Chimbuna

Today was a long driving day, which included a border crossing from Zambia to Malawi. Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over 118,484 km2 and has an estimated population of just under 20 million. Malawi's capital and largest city is Lilongwe. Its second-largest is Blantyre, its third-largest is Mzuzu, and its fourth-largest is its former capital, Zomba. The name Malawi comes from the Maravi, an old name for the Chewa people who inhabit the area. The country is nicknamed "The Warm Heart of Africa" because of the friendliness of its people.

We were on the road early and basically drove all day with a few bushy bushy stops and a roadside lunch on route. At one point, we met another Intrepid truck so that Laban could pass on some paperwork. We attracted quite a crowd of local children!

The crossing in to Malawi went smoothly. It did take a while, though. They have a newly-built state-of-the-art facility which, unfortunately, is not yet computerised, so all the details you fill in on the immigration forms have to be painstakingly transcribed into ledgers!

Our first views of Lake Malawi were staggering. It is so large, it’s just like being by the sea. Although it is obviously not tidal, there are currents that create waves that give the illusion of the ocean. Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is the fifth largest fresh water lake in the world by volume, the ninth largest lake in the world by area, and the third largest and second deepest lake in Africa. It is home to more species of fish than any other lake in the world, including at least 700 species of cichlids. In Malawi, a portion of the lake is included in Lake Malawi National Park. Lake Malawi is between 560 kilometres and 580 kilometres long and about 75 kilometres wide at its widest point. The lake has a total surface area of about 29,600 square kilometres. The lake is 706 metres at its deepest point.Read more