Airports in Malawi

• Blantyre ( BLZ )
• Lilongwe ( LLW )
• Mangochi ( MAI )

Malawi (Chichewa: Malaŵi) is a country in Africa, bordered by Mozambique to the south and east, Tanzania to the north, Zambia to the west. Lake Malawi, the third largest lake in Africa, runs along most of its eastern border. It’s described as the “Warm Heart of Africa”, referring to the friendliness of the people. English is one of the official languages of Malawi and is widely spoken in urban areas. The other official language is Chichewa (Nyanja), which is understood by almost all Malawians. Tumbuka is the first language for many people in the north of the country. Chiyao is spoken by the Yao people who live mostly in the Mangochi District, as well as areas surrounding Zomba into Machinga District as well.

Malawians follow a strict patriarchal society — men are afforded more respect than women, and older men are respected more than younger men. You might find, however, that a white person is afforded the most respect of all. A holdover from colonial times, this might make a traveler uncomfortable, but this is largely a Malawian’s way of being courteous. Accept their hospitality. Malawians are a curious people. To a Western mindset, this might be interpreted as unnecessarily staring at you or talking about you in front of you. Be prepared to be greeted by kids yelling mzungu, mzungu! and answer lots of questions about yourself. Even relatively mundane items like mechanical pencils can draw a crowd of onlookers.