Lake Chilwa

Lake Chilwa lies in a natural depression that runs approximately north-south between Malawi's Mount Mulanje and Mozambique. It is the second biggest lake in Malawi, though its size varies greatly with the seasons.

Recent years of drought have caused Chilwa to shrink, so that huge areas of lakebed swamps and sands now sit on land that used to be well submerged, but the lake still occupies a good 2,500km². David Livingstone suggested that in 1859 Chilwa reached almost to the surrounds of Mount Mulanje - about 30km further south than its present limit. It would have been contiguous with Lake Chiuta, and about three times deeper than its present maximum depth of about three metres.

The islands of Chisi and Thongwe in Lake Chilwa are home to some of the remotest communities in the country. Their inhabitants live much as their ancestors did a century ago, and the islands' remoteness mean that there's little contact with travellers - a pity for the travellers, and perhaps for both parties.

Chilwa has a high evaporation rate, which makes the water pretty salty, and allows Nanipi woodlands to invade the land left behind by the retreating water's edge. The interior of the lake is silent and calm, a wonderful spot for seeing waterbirds like pelican, flamingo, heron, egrets and ducks. You can hire a boat or a canoe for a trip out on the water.

The best time to visit Chilwa is towards the end of the rainy season in April, when the lake is fullest and most impressive. There's no accommodation at the lake itself, but it's easily accessed from a base in Zomba or Blantyre.

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