Lilongwe City Guide - overview

Lilongwe is the capital of Malawi and a very green city, to the extent that sometimes you wouldn't guess you were in a commercial hub for all the trees and grassy areas. Lilongwe is divided into Old Town (to the South) and New Town (to the North), with the Lilongwe Nature Sanctury between the two. Lilongwe is very spread out so getting around can be a bit of a chore; you can get a taxi or experience an over-crowded minibus.

Getting around: You can travel around Malawi by air, road, rail or boat. Distances between major centres are short but in recent years several stretches of road have become very badly potholed, making driving difficult and sometimes dangerous. The best mode of transport is however by car, and there are various international car rental companies in Malawi. The main road through Malawi runs from the north down to Mzuzu, then through the centre of the country to Lilongwe, and on to Blantyre and the south. Taxis are available in and around town but there are also bus services available. The train in Malawi is slow, crowded and limited (there are no passenger trains to Lilongwe). Every week, the Ilala passenger ferry chugs up and down Lake Malawi between Monkey Bay and Chilumba, stopping at a dozen towns and villages (contact Malawi Lake Services).