Northern region / Mzuzu intro

The treasures of Northern Malawi include:

Likoma Island off the eastern shore of the Lake is Likoma Island, a small piece of Malawian territory in Mozambican waters, has beautiful beaches and a missionary-built St. Patrick cathedral the size of Winchester cathedral, England. The tower provides a stunning view across Likoma. After a tour of the cathedral, you can head to the roof, climb across the bells and the clockwork and take in the beautiful scenery.

Dancing competitions known locally as malipenga are frequently held at weekends and are extremely interesting to watch due to the traditional instruments that are used and the eccentric colonial costumes the men wear. If you are visiting over a weekend watching one of the dance competitions is a must.

If you want to escape to an island paradise steeped in culture then Likoma is for you. Enjoy the beautiful beaches and marvel at the colonial infrastructure. Likoma is ideal for couples and honeymooners.

Chintheche on Lake Malawi, the settlement is a beach town,  located on the beaches of Lake Malawi, including Chintheche Beach. The beaches are similar to those found in the Caribbean, with white sand and tropical plants. A concentration of small lodges, each having its own beach, is found around Chintheche on Lake Malawi’s northern shores. These are some of the best beaches on the lake, you can even ride your horse into the lake! Lots of activities are organised by the various lodges.

Karonga is an archaeological centre with the oldest human remains in the country and home to the Cultural & Museum Centre Karonga that tells the history of the area back to pre-historic times. The skeletal remains of the Malawisaurus dinosaur were unearthed nearby. It has an interesting but turbulent history as a centre for the notorious nineteenth century slave trade.

Nyika National Park is Malawis largest national park and has unique scenic beauty of the rolling plateau and wildlife safaris. Activities include trekking, fishing, and mountain biking. 

Livingstonia Mission, it is beautiful with long standing history from 1894. Historic town of Karonga(museum) Nkhatabay is a bustling lake port, important to the fishing industry and has plenty lake based activities on the accommodation facilities along the lake shore.

Viphya Plateau, is an undulating plateau rising to 1800m although some peaks stretch a further 300m higher.

Bandawe Mission is another site of historical interest. On the borders with Zambia and with Tanzania, in the north, other significant ranges include the Malingu Mountains and the Misuku Hills rising to over 2100m and 2000m respectively.

Capitol Mzuzu

The town is situated to the north of Viphya Forest, which is considered as the Africa’s largest man-made forest. Mzuzu is also famous among tourists as its nearness with the largest park of Malawi Nyika National Park, and Lake Malawi. Mzuzu remained small until the middle of the 20^th century and emerged in the year 1947 around the Tung Oil Estate belonged to the Commonwealth Development Corporation. Mzuzu gained city charter in the year 1985. It is situated around 350 km north of Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. By road, Mzuzu is connected to all the major southern and northern Malawian cities, including Lilongwe, served by buses and minibuses.

Mzuzu works well as a service centre for the more remote areas in the north of Malawi and has all necessary facilities such as banks, petrol stations, supermarkets, post office, etc. There is a good, bustling market that is well worth a visit and Mzuzu’s location on the main route to Tanzania, means there can be a wider range of goods available than one might otherwise expect.

The areas surround the city are well known for the production of tea, rubber, and coffee. Mzuzu is home to the Mzuzu University.