Malawi's island in the sky

By Wynand Coetzer
Published 15 July 2010

There’s more to Malawi than lazy days on the lakeshore. If you’re looking for something more adventurous, Mount Mulanje awaits.

The granite crown of Malawi
Mulanje is known as an inselberg – an isolated mountain or hill that rises from an otherwise flat plain. Nearly every river that runs through this part of Malawi has its source on Mulanje, and its height plays a role in the formation of rain clouds.

The 3 002 m-high Sapitwa Peak is the highest point in Malawi.
Where is it? About 84 km east of Blantyre, on the Mozambican border.
Spot the wildlife. There are dassies, red rock hares, vervet monkeys, porcu­pines, bush pigs, bushbuck and klip­springers. There are leopards too, but they are seldom seen. Out in the open, you see several species of swallow, eagle and falcon. In the bush, there are bulbuls, robins, flycatchers and warblers.

Planning a hike? Get a copy of the Guide to the Mulanje Massif by Frank Eastwood, which is readily available in Blantyre bookshops or go to www.amazon.com for a secondhand copy.
Source: Malawi: The Bradt Travel Guide by Philip Briggs & Mary-Anne Bartlett

Read the full article in the August issue of go! (#50).

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