25 Days Malawi Road Trip itinerary – Self Drive Malawi
Day 1 – Arrive in Lilongwe, collect your 4×4
You arrive in Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi, at Kamuzu International Airport. After landing, you go to the car rental desk or meet the rental staff to collect your 4×4 vehicle. Make sure you have your passport, driving license (an international permit is useful), credit card, and booking confirmation. The staff will check the vehicle with you, explain how it works, and give you emergency contact numbers. Once everything is ready, you drive about 30–40 minutes to your hotel in Lilongwe. If you arrive early, you can visit the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre, explore the Old Town markets, or relax at a local café before staying overnight in the city. Accommodation: Sunrise motel lilongwe
Day 2 – Lilongwe to Mzuzu (about 370 km / 6 hrs)
Head north on the good‑tarmac M1. Stop at Kasungu town for fuel and snacks, then enjoy rolling tobacco farmlands before the long escarpment descent into the green Viphya Plateau. Reach Mzuzu by mid‑afternoon, check tyres and oil, and rest at a budget lodge.
Day 3 – Mzuzu to Nyika National Park (240 km / 5 hrs)
Fill up in Mzuzu there is no fuel in the park. Drive north to Rumphi, then turn west on the gravel road that climbs through pine forests to the high Nyika Plateau. Check into Chelinda Campsite, light your fireplace, and watch roan antelope grazing in the mist outside your tent.
Day 4 – Exploring Nyika: game drives on the plateau
At sunrise follow the network of easy tracks across rolling grasslands. Look for eland, zebra, and the shy leopards that hunt in daylight here. Picnic at Chosi Viewpoint to take in endless hills, then fish for rainbow trout at Chelinda dam before a chilly, star‑filled night.
Day 5 – Hiking and history in Nyika
Park at the old airstrip and hike the 12‑km Chelinda Loop Trail; the air is cool and the flowers colourful. In the afternoon visit the old colonial farm ruins and learn how Nyika was once a ranch. Top up water from the ranger post and enjoy a sundowner at the “Cathedral Trees”.
Day 6 – Long haul to Liwonde National Park (550 km / 9 hrs)
Break camp early for the long drive south: Nyika → Mzuzu → Nkhotakota → Salima, then branch onto the M5 along Lake Malawi’s shore. Cross the Shire River at Liwonde town and enter the park’s eastern gate by late afternoon. Sleep at Liwonde Safari Camp just outside the gate.
Day 7 – River safari in Liwonde
Book the morning boat cruise on the Shire River. From your small launch you will float past hippos, crocodiles, and huge herds of elephant coming to drink. After lunch take a gentle self‑drive loop to see sable and kudu in the miombo woodlands.
Day 8 – Walking safari and local culture
Join armed scouts for a two‑hour dawn walking safari footprints, birds, and medicinal plants come alive at ground level. Later drive to the nearby Ku Sapu village to see how bamboo bicycles are made and share a simple lunch of nsima and fish. Refuel in Liwonde town.
Day 9 – Liwonde to Kasungu National Park (365 km / 6 hrs)
Retrace the M8 to the M1, climbing north through Dowa’s granite hills. Just past Kasungu town turn left onto a gravel track to the park gate. Set up at Lifupa Campsite beside a broad dam full of hippos and enjoy sunset views of the distant inselbergs.
Day 10 – Kasungu game drive and Black Rock climb
At first light follow the 60‑km main loop; although wildlife is shy you may spot buffalo, hartebeest, and plenty of birds. In the cooler afternoon hours walk the short path up Black Rock. The panorama over dusty plains makes the steep scramble worth it.
Day 11 – Ruins and community visit, Kasungu
Drive to the old colonial administration buildings, now crumbling under fig trees, and imagine the 1920s. Then exit the park to visit Chamama village craft market where wood‑carvers sell fine bowls. Return to camp, service your vehicle, and prepare for tomorrow’s lake run.
Day 12 – Kasungu to Lake Malawi (Nkhata Bay, 300 km / 5 hrs)
Aim north on the M1, drop down verdant escarpments and feel the humid air rise as the lake appears turquoise below. Turn east at Nkhota‑kota, reach Nkhata Bay, and pitch a tent at Mayoka Village perched above the clear water.
Day 13 – Snorkelling and kayaking, Lake Malawi
Hire mask and fins and drift over shoals of colourful cichlid fish—Lake Malawi holds more species than any other lake on earth. After lunch paddle a sit‑on‑top kayak along the rocky shore, stopping at sandy coves accessible only by water.
Day 14 – Nkhata Bay to Cape Maclear (290 km / 5 hrs)
Drive south along the scenic M5 “Lakeshore Road”, past mango stalls and baobabs. Arrive in Cape Maclear inside Lake Malawi National Park, set up on the beach at Fat Monkeys, and watch the sun sink behind the islands.
Day 15 – Island hopping at Cape Maclear
Join a local wooden dhow to Thumbi Island. Feed fish eagles, snorkel in crystal water, and barbecue fresh chambo fish on the sand. Back at camp sip a cold Kuche Kuche beer while fishermen pull in their evening nets.
Day 16 – Cape Maclear to Lengwe National Park (350 km / 6 hrs)
Leave early, skirt Mangochi, cross the Shire Valley’s sugar estates, and reach Lengwe near the border with Mozambique. Set up at Njati Lodge Campsite and enjoy warthogs grazing under fever trees.
Day 17 – Nyala tracking in Lengwe
Drive the network of dusty roads looking for the park’s star species, the handsome nyala antelope, as well as bushpig and baboons. Enjoy lunch at the visitor centre, then siesta through the afternoon heat before a short sunset loop.
Day 18 – Lengwe to Mulanje Mountains (230 km / 4 hrs)
Climb the escarpment to Blantyre for supplies and fuel, then continue east to the tea estates that ring Mount Mulanje. Stay at Likhubula Forestry Camp at the mountain’s base, arranging porters for tomorrow’s hike.
Day 19 – Day hike to Likhubula Falls, Mulanje
Follow the Skyline Path through fragrant cedar forest to the thundering Likhubula Falls swim in the icy plunge pool with fern‑draped cliffs towering overhead. Return to camp for a hearty meal and stories with other trekkers around the fire.
Day 20 – Tea estate tour and rock pools, Mulanje
Drive to Satemwa Tea Estate for a guided tour: learn plucking techniques, taste different teas, and enjoy cake on the veranda of 1920s Huntingdon House. In the afternoon visit Dziwe la Nkhalamba natural pool for a refreshing dip.
Day 21 – Mulanje to Majete Wildlife Reserve (160 km / 3 hrs)
Descend through Thyolo’s rolling tea fields, cross the Shire River again, and enter Majete Malawi’s great conservation success story. Camp at Mkulumadzi Community Site and listen to lions roaring at night.
Day 22 – Big Five safari in Majete
Self‑drive the well‑graded loops at dawn; you have a good chance of seeing elephant, buffalo, black rhino, and lion. Book the afternoon boat cruise on the Shire for crocs and waterbirds, then enjoy dinner under a star‑filled sky.
Day 23 – Majete to Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve (420 km / 7 hrs)
It’s a long haul north: Majete → Blantyre bypass → M1 to Salima, then turn onto the gravel reserve track. Set up at Bua River Lodge’s campsite shaded by giant miombo trees and listen to the river rushing past.
Day 24 – Wilderness walk in Nkhotakota
Meet ranger‑guides at dawn for a three‑hour walk through thick miombo and towering palms. Look for elephant footprints and rare birdlife such as the Böhm’s bee‑eater. Relax in a hammock after lunch and take a short evening drive to a hilltop viewpoint.
Day 25 – Nkhotakota to Lilongwe and depart (200 km / 3 hrs)
Pack up, cross the Bua River bridge, and rejoin the M1 west to Lilongwe. Stop at roadside fruit stalls for last‑minute pineapples, return your trusty 4×4, and board your flight home with memories of Malawi’s warm heart and wild places.