Friday 20 November 2009

Zomba: in-depth

Zomba - an overview of one of the prettiest cities in Malawi


Zomba is situated in the southern region of Malawi and used to be the capital of Malawi, before it went to Lilongwe. It has many old colonial buildings, a memento of Malawi's colonial past. There is a botanical gardens in the centre of town with a number of indiginous and exotic trees and plants, which is worth seeing if you are interested in nature. The town has one of the best markets for fruit and vegetables in Malawi, with a great range and variety depending on the season.


Zomba has beautiful surroundings, the Zomba plateau making an impressive back drop to the town, and the sheer rockface is an imposing sight! Zomba plateau has some lovely walks, (a great start for the fitness enthusiast is a potato path that takes you to the top of the plateau). Some people even try and fish in the dams at the top of the plateau.


At the top of Zomba mountain is a hotel, which has a specacular view overlooking the town (watch out, as this is an expensive place to stay!) and also has a fantastic views across to Mount Mulanje (on clear days!).


Lake Chilwa is also short distance to the east (20-30 minutes) of Zomba. It is a shallow lake which shrinks significantly in the dry season and supports many fishermen (who still fish from dugout canoes using nets). The volume of water greatly increases in the wet season, but due to high levels of Bilharzia, swimming is not recommended.


Zomba is not far from Blantyre (just under 1 hour by car), and 3-4 hours from Lilongwe. It is also a 6-8 hour drive to Sambani Lodge!

Find out more about the main cities in Malawi.

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