>> MALAWI > TRAVEL INFORMATION & FACTS

Capital: Lilongwe
Area: 118,500 sq km
Currency: Kwacha

GETTING THERE
European Airlines flying to Malawi
British Airways and KlM (via Nairobi with Kenya Airways)

African Airlines flying to Malawi
Air Malawi, Air Zimbabwe, Air Tanzania, South African Airways, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines

RECONFIRMATION
Please remember to reconfirm your flights 72 hours before departure. Either through your Hotel or by phoning the nearest Air Malawi Office. When reconfirming please leave an address on telephone no so that you can be informed of any changes.

AIRPORTS
Most international flights land at Lilongwe, Malawi's capitol, but several flights, especially those from Johannesburg and Harare, land at the business centre of Blantyre in the south.

AIRPORT TAX
All travellers pay an airport departure tox of US$20 when flying out of the country. There is a charge for domestic departures of MKl 00.

VISAS
Check with your travel agent if you require a visa -some nationalities do and regulations change from time to time. Your passport should be valid for at least six months on arrival.
Customs and immigration. South African passport holders do not need a Visa.

Officials will try to make your arrival and departure as trouble-free as possible and baggage handling is efficient and fairly fast. On arrival please change some foreign currency into local currency. Local currency is changeable back into foreign currency on departure, provided you have your receipts.

TRAVELLING OVERLAND
Malawi has become a very popular staging post for trans-Africa travellers and it is also a very good country in which to begin an African trip. Many tour operators offer packages into and out of Malawi and there are regular coach services from Johannesburg and Harare. If you are self driving, driving is done on the left hand side and roads from Blantyre and Lilongwe to Mangochi /Cape Maclear and do not require 4 x4 transport. It takes 2 days to drive from Johannesburg to Cape Maclear and the roads are good. There are various routes through Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia

WHEN TO VISIT
Malawi is always beautiful. The cooler months (May to October) are more comfortable. Lake Malawi can be visited all year round but January - March is the wet season. Please note that some roads can become impassable during the rainy season.

WHAT TO WEAR
Beach resorts are very informal, but even though the old dress code for which Malawi was once infamous has long been abandoned. It is well to remember that Malawians are conventional, even conservative, people and to respect local customs and traditions when visiting villages and markets.

Light clothing is essential. You won't need to make a fashion statement, but you will need to feel comfortable when the temperature rises -and when it drops. Business meetings are usually more formal and those combining work with pleasure should keep this in mind. long sleeved shirts and light trousers help to keep the mosquitoes at bay in the evenings. Take a jersey for cool weather and late nights -especially when visiting the highlands. A hat, sun block and comfortable walking shoes are essential. Remember any medication you use regularly contact lens fluid and insect repellent.

WHAT TO PACK
Take lots of reading material if you are not going to be near the city bookshops in Blantyre and Lilongwe. Binoculars for birders. Camera, spare batteries and film. Transparency (slide) film is very difficult to find in Malawi and while developing facilities for negative (print) film remain inferior to those abroad, it is best to save your exposed films" in a cool place -for processing back home.

ELECTRICITY
Malawi uses the British three pin square plug and a 240 volt supply so take adaptors and a transformer where necessary.

MONEY
Malawi's unit of currency is the Kwacha, divided into lOO tambala.

Foreign exchange can be converted at branches of the Commercial, National, Finance and loita banks and there are several reputable bureaux de change in Blantyre and Lilongwe, such as the Victoria Forex Bureau. Credit cards are sometimes accepted in the cities and around the lake, but the use of both foreign exchange and credit cards can be difficult outside major centres.

BANKING HOURS
Mondays to Fridays 08.00" 14.00 hrs. First Merchant Bank branches open on Saturday mornings. Most hotels of international standard offer money-changing facilities. Don't rely on this however. Their rates can also be inferior to those offered in the banks and the forex bureaux!

SECURITY
Malawi has long been famous as the friendliest country in Africa -and this is still true. But be aware that urbanisation, poverty and changing social values have brought a rise in crime statistics. Be careful. Take the same precautions you would take in any other part af the world.

HEALTH
The same simple rule applies to health as to security. Take care. Be aware. Check on immunisation and anti-malaria medication well in advance of travel to Malawi or anywhere else in Africa and pack a reasonable first aid kit to enable you to deal with small emergencies and upset stomachs. Be careful what you eat and what you drink. Make sure you drink plenty of bottled water and keep out of the midday sun as much as possible.