'''Lilongwe''' is the capital of Malawi.
Understand
The capital of Malawi, but not its largest city (that honor belongs to Blantyre), Lilongwe is fairly reasonably sized with a population of about 250,000. It's a very green city, to the extent that sometimes you wonder if there is a city centre at all as buildings in the new town at least are divided by patches of grassy land and trees.
Orientation
Lilongwe is divided into the Old Town (to the South) and the New Town (to the North) with the Lilongwe Nature Sanctury between the two. The '''Old Town''' is built around the former village of Lilongwe, while the '''New Town''' (also called '''City Centre''' or '''Capital City''') sprung up after former dictator Hastings Banda moved the capital from Zomba to Lilongwe. It is very dark to drive around at light as many of the streetlights were destroyed by Banda's henchmen when he lost power, the Government is still working to replace these. The quality of the roads is excellent compared to countries like Kenya and traffic doesn't tend to be too much of a problem at all.
Get in
[http://www.example.com link title]===By plane===
Lilongwe's '''Kamuzu International Airport''' ('''LLW''') fields regular flights to Johannesburg, Harare and Nairobi, as well as domestic services to Blantyre, Mzuzu and Karonga. For neighboring Zambia, there are flights both to capital Lusaka and safari destination Mfuwe through the two main Air Charter companies (Nyassa Air Taxi [www.nyassa.mw] & Executive Air Charters). An international departure tax of US$30 (cash only) is charged for all passengers with foreign passports (pay it on the first floor before heading up to the departure hall!), while domestic departure tax is K200.
The airport is about 25 km north of town and the taxis charge around K2500 (US$20) for the journey.
By train
By car
Lilongwe is about 110 kilometers from Mchinji on the Zambian border. Taxis generally charge upwards of K5000 for the trip.
By bus
From Dar Es Salaam
There are two bus companies serve Dar-Es Salaam-Lilongwe direction twice a week. The buses are ussually lack of maintenance that makes the time schedule unreliable.
By boat
Get around
The town is ''very'' spread out so getting around can be a bit of a chore. You can pick up taxis from the Lilongwe Hotel (in the Old Town) and the Capital Hotel (in the Capital City). If you're feeling adventurous, you can take a minibus. It's very cheap, but you will be getting very familiar with your fellow passengers. There are several routes you can take, including one that goes from the large blue bank in the new town and drops you off in the heart of the old town, next to Shoprite surpermarket.
See
'''Lilongwe wildlife centre''': on the opposite side of the road to the old nature sanctuary. Its back down towards old town by the bridge over the river, look out fot the sign. Its a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre that provides excellent tours of the centre and its wilderness zone, a wide range of wildlife and good value for money.
They even have volunteer opportunities offered through their website [http://www.lilongwewildlife.org/].
Do
Learn
Work
Buy
'''Old Town Mall'''. Catering mostly to the tourist, expat, and wealthy Malawian community, Old Town Mall offers two impressive art and craft galleries, a DVD rental shop, grocery store catering to expat tastes, travel agencies, and upmarket clothing stores. Mamma Mia's Italian Restaurant (see below) is located as well in Old Town Mall.
'''Crossroads Complex''', Mchinji Roundabout. Lilongwe's newest shopping mall, with a couple of decent gift shops, a post office, a petrol station, two ATMs and a couple of fast food joints.
'''7-Eleven'''. No relation to the American outfit, this is just a popular supermarket (complete with in-house butchery) that stocks a wide range of products local and imported.
Eat
Budget
'''Tabaq''' , next to Diplomats pub in Old Town (area 4) Nice Pakistani run place with good Malawian, Indian and Chinese food.
Mid-range
'''Don Brioni's Bistro''', next to the Old Town post office. Serving pizza, pasta, steaks and daily specials. Good food in generous quantities. $5-$10 for a main dish.
'''Bohemia Cafe''', along the road from Don Brioni's. Open for breakfast and lunch. Light meals (breakfast, toasted sandwiches, baked potato, quiche), fresh fruit juice, very good tea and coffee and great cakes. About $5 for for a sandwich, a cup of tea and a cake.
'''Korea Garden Lodge''', about 1/4 mile from Harry's bar (within walking distance). Hotel serving Korean food in the restaurant.
'''Al Fresco,''' in new town, is a great italian restaurant with really fresh ingredients. Try their pizza! (Located in the same shopoping center as Foodworth and a Total Station)
'''Four Seasons,''' in new town, is a lovelys set of restaurants and small shops set in beautifully kept garens. An excellent indian restaurant with prices ranging from around 1000-2000 kwacha for curries, there is also another restaurant offering pastas, salads and steaks all reasonably priced. You'll probably need to drive, its located just near the Capital Sunbird Hotel in the Government District. But well worth the trip - there's also a great bar serving some lethal cocktails!
Splurge
'''Mamma Mia''', Old Town Mall. Lilongwe's fanciest Italian restaurant, much favored by the expat community so reservations strongly advised on weekends. Real Italian pizza, pasta and more, but expect to pay over K2000/head (US$20) for a full meal with a glass of wine, and food quality is a little uneven.
Drink
There's a place for drinking like bwandiro (area 47) where there's a lot of pubs. There's now a new Pirate cassino where people usually go almost every day up to midnight.
Harry's Bar, in the old town, is a great place to have a drink and a burger during the day or to slam Malawi gin with an energetic crowd on weekend nights.
'''Diplomats Pub''' In old town. Offers good music and cold beer, also braai(South African word for B-B-Q.Pronounced "brr-eye") outside and great meals inside, opens 17.00 till late. Great entertainment for the weekend and during the week when no other pubs are open. we offer great service and customer satisfaction. you can contact +265 8553492 for more info. any type of music is played if the customer requests..Have a look out for Libido's joint, another bar situated in the back of dipolmats pub..
'''Aleksander Bar''' Around 10 minutes from the downtown by Taxi. This bar use to be the hangout place of the Lilongwe white collar's and expatriates. The bar lies in the ground floor of a building that owned by Malawi born western. This place can be a choice if you want to avoid the crowd and relax.
Sleep
Budget
'''Mabuya Camp''', to the south of the Old Town, tel. +265 (0)1 754 978 / +265 (0)9 746 239 /+265 (0)9 664 651, info@mabuyacamp.com, [http://www.mabuyacamp.com]. Camping, A-frames, chalets and dorms. Formerly run by and named Kiboko Camp.
'''Crystal Lodge''', Malangalanga Rd, K 700 single, the former government resthouse is now a privately run enterprise with basic rooms. Probably the cheapest place in Lilongwe.
'''Lilongwe Golf club''' (camping only), off Glynn Jones Rd, the campsite is not very busy and you might be the only guest there, but it works out a bit cheaper than a room.
Mid-range
'''Kiboko Town Hotel''', in the centre of the Old Town, above Don Brioni's Bistro, tel. +265 (0)1 751 226 / (0)9 838 485, KTH@kiboko-safaris.com, [http://www.kiboko-safaris.com]. Has its own cafe and a residents-only bar. Used to be the Imperial Hotel. Clean, pleasant and friendly, in a very convenient location. They also run good-value safaris to South Luangwa National Park in Zambia. $45-$75 (all are en-suite, more expensive rooms have a bath and TV).
'''Korean Garden Lodge''' offers a comfortable and relaxing setting close to downtown Lilongwe but in a quiet residential area. Swimming pool, television, rooms ranging from budget dorm-style to more luxuriant and private.
'''Mufasa Lodge''' (tel +2659071665) On top floor of "The Huts" Indian restaurant is an good option if you like to stay in the heart of old town. They offer accommodation from dormitories to self contained double rooms, breakfast inclusive. From usd 12 to usd 35.
Splurge
'''Cresta Crossroads Hotel''', Crossroads Complex, Mchinji Roundabout, tel. +265-175-0333, [http://www.cresta-hospitality.com]. Opened December 2004, this four-star hotel operated by a South African chain offers modern if somewhat uninspiring comfort. Pool, jacuzzi, gym, speedy wireless Internet and a shopping mall next door. Single/double from US$120/140.
'''Capital Hotel''', . Also uninspiring but comfortable with very similar facilities to Cresta Crossroads Hotel. En-suite double rooms from $110. The hotel does serve pretty good food, the peri peri chicken burger is particularly good, and also there is a small sportsbar. The experience here depends on the day, some of the staff are absolutely fabulous, but some can be a little distracted and inattentive. Do make sure you go for a superior room, the standard ones aren't great.
Contact
Stay safe
Transport is not always easy to get at late hours of the night so always make sure you have means of transport to getting back to where you're staying. Taxis are available. Lilongwe is said to be unsafe at night so don't walk alone after dark.
Cope
Get out
Cape Maclear, a laid-back village on the south end of Lake Malawi.
Salima, the easiest entry point to Lake Malawi, 1-2 hours away. Nice resorts (including Livingstonia Beach Resort) available with gorgeous beaches. A signposted turn off 3 km before Salima beckons travelers to Kuti Wildlife Park with camp sites,A frame chalets, bar/braii facilities, Small restaurant,game drives and walks, Animals found in the park include sable, nyala, zebra, wildebeest, ostrich, giraffe and waterbuck. At night civets, genets, servals and aardvarks may be spotted. A great spot for birding too! If you plan to go during rainy season, be sure to take a 4x4 just in case. Fore more info telephone 09563004 or 05236672.
Chipata, the eastern gateway to Zambia, 1-2 hours away
South Luangwa National Park – a fantastic wildlife reserve in Zambia. Kiboko Safaris (see Kiboko Town Hotel in Sleep section of this page) and possibly a few others run roundtrip excursions to the park, and with advance notice can arrange visa waivers. The park is great, and this is an easy way to see it if you've got time for a sidetrip.