Getting to Malawi

Visas

Quite a lot of nationals don’t need a Visa for Malawi. For instance the most Commonwealth counties, Belgium, Holland, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Scandinavia, Spain, United Kingdom, USA, are free of Visas. Check with your travel agent or a Malawi Mission abroad; regulations change from time to time. Your passport should be valid for at least six months.

Customs and Immigration

Officials try to make your arrival and departure as trouble-free as possible. The usual personal allowances are granted and tourists rarely have problems at Immigration.

Injections

Please consult with your travel-doctor for the needed injections in Malawi. The Malawi government does not state any official required injections, but it is advisable to consult your doctor for injections as TBC, DTP and yellow fever. Also Malaria tablets are a pre, although Malaria is easily treatable at the local hospitals.

When to Visit

Malawi is always beautiful. The cooler months, May to August/September, are more comfortable for travelers  from the northern hemisphere, but the lush, green summer, November to April, is also a good time to visit if due care is taken to avoid mosquito bites. May and June combine the best of both seasons – cooler, still green with great visibility – and are especially good for photography. Country dirt roads are sometimes impassable to normal vehicles during heavy rain, but the general roads in Malawi are in good condition.

Game viewing is the best in the hottest times of the dry season when the animals are forced to visit water sources, but the countryside is more attractive in the wetter, greener months. Bird watchers enjoy their best sightings in October and November. Check for school holiday dates, particularly for those in South Africa, when more tourists visit Malawi and our lodges fill up.

From Europe and North America
Airlines flying to Malawi to/from Europe:

  • Ethiopian Airlines (via Addis Ababa)
  • KLM ( via Nairobi with Kenya Airlines)
  • South African Airways (via Johannesburg)

African airlines

  • Air Malawi
  • Air Zimbabwe
  • South African Airways
  • Kenya Airways
  • Ethiopian Airlines

Airports

Most international flights land at Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital, but several flights, e.a. those from Johannesburg and Harare, land at the business centre of Blantyre in the south.

There are internal flights throughout the country.

All passengers on non-scheduled flights are required to pay an airport tax of US$ 30,- on international flights and MK200 on domestic flights.