were, we were pretty lucky. The game viewing best time of year, would probably be August, September, but I feel like Malawi, as a rule, is an all-year round destination, and I don't think you're gonna be disappointed, whatever time of year you come. The only reason I would avoid January, February, which is, even though I said I had a great time there, is that some of the lodges are closed.

Some do close during the rain just because the way they're built, they are built for outside living, and if it's raining, you're just gonna be miserable.

[00:22:43] Lindsay: Exactly. So yeah, it it pretty similar, although having said that, January, February on the Nyika is the time you can see all the orchids.

I think people don't realize how massive it is: it's 580 kilometres long. It has a shoreline in Malawi of over 240 kilometres, and obviously it's shared with the neighbouring countries, and there are many different types of beaches.

I stayed on the beach up near Nkhata Bay where it's a little bit less developed than it is in Maclear region in the south. Tell us about the water and the beach activities that you can do on, at, around the lake.

Okay, so I quickly want to go back, if you say it's length and breadth in miles, it's much more fun, because it's 365 miles long and 52 miles wide, which is why we call it the "Calendar Lake".

André: that's, oh, that's funny.

[00:24:02] André: Yeah.

The southern end we refer to as the Mediterranean. It's sort of more calm, not so wide across, so the waves don't get that big. And then the sort of central part and the northern part we refer to as the Atlantic, because you do then get big rolling waves sometimes, depending on the weather.

The northern part has the most amazing white beaches. It's sort of up the Chintheche area and then the southern part, you have these amazing islands like, Mumbo and Domwe, and, and more sort of your barefoot, relaxed hammock vibe going on.

So, it's a proper beach experience. You can sit with your toes in the sand, and you can go swimming, and you can watch the sunset, you know, it is a proper beach experience.

[00:25:11] Lindsay: probably a little cooler than the Mediterranean. You're probably about 20, 20. Yeah, around twenty

There's a lot of activities you can do on the water as well, like windsurfing, canoeing, I know is quite big, kayaking,

[00:25:51] André: And diving wise, there must be some beautiful fish to see. There's obviously no corals, 'cause that has to be, I think you need saltwater for that. But it's interesting go diving?

[00:26:10] André: Oh, really? I'll put a cichlid in the show notes for those of us, including myself, that don't know cichlids but tell us quickly what a cichlid is.

[00:26:35] André: Oh, wow. So, by that you mean fish that live, uh, there's one version of cichlid living on the left of a particular rock, and on the other side of that very same rock, it's a different species that lives there and they don't really mingle?

[00:26:47] André: Wow. Wow.

I mean it's, it's, it's amazing and you find cichlids, if you go into any pet shop that does fish, you'll find Lake Malawi cichlids in there. Like the blue zebra. There's one called the blue zebra. So, is it these classic, uh, brightly coloured fish that lots of people like to have in the aquarium that are related somewhere to Dory?

[00:27:18] André: And here you can see them in the wild. And that's down near Cape Maclear?

[00:27:29] André: Let's, ask, the last touristy information type question: what's the best way to move around Malawi as a tourist? I'm assuming most people don't want to cycle like my brother and I did... a rental car is probably the best, and you don't really need a four by four.

The other way you can get around is flights as well, small planes. So, if you're a bit time poor, you can get places by flying as well, but you have to have the budget for it.

[00:28:27] Lindsay: I, I, I reckon it's one of the countries where you can stop in the smallest village and still get a cold drink.

Uh, just, it always blows my mind that, even though I grew up there, that you can just stop in the middle of nowhere, in some house, somewhere, someone will produce a cold drink.

Which is a nice link to, to the next question that I had. 'Cause Malawi is called "The Warm Heart of Africa". And it, it really does have some of the most friendly people that I've ever encountered in my travels.

And at the same time, and I say at the same time on purpose. Um, and at the same time, Malawi is one of the poorest countries. And I say that because I've definitely seen a correlation between poverty in countries in Africa, and generosity and warmth of the people. And that's something that really struck me in Malawi.

[00:29:18] André: Would you agree with that?

[00:29:41] André: What are the main industries in Malawi, and talking of poverty, will I as a tourist be affected by it, to use an awful word, but...?

So, in the north you'll see a lot more sugarcane, and then around the south you'll see a lot of tobacco. We have a little bit of mining, and then tourism, but most people are sort of subsistence farmers. So yeah, because it's agriculture, we are pretty vulnerable to weather patterns and global price changes.

[00:30:12] Lindsay: But I think, to answer your question, I think tourism does increasingly play an important role to bring in more Forex into Malawi. And you, you can have a positive impact because as a tourist you are creating jobs, and you're supporting the local businesses, and funding conservation projects.

You know, these are all little things that each lodge are doing. And so I think, as it is to the poverty, it doesn't impact the trip like you would expect. Like you don't go around thinking, oh, these poor people, because you still feel safe and welcomed and looked after. But I think what it does, is maybe deepen your experience a bit, and it maybe makes you travel a bit more thoughtfully.

[00:31:04] Lindsay: No, and I think that's why people haven't heard of us, that's what I always say. You know, your opening thing was, " why haven't I heard of Malawi"? Because we haven't been in the news for awful things.

Talking of positive things, you and Rob and the team have looked after many, many people over the years, visiting the country. Have you got a heartwarming story or a funny story from over the years?

But one day we went to collect the post from the post office, 'cause we still use post boxes here in Malawi, you don't get delivered to your door. The letter was addressed to Levson, and all it said was "Levson Banda, Ulendo Safaris, PO Box I can't remember". It just really made me laugh and it made me really think, this is the beauty of Malawi, is that, that... and he still got his letter.

[00:32:21] Lindsay: And, if anybody had ever travelled with Ulendo, they would remember Levson, because he always greeted in the airport with the same question, whether they'd seen any giraffe. And it didn't really matter if he was meeting you from South Luangwa or South London.

[00:32:39] Lindsay: Yep. I dunno. He loved giraffe, but that was his opening line to anybody that sort of came off the plane.

What's your favourite animal, Lindsay?

[00:32:53] André: Ooh, why?

[00:32:58] André: Yes,

[00:33:15] André: That is true, I have seen that, they're just

[00:33:18] André: so playful.

[00:33:41] André: So like when you, and when you say it came back to Lilongwe you mean, like, in the city?

[00:33:48] André: Wow, that means that we all have to stop laughing at Americans when they say, "so, do you have lions living in your street?"

" No, we have hyenas".

[00:34:04] André: Where they're safe. Yeah.

[00:34:06] André: That's cool, so she came all the way back, that's

[00:34:10] André: But there still other hyenas there, or she decided to live there on her own, do you know?

[00:34:21] André: It's a beautiful sound.

And then my last question: give us some sort of a fun, interesting, little known fact about Malawi, something where people will go, "wow, I didn't know that".

And I just wanted to say about amazing people we have that come from there. We've got an amazing poet called Q Malewezi, and the talent that comes out of Malawi that nobody really knows about. He actually, his dad was vice president for a while.

And then we have this comedian, Daliso Chaponda, who came third in "Britain's Got Talent" a couple of years ago.

Yeah. So, if you ever come across either of those two people, that will give you a sense of Malawi's humour, and loveliness and talent.

I'll have a look at it, and I will put their names in the show notes, so that people can google those names and then try and find that.

[00:35:41] André: Oh, that's good, I'm not against shocking people.

[00:35:45] André: Thanks again so much for taking time to be with us today, Lindsay.

[00:35:51] André: Today we touched on why Malawi is worth a visit at all, and we got an overview of what an itinerary for a first trip could look like, including where you'd sleep. Again, I'll put those stops that Lindsay mentioned, as a list in the show notes for you.

We chatted about the wildlife in Malawi, including the cichlid fish that I'm going to Google immediately, and the beach activities, and a couple of logistical things to consider when visiting.

I hope that this, has inspired some of you, dear listeners, to explore a new destination when you come to Africa. Maybe as a first time or maybe as a second or a third trip.

And with that, I will leave you all to start dreaming- until the next time.