Mont Mulanje (Malawi)

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money	Excellent
Shopping	Average
Nightlife	Average
Ease of getting around	Average
Family Friendly	Excellent

Advantages:	The view is spectacular
Disadvantages:	It's freezing at the top !

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

This is my review of camping on Mount Mulanje in Malawi, Africa. I've just moved from Malawi to England (this summer) and I went on this camping trip with some friends as part of our Silver International Award (the international equivalent of the Duke of Edinburgh Award). The family who carried out the expedition had been to Mulanje many times and were a great help, without them it wouldn't have been possible.

First of all I would like to say that this was a big achievement for me. I'm always proud to say that I've climbed to the summit of one of the highest mountains in Africa. It was tough but well worth it.

FACTS
- AKA Mulanje Massif
- Located in Thyolo district (the tea estates of Malawi are found here)
- Measures 13 x 16 miles
- Highest peak (Sapitwa) is 3002m (9855ft)
- Sapitwa is the highest point in Central Africa
- Inselberg mountain

PREPARATION
If you plan on going, despite the hot weather most times of year, bring something warm for the windy nights and especially needed if you venture to the peak. Bring good hiking boots. Mulanje destroyed my amateurish boots. It's always handy to have a hiking stick too, the mountain can get very steep at points, you'll find its more of a scramble than a hike - which means gloves are a plus too. A camera is essential. For the photographers out there you'll have a field day. If you camp at the top, or if you beat the clouds to the peak like we did, you'll have amazing photos.
You'll want to check with the forestry office to see if its possible to camp up there. I didn't sort out the trip myself so I can't advise on how it works.
If you're new to the mountain you'll definitely need a guide. They are reliable and know their stuff. They climb the mountain as a living so its worth bringing one along. They'll sleep in huts built for them at the campsites. A porter can also be hired for about $5 to carry your bag(s) as long as they are under 18kgs in weight. Prices will change of course.
I'm not certain on the price for camping up the mountain but be rest-assured it will not be expensive.
I believe now you can fly up Mulanje to a certain point for 20,000 kwacha. Which is approximately $200.
Use a 4x4 vehicle. The road to the mountain from the nearest city (Blantyre) isn't bad but from the main road to the Likhubula Forestry Office is a dirt road - you'll struggle in a saloon car.

THE TRIP
I went on this trip before the summer holidays, so this is based on what happened then.
There are a few campsites up the mountain. I say campsites as they are places where you're advised to camp, but there are no boundaries or gates to cross. We went to Chisepho Shelter on the way to the peak. We set off from base and it took us approximately 5 hours to get to Chisepho via a path called the Suicide Path!!!! Named due to the forest fires being impossible to escape once one starts on the path. Not an easy route for the more casual hikers, so I'd recommend going via Thuchira Forest Hut and camp there for the night before heading off to Chisepho the next day. Chisepho Shelter is one hut with a fire and a wardrobe with sleeping mats and cooking utensils - these are only available for members of The Mountain Club in Malawi though. Luckily we had the key from a teacher at the school and managed to make full use of all the equipment.
The sunrise in the morning is a wonderful site, wherever you are on the mountain.
You'll want to set off early the next day if you want to get up the summit before the clouds. This path is just as hard as the Suicide Path and very steep with little grip on the solid rock parts of the track. Once you get nearer the summit you'll be faced with vertigo inducing situations of scrambling over huge boulders on the face of the mountain and nothing left or right of you. Not for those afraid of heights.
The summit is amazing. I'll never forget it. From there you can see a couple of the other peaks of the mountain. We were actually hiking with a guy (just a year older than me - 17) who had walked the 3 peaks of the mountain. Which is very impressive once you've experienced the difficulty of just one.
The walk down is easier, of course. Half the time it took to get up. Then another night's camp at Chisepho before leaving early the next morning back to the car another 4 hrs walk away.
There is always the option of camping at Sapitwa (the summit, whose name literally means "Don't go there") but we didn't have time.
If you're thinking whether you should bring your children on such a trip. Why not? One of the teachers going up was going to bring his 4 year old daughter. It doesn't have to be a serious hike if you don't want it to be. In our group we had a boy no older than 12.

A worthwhile trip that I will never forget.

SHOPPING
Up the mountain you won't find anything to buy, but at the base there are markets selling everything and on the roadside all over Malawi there are curios being sold.

Please check their official website: mountmulanje.org.mw for more details and for contact details.

Sorry I couldn't add a photo of the view at the summit, but once I get my green spot I shall do so.