Tips & Advice

TIPS AND ADVICE FOR VISITING MALAWI
For your convenience it is advisable to bring items such as fishing tackle, snorkeling equipment and golf clubs if required. You should not forget a camera and film, sun cream and binoculars. Divers should bring their NAUI or PADI diving card. Bird watchers may want to bring or buy a guide to birds of Malawi.

All visitors require valid passports. Check with the Malawi Diplomatic Mission nearest to you for current visa requirements.

DRESS CODE
There are no laws concerning dress. However, many Malawians are offended by the site of a woman in scanty cloths, especially in the rural areas and where there are large Muslim population. To avoid giving offence, women travelling in ‘beach wear’, shorts or very short skirts should carry a wrap, locally called chitenje, to be worn whenever they are in public. Male visitors are advised not to walk around bare-chested.

DRINKING WATER
The state-owned water boards in cities and the main urban areas strive to supply safe drinking water in accordance with Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS214) in compliance with the World Health Organisation guidelines. Most residents drink tap water without adverse effects. Bottled water is available throughout the country in most bars, restaurants, shops, filling stations and hotels/lodges. Those visitors who may have doubts about the water quality are advised to drink bottled water until such time as they feel they are safe from minor stomach complaints to which they might be more vulnerable. However, stomach complaints are more likely to be the result of poor food hygiene rather than contamination of the treated water supply. Many hotels at the lake and in rural areas have their own water supplies which vary in quality. Advice should be sought from the operators as to the wisdom of drinking tap water.

FOOD
Most hotels/lodges and restaurants offer “international” cuisine. While there are a number of specialists restaurants offering Indian, Chinese and other ethnic cuisines, very few offer a selection of Malawian dishes other than the traditional main dish of nsima with green vegetables and beef, chicken or fish as accompaniments, Malawi has a wide range of traditional food, some seasonal, which would delight the palates of many travellers. For those who wish to explore Malawian cuisine further, we recommend that you ask (more especially at smaller lodges) for them to prepare something special. Some hotels/lodges offer traditional cultural visits to nearby villages which will include true traditional Malawian village prepared meals as part of the excursion.

For those who will self cater please adhere to washing your fresh produce in clean water before consumption to avoid any illness.

For tips on how to prepare your own Malawian food, “The Cook Book” is available at bookshops and some tourist facilities. It features traditional foods cooked in traditional manner. It offers many ways of adapting a wide range of commonly available Malawian ingredients to other cuisines.

DRIVING IN MALAWI
Drivers must have valid licences for the class of vehicle which they are driving. Malawi driving licences now share common features with all driving licences issued in the Southern African region (SADC). Visitors may drive for up to three months on a valid licence issued in their own country. All vehicles must be insured for third party damage. Vehicles must display a valid vehicle licence, an insurance certificate, a certificate of fitness disc and the name and address of the registered owner.
All vehicles must carry 2 warning triangles, two strips of white reflector tape on the front (left & right side of the bumper) and red on the rear, spare tire, jack and wheel spanner and a fire extinguisher if driving a rented car. Be sure to obey the speed signs especially whilst driving through densely populated areas as this is where you find most of the speed traps manned by very strict traffic police. When taking possession of a rental vehicle please ensure that it has the above mentioned , as the traffic police a fond of targeting them.

FIREARMS
The ownership of small arms such as pistols and revolvers is not encouraged. Control of firearms is in the hands of Police Headquarters in Lilongwe by the Registrar of Firearms. If you wish to bring a firearm for sport, you should use your local association to make the necessary applications on your behalf in conjunction with the relative association or agent in Malawi. Strict application laws have resulted in a low incidence of gun crime.