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- Destinations
- Africa
- Malawi
- Blantyre
Blantyre
Named after Dr. Livingstone's birthplace in Scotland, Blantyre
is Malawi's commercial centre and capital of the country's Southern
Region, as well as the Blantyre District. It has a modest but
influential expatriate community of people, mainly from England,
other European countries and South Africa. The city is also home to
the College of Medicine, the Malawi Polytechnic, the Kamuzu College
of Nursing and constituent colleges of the University of
Malawi.
Mount Soche and the Ndirande, Chiradzulu and Michiru mountains
overlook Blantyre, forming the Michiru Mountain Conservation Area.
The National Museum is midway between Blantyre and Limbe and houses
a collection of traditional weapons and artefacts, as well as
exhibits relating to traditional dance, European exploration and
slavery. There are various restaurants and hotels in Blantyre, as
well as pubs and sports bars. Most visitors to Malawi end up in
Blantyre eventually and it's a good place to relax, do a bit of
shopping and get a decent meal. Incidentally, Blantyre is twinned
with Burton-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England.
Information & Facts
Climate
Winter is the best time to visit Malawi, coinciding with the dry
season, and lasting from May to October. The dry season is also the
best time for game viewing and hiking. June and July are the
coolest months with average daytime temperatures of 70ºF (21ºC),
and colder nights especially in the highlands. November to April is
the hot, humid rainy season with more rain falling on the higher
plateaus than around the lake, with temperatures reaching up to
90ºF (mid-30ºCs). Some roads may become impassable during heavy
rains.
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).
Language
English is the official language, but Chichewa is more
commonly spoken.
Money
The official currency is the Malawi Kwacha (MWK), which is
divided into 100 tambalas. Travellers cheques and foreign
currencies are accepted by banks, authorised hotels and other
institutions in the main town centres; bureaux de change are also
available. The US dollar is the easiest currency to exchange.
Credit cards are not widely accepted and ATMs are scarce and should
not be relied upon. Exchanging currency on the black market is not
recommended.