Things to do in Lilongwe
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Lilongwe
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months overall. Cool dry season, clear skies, low malaria pressure and hiking and golf at their best.
Best for wildlife and festivals and hottest for the city. Bush is thinnest and lake water is warm.
Mixed. First rains, mango season begins and birding ignites as migrants arrive, but dirt roads suffer.
Worst months for a first visit. Hot, humid rains, muddy trails, highest malaria and some safari product closed.
What's on
- Lake of Stars Malawi Arts Festival Usually late September or October
Music, fashion, film and poetry festival in Nkhotakota on the lakeshore, with Lilongwe as the gateway.
- Independence Day 6 July
National celebrations often centred on Bingu Stadium, with closures and full hotels expected.
- Malawi Mother's Day 15 October
Major public holiday when families travel and lakeshore lodges fill with domestic guests.
Best things to do in Lilongwe
Lilongwe Wildlife Centre
A 70 hectare in-city forest reserve with trails, a boardwalk and wild monkeys run by the Wildlife Trust.
Lilongwe Nature Sanctuary
Protected riverine forest between Old Town and Capital City, best for birding and quiet walks.
Kumbali Cultural Village
Malawian run cultural village with dance, drumming, farm food and craft stalls at fixed prices.
Lizulu Market
The working Old Town market for chitenge fabric, tailors, produce and dried chambo fish.
Lilongwe Craft Market
The souvenir concentration for wood carvings, chess sets, baskets, malachite and paintings.
Kamuzu Mausoleum
Marble mausoleum of founding president Kamuzu Banda in landscaped grounds near Parliament.
World War I Memorial Tower
Memorial to Malawian Kings African Rifles soldiers, part of the Capital City history walk.
Parliament Building
Modern Chinese built parliament landmark admired from outside on the Capital City walk.
Where to stay in Lilongwe
Area 10 and Area 12
first trip, all-round base
Leafy embassy quarter central to Parliament and Old Town, with the best guesthouses and Four Seasons compound.
Area 3, Old Town
budget, walk-by-day character and the golf club
The original town with markets, curry houses and backpacker lodges on your doorstep, taxis needed at night.
Capital City and City Centre
business and conferences
Full service hotels walking distance from ministries and the convention centre, sterile after office hours.
Kumbali and the city edge
a retreat night
A 200 acre farm setting for a first or last night, but every city sight and dinner is a drive from here.
Think twice about
- Old Town bus station, Lizulu Market core and Areas 23, 24 and 25
No visitor accommodation of standard, congested poorly lit streets and the highest pickpocketing risk. Visit markets by day.
- Unguarded standalone rentals in any Area
Sleep behind a guard and or fence against the city long standing burglary pattern. If security is not stated plainly, do not book.
- Far airport-road sprawl lodges
Not dangerous, just isolating with no restaurant and no driver arrangement, so savings are repaid in taxis.
Best restaurants in Lilongwe
Latitude 13 Restaurant
A 38 seat garden brasserie with local produce, strong vegetarian work and the capital best wine list.
Wild Orchid Restaurant
The President flagship dining room with white tablecloth service, the reliable Capital City business dinner.
Mamma Mia
Beloved Italian with handmade tagliatelle, thin crust pizza and a private garden courtyard.
Bombay Palace
The best Indian food in Lilongwe by acclamation, with an extensive vegetarian menu for sharing.
Veg-Delight
Purely vegetarian Indian restaurant with the highest rating at real volume of any restaurant listed.
Lark Café
Garden cafe for fresh salads, wraps, sandwiches and desserts, the Area 43 lunch to beat.
Mediterraneo
Convenient Italian and Mediterranean option for City Centre, vegetarian friendly with real review volume.
Kaza Kitchen
Cafe and vegetarian leaning fast food in the Four Seasons compound, scoring perfectly on a small base.
Outdoor things to do in Lilongwe
Lilongwe Golf Club
Malawi only 18 hole championship course, parkland under old trees with a full sports club attached.
Dzalanyama Forest Reserve
Fine miombo woodland on rocky hills for serious birding, forest trails, biking and stream picnics.
Nkhoma Mountain
Steep mission village climb with the best panorama in day trip range, about two hours up for fit walkers.
Kuti Wildlife Reserve
Community reserve with giraffe, zebra and antelope and no predators, so you can walk among plains game.
Senga Bay
Closest lakeshore to the capital, a working fishing village on a long sandy bay for swimming and chambo.
Lizard Island
Rocky island boat trip from Senga Bay to snorkel among the famous Lake Malawi cichlids.
Chongoni Rock Art Area
UNESCO listed rock art in 127 sites, faint without a local guide and revelatory with one.
Dedza Mountain
Highland mountain near 2000 metres added to the Chongoni day for hiking above the Dedza plateau.
Best hotels in Lilongwe
Latitude 13 Degrees
Nine room design led garden hotel with pool, spa and the city best restaurant, the top stay in Lilongwe.
President Hotel at Umodzi Park
Flagship full service hotel with convention centre, pool, spa and gym beside the ministries.
Kumbali Country Lodge
Thatched lodge rooms in sweeping farm gardens with home made dairy and permaculture tours next to the village.
Sunbird Capital
Malawi own business hotel with pool, restaurant and spa, a safe pair of hands for a Capital City base.
Sunbird Lilongwe
The Old Town half of the Sunbird business hotel pair, with pool, restaurant, spa and parking.
Woodlands Lilongwe
Woodland lodge by the Nature Sanctuary where birders can walk from breakfast into the forest.
Africa House Malawi
Large garden guesthouse with a good pool and spacious rooms, a gentle start for first time visitors.
Mitengo House
Small stylish Area 10 guesthouse with styled rooms, a small pool and a quiet residential street.
Is Lilongwe expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | MWK 75,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | MWK 230,000 a person |
| Splurge | MWK 480,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Kumbali Cultural Village: a few days ahead
- Guided Cultural Tour of Lilongwe: a few days ahead
- Tobacco Auction Floors: a few days ahead
- Lilongwe Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Kuti Wildlife Reserve: a few days ahead
- Chongoni Rock Art Area: a few days ahead
- Dedza Mountain: a few days ahead
- Dedza Pottery: a few days ahead
- Book Latitude 13 rooms and dinner, Mamma Mia weekend dinner and Kumbali weekend lunch ahead.
- Book Nkhotakota and Luangwa safaris, lakeshore rooms and weekend golf tee times weeks to months ahead in season.
- Arrange the Chongoni and Kuti car and guide the day before at the latest.
Is Lilongwe safe?
- Burglary and opportunistic theft are the real risks, so use the guard and fence rule, hotel safes and front pockets in markets.
- Malaria risk is lowered by altitude, not removed. Take prophylaxis as advised and treat any post trip fever as malaria until tested.
- Roads are the biggest danger. Use seatbelts, daylight driving and a rested driver, and never drive rural roads at night.
Lilongwe travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Craft market first prices are normal theatre. Bargain cheerfully, compare stalls or buy fixed price at Dedza Pottery or Tindoz.
- Wildlife Centre sanctuary upsells mislead. The sanctuary is closed to protect release candidates.
- Money touts at the airport, bus station and ATMs. Use a bank, bureau or mall ATM and shield your PIN.
Getting around Lilongwe: public transport and more
- No reliable ride hailing. Your lodge calls a known taxi or you keep a good driver number and agree the fare before you get in.
- Hire a driver by the day for excursions and full city days, agreeing day rate, fuel and waiting in writing on WhatsApp.
- Walk only inside your own Area and on forest trails. Do not walk between Areas at night.
- Airport is about 24 km and 30 to 45 minutes away. Pre-book a lodge transfer for a first arrival.
Who Lilongwe suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Lilongwe your trip
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