How to travel Malawi like a local!
You can only get to know a country, it´s culture and traditions by meeting it´s locals. My 3 weeks Malawi road trip was the most amazing trip I have ever been on. “The Warm Heart of Africa” and it´s people have given me so much. With this post I am speaking out of experience and I want to encourage you to travel Malawi the way I did it.
I am sharing my top 10 tips of how to travel Malawi in order to get as much local experience as possible:
1. Take local busses to get to your destination
Traveling local will give you the most amazing experience. You will see the most unbelievable things and will meet the most amazing people.
2. Try the following street food:
- fried cassava chips (like fries)
- fried banana
- Mandazi (fried balls made from flour and water)
- Bonya (dried fish)
- Mpani (mice on a stick)
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3. Eat out in local restaurants and try – Traditional African Dishes
- Chicken and Nsima (Nsima= porridge made from maize or cassava meal and water)
- Kampango (fish) and Nsima
- Chambo (fish) and Nsima
4. Let a local show you how to play “Bawo”
“Bawo” is the Malawians favorite game. Let a local show you how to play it. It is a perfect way of mingeling with them.
5. Keep your dirty laundry and wash it in Lake Malawi
In Malawi it is common to do all the washing’s on the shores of Lake Malawi. It is a really tough work and by doing it like the locals do it, you will appreciate our modern way of life and the fact, that we have washing machines.
6. Chat to as many locals as possible and make friends with them
The Malawians are one of the most heartwarming and hospitable people I have ever met. We made friends with locals everywhere. Hence, we got invited for breakfast, lunch and dinner to their houses. We even spending the night at their homes. Especially in Kande Beach, which is a small village in the north of Malawi, staying with our friends was such an authentic African experience. They still use water pumps, have to carry the water for bathing and cooking to their homes and also cook on fire. The bathroom doesn’t have taps, nor do they have a shower or flushing toilets.
7. Party in a local night club
One thing you musn´t miss out on is a party in a local nightclub. I do love African house music. I hope you will as well. Besides that, you should try the local beer “Chipoka” and “green”.
8. Learn to speak Chichewa
Chichewa is the most widely known language of Malawi. Here you can find my post and video about “How to speak Chichewa” with a few words and phrases you might need when traveling Malawi.
9. Take pictures and videos with the local Malawian kids
Everywhere we stopped we did that. The kids loved being photographed.
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10. Trade one of your items at the locals handcraft shops
Most locals will agree on swooping items with you.
Read next: 20 Things to know before traveling to Malawi
I hope you will have the most amazing time in “The Warm Heart of Africa”.
Which country have you traveled like a local. Leave me a comment.
Watch my vlog of “How to travel Malawi like a local”:
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Would you like to read and see more about my Africa trips? Here we go!
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Emma Lomas
Posted at 14:09h, 28 OctoberTravelling to Malawi must have been such an eye-opener! I’ve only visited South Africa and would love to explore more of Africa and never considered Malawi before now 🙂 The kids looking at your phone is adorable! <3
Coralia Varga
Posted at 09:31h, 29 OctoberI love the pics. It’s cool that you made friends and wanted to visit like a local. That’s important. The food reminds me a little of the Seychelles dishes we had during our honeymoon. Would love to visit Malawi, truly!
Lindsey Nicole
Posted at 08:59h, 30 OctoberWhat a beautiful experience! I definitely don’t know about that mice stick but it looks like a wonderful adventure. Great post!
Chantell Collins
Posted at 12:11h, 30 OctoberI can’t get past the mice on a stick!!! Did you really eat all of it???
Claudia Bartsch
Posted at 03:24h, 31 OctoberHaha no I did not eat all of it. I actually took off the hair and tasted a bit of the meat as well as the tail. It wasn´t that bad to be honest. I wouldn´t have eaten it with the hair. What was the strangest food you have ever eaten?