The journey from Cuemba in Mozambique to Zomba in Malawi was quite an adventure. We started with a small chappa from Cuemba to Mandimba, a border town teeming with men trying to get us to exchange money on the black market. Overwhelmed by the chaos, we left quickly.
Next, we each got on the back of motorbikes, our bags strapped to our backs, and our drivers navigated the sandy, bumpy road to the actual border crossing. We made it safely, got our passports stamped out of Mozambique, and then rode in the back of a pick-up truck for the 5 kilometers to the Malawi side of the border. After some awkward conversations with the border guards, we got stamped into Malawi and hopped onto a flatbed truck with other travelers, hoping for the best.
Traveling by flatbed truck seemed to be the norm in Malawi. After an uncomfortable two-hour ride, we switched to a matatu (the local version of a chappa) for a five-hour drive before finally arriving in Zomba Town in the evening. It was an exhausting day.
After checking into our room, we went to a bank but had a scare when our ATM card didn’t work. After trying every bank in town, we called TD Bank and learned that our card worked everywhere except Malawi! Fortunately, we had a Mastercard for withdrawals and exchanged some US dollars we had been carrying. Lesson learned: always have multiple sources of money.
Our main reason for visiting Zomba Town was to hike the beautiful plateau overlooking the town. We arranged for a local guide to take us around, which was wise since we would have definitely gotten lost. The hike was challenging, especially since we hadn’t done anything athletic in Mozambique for a month. Our guide, wearing sandals and not drinking water, didn’t even break a sweat, unlike us.
We saw many local men carrying heavy loads of wood on their heads, all barefoot. They climbed to the plateau daily to fetch wood for their families. The hike ended at a beautiful waterfall, where we cooled off before heading back. We also enjoyed the fresh, wild raspberries, mulberries, and strawberries that we found along the way.
From Zomba Town, we took a matatu to Monkey Bay and switched to the back of a pick-up truck (a matola), which was incredibly crowded, for the ride to Cape Maclear. The place we initially wanted to stay at was too expensive, but we found a perfect spot further down the beach: Malambe Camp, run by a friendly Englishwoman with delicious food.
However, we were disappointed with Cape Maclear. The lake wasn’t the crystal clear, turquoise water we expected. Instead, it was polluted with people bathing, washing dishes, and even animals frequenting the shores. The final straw was seeing a man gutting a goat in the water. Maybe our expectations were too high.
Despite this, we enjoyed the nearby village and spent time exploring, watching soccer matches, and meeting friendly locals. We had one great day renting a kayak and snorkeling on a clear island in the lake.
After three days, we left for Monkey Bay and stayed at Mufasa, an eco-friendly lodge in a private bay. We spent four days swimming, jumping off boulders, and listening to hippos at night. We met interesting people, including a German traveler and a South African family.
Unfortunately, Nick and I both got sick. I recovered quickly, but Nick’s condition worsened, with a high fever and aches. The clinic in town was poorly equipped, so we headed back to Cape Maclear to a clinic run by Irish volunteers. The trip was grueling for Nick, especially in the 30-degree heat.
The Irish volunteers were helpful and diagnosed Nick with a severe stomach infection, not malaria. We received medications and spent the next few days recuperating. Thank you, Billy Riordan Memorial Trust clinic.
Though we didn’t like the owners of Fat Monkey, we stayed there until Nick recovered. Once better, we happily returned to Malambe Camp, where the friendly English owner and comfortable surroundings awaited us.
We met new friends from around the world and spent our remaining days together, attending parties, watching football matches, and sharing travel tips. Meeting people from different backgrounds has given us many ideas for future travels and ways to earn an income while abroad. It was a fantastic way to wrap up our time in Cape Maclear.