The local currency is the Malawi kwacha, sometimes abbreviated “MK” (ISO international currency code: MWK). The currency is freely convertible (but impossible to get rid of outside the country).

“Hard” foreign currencies (Forex) will also be accepted by almost everybody, particularly for larger purchases. In order to reduce cost of living, expats living in Malawi could consider specialized FX transfer by companies focusing on global reach such as the ones found at MTC.com If you bring foreign currency (forex) into the country and break the law by exchanging on the black market – in Lilongwe this is by using the people standing outside Metro (opposite Spar/Shoprite), they can give you an extra 40-50 kwacha (use that as a general idea of how much you should get) to the US dollar, pound or euro. Get the taxi to stop by here on the drive from the airport!

You can swap Malawian kwacha to Zambian kwacha at the border, either at the banks or on the black market too.

Larger foreign bills are favoured and can get much higher rates. At times, it can be easier to not even go to the black market and simply make purchases with the foreign currency.

Credit cards: Mastercard and Visa and are accepted by larger hotels and large supermarkets.

You can withdraw cash using a Mastercard or Visa card at many ATMs of the Standard Bank, Ecobank and National Bank of Malawi.

Travellers’ cheques can no longer be used.

BY CAR:

Like many other former British colonies, traffic moves on the left in Malawi with most cars being right-hand drive.

Local car rental companies:

Apex Rent-a-Car Malawi. Sedans, 4x4s, buses.

SS Rent-a-Car. Saloons/sedans, 4x4s, 16- and 26-seat buses, motorbikes.

Sputnik Car Hire. 4x4s, buses, trucks.

Many car rentals in Southern Africa do not allow you to enter Malawi with their cars. You might have the best chances if you rent a car in Zambia.

Car rentals that allow you to enter Malawi:

• Kwenda, 17 Samantha Street; Strijdom Park; Randburg, Johannesburg, South Africa, +27 44 533 5717, kwenda@iafrica.com.
  
• Bushtackers, P.O. Box 4225, Rivonia, 2128, Johannesburg, South Africa, +27 11 465 5700, bushtrackers@iafrica.com. Allow you to enter Malawi if you ask by email.

BY BOAT:

Travelling by boat is surely the most enjoyable mode of getting around in Malawi. The Ilala ferry runs north from Monkey Bay to Chilumba on Fridays at 10:00, arriving on Sunday at 18:30 and returns southbound on the same route, departing Chilumba on Mondays at 02:00, arriving back at Monkey Bay on Wednesdays at 14:00. Prices are rising with every year, but so is the ferry’s reliability.

BY TRAIN:

Malawi has a very limited passenger service, with departures about 1-2 times per week between Blantyre and smaller cities in Southern Malawi. No passenger trains serve the capital Lilongwe. All trains are operated by CEAR.

EAT:

Traditional Malawian food revolves around one staple, maize, served in one form, nsima (n’SEE-ma). Nsima is basically a type of thick porridge, rolled into balls with your right hand and dipped into a variety of stews known as relishes. Those who can afford them eat relishes of beef, chicken or fish, but the many who can’t make do with beans, tiny dried fish (usipa), pumpkin leaves (chibwabwa) and other vegetables. At breakfast, nsima can be served watered down into a soup, maybe with a little sugar. Local restaurants will serve nsima and relish for less than MK500.

Food options in the major cities of Lilongwe and Blantyre are good. Fast food — to include burgers, pizza, and fried chicken — is very popular in Malawi. For sit-down meals, ethnic eateries (thanks to a significant ex-pat population) are popular. In many restaurants, pork products are not served to accommodate the Muslim population.

Outside the larger cities, however, you might be a little underwhelmed with food options. Along the major roadways, you will find “tuck shops” featuring packaged cookies or Take Away Meals — meat pies or sausage rolls, for instance — which may or may not satisfy you.

Finally, in terms of hygiene outside the major cities, you are unlikely to find a proper washroom with running water. You will probably be given a bowl of water, a piece of soap, and a (damp) towel. Therefore, some travellers bring small bottles of anti-bacterial hand soap with them.

DRINK:

Soft drinks:

A traditional local drink worth trying is maheu, a somewhat gritty and vaguely yogurty but refreshing beverage made from maize meal. Factory-produced maheu is sweet, comes in plastic bottles and is available in a variety of flavours including banana, chocolate and orange, while home made versions are usually unflavored and less sweet.

The variety of soft drinks in Malawi is very popular – there’s Coke, Sprite, Tonic, Ginger Ale, Soda Water, Cherry Plum, Cocopina and the very tasty, sugary Fantas (coming in Orange, Grape, Exotic, Passion and Pineapple flavours). These are manufactured by SOBO, the glass bottles are on a deposit system. Expect to pay MK50 extra per bottle unless you bring some ’empties’ with you.

Alcohol:

The only beers you will generally find are brewed in Blantyre by Carlsberg, and its products are available in restaurants and stores throughout the country. A normal Carlsberg is known as a ‘green’, but the company also produces Special Brew, Stout, Classic, Elephant, Light and Kuche Kuche. You can also buy imported drinks such as Heineken, Kronenbourg, Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Breezer and some ciders in certain bars. Malawi also produces its own spirits – notably Malawi Vodka, Malawi Gin, Malawi Rum, Gold Label Brandy and the cane spirit Powers. Malawi Gin & Tonic is a very nice, popular expat drink in the country.

Western-standard hotels can be found in Blantyre, Lilongwe, Zomba and Mzuzu, as well as along the shores of Lake Malawi. The Lake Malawi resort hotels cater primarily to international tourists.

There are Backpacker Hostels in many places in Malawi with dorm beds from US$10 per person.

There are high-level five-star resort hotels in some rural areas charging western prices.

TBC.