After a somewhat hair-raising night drive from the Tanzania border on Day 3, we reached our first campsite at the FloJa Foundation, south of Karonga. The Foundation, set up by a Dutch couple, runs a nursery school for vulnerable children as well as providing a couple of camping spots for passing travellers. The fantastic campsites are right on the edge of the lake and have excellent facilities (the first shower in four days was a particular highlight). Since we arrived after dark, we made sure to wake up in time for the 5:45am sunrise across the lake the next day - fortunately this only involved lifting our heads off our pillows to look out our tent window...
We had a relatively relaxed start that day as we were in no rush to make it to our next campsite, which was only about an hour away. After having omelettes on the beach and picking up some fresh eggs and greens from the lovely staff at the Foundation, we set off for Livingstonia, an old colonial town up in the hills above the lake. We had read that the 10km gravel road winding up the steep incline would be rough going but were not prepared for what seemed at times to be little more than a large goat path. Nevertheless the car acquitted itself admirably, we avoided any punctures on the jagged rocks, and were rewarded with breathtaking views of the lake and surrounding green hills. After about an hour of driving in first gear we arrived at The Mushroom Farm, a permaculture project with a lodge and campsite set on the edge of the hill. This is another gem, with amazing views, great facilities and organized activities, and very friendly staff.
After another amazing sunrise over the lake - this time at altitude - we set off on a morning hike to nearby Manchewe Falls. At 120m in height, these are the tallest falls in Malawi and a little taster before we reach Victoria Falls later this month. But they are impressive in their own right, and after some scrambling we reached the bottom of the falls to admire the view. Back at the top we cooled off in a natural pool before heading back to camp. This was a great end to the hike as Malawi has been significantly more hot and humid than the Tanzanian hills we had been used to!
Driving back down to the lake, we then headed south to Nkhata Bay, a little inlet lined by some charming bungalow 'villages.' To make up for the hustle of the previous days, we decided to spend a couple of nights in the Bay to enjoy the water and relaxed atmosphere. We stayed at Mayoka Village, a nice backpackers' hub on the water. Because they did not have any overland truck sites, the owner kindly offered us a discounted rate for double rooms, which we gladly accepted.
On Day 6 we spent some time on the lake using various vessels - paddleboards, kayaks, and a traditional dugout canoe. The hotel staff warned us that attempting to circumnavigate a nearby raft using the long, narrow dugout was hopeless so we set out to prove them wrong. After an encouraging start, we inevitably started to take water and ended up almost completely submerged by the time we returned to shore. Much chastened, we decided to stick to more familiar methods of transportation and got back into the car to continue the journey south.
Before setting off we said goodbye to Andrew and Senay, our good friends from Addis who supposedly had to return to employment. We had a wonderful first week together and they left me with a suggested name for the car: 'the Green Matei-tu' (a variation on 'matatu', a Kenyan minibus). Not necessarily my first choice, but beggars can't be choosers...
Powers No. 1: 200ml for $2
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