About this book

This new ninth edition of Bradt’s Malawi remains the only standalone practical guidebook to this magical southeast African destination produced by a mainstream publisher. Long known as the ‘warm heart of Africa’, thanks to its traditional welcome, Malawi is a small country with a big lake – accounting for around a third of its territory – and, oddly, is the first nation outside Denmark to have a Carlsberg brewery.

The guide takes you from the northern Nyika Plateau with its zebra herds to the long lake shore and the easy charm of baobab-studded Likoma Island. Heading south, you come to the capital Lilongwe and nearby Cape Maclear, a low-key resort town with excellent diving and snorkelling. From here you can travel to Liwonde National Park, famed for its abundant elephant and hippo, and the historic town of Zomba, whose high plateau is criss-crossed by hiking trails. Heading south again brings you to Mount Mulanje, the country’s highest peak at 3,002m.

Malawi offers many outstanding adventure opportunities: kayaking on the vast lake amongst dug-out canoes; walking up the Rift Valley escarpment to Livingstonia; and watching the ‘big five’ in wonderful natural surroundings. With the reintroduction of sought-after mammals, including elephants to Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve and African wild dogs to Liwonde, plus excellent birdwatching, Malawi is a wildlife destination to savour. Also up for discovery are a resurgent music scene (including the Tumaini Festival), intriguing monuments, ancient rock art at Chongoni and compelling village culture.

Written by Philip Briggs (arguably the world’s most experienced guidebook author) and updated by Helen Smith (who partly grew up in Malawi), this ninth edition benefits from a brand new, full-colour guide to wildlife and a thorough update of key practical information. Dedicated chapters on background context, health, and flora and fauna are complemented by a 19-chapter breakdown of the country and 38 maps, making this an ideal companion for backpackers, overlanders, wildlife watchers, birdwatchers and other outdoor enthusiasts. From luxury camps to local guesthouses, from rhino trekking to cycle tours. and from crafts to cultural tourism, Bradt’s Malawi covers every aspect of an unforgettable trip to Africa.

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About the Author

Philip Briggs (philipbriggs.com) has been exploring the highways, byways and backwaters of Africa since 1986, when he backpacked on a shoestring from Nairobi to Cape Town. He is the world’s leading author of guidebooks to African countries, with more than 30 years’ experience. He first explored Uganda by bus and train in 1988, two years after it emerged from a decade of civil war, and returned in 1992 to research the first edition of the Bradt guide. He has since revisited the country on numerous occasions both as a tour leader and to update subsequent editions. During the 1990s, he wrote pioneering Bradt travel guides to countries that were then – and in some cases still are – otherwise practically uncharted by the travel industry. These include the first dedicated guidebooks to Rwanda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique and Ghana. When not travelling, he lives in the sleepy South African village of Wilderness.

Helena Smith (helenasmith.co.uk) is a travel writer, photographer and videographer who was lucky enough to grow up near the Trossach Mountains in Scotland and, for two years, under Zomba Plateau in Malawi. This partly African upbringing made a deep impression on Smith, as evidenced by her 1,000-word autobiographical article about moving to Malawi aged 11 won Vogue magazine’s annual writing contest – and being the updater of Bradt’s Malawi guidebook. She was managing editor at Rough Guides from 1997–2004, before turning freelance to write about hiking, camping, independent travel and country escapes. She has written travel guidebooks for Rough Guides, DK, Hygge and Lonely Planet, and has contributed to seven other books for Lonely Planet (including two on Africa) and four for Rough Guides. She has travelled extensively in Africa, writes widely about responsible and eco travel, and is co-founder of Wilder, a social enterprise doing wildlife-friendly planting in London.

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