The Southern Region Malawi
Blantyre, Malawi’s commercial capital and largest town, was established at the end of the 19th century. It is really two towns: Blantyre and Limbe, joined by a development corridor. Visits can be made to the National Museum, to St Michael and All Angels Church (associated with Dr David Livingstone) and to Mandala House (the oldest European building in Malawi).
North of Blantyre is the university town and former capital, Zomba. Towering above the town is the 1800m (6800ft) Zomba Plateau with its vast forests, waterfalls and lakes. There is a newly rebuilt luxury hotel as well as lodges and a campsite. The views from the plateau are stunning and it is possible to drive around or walk on the plateau top.
To the southeast are large tea estates, above which rises the magnificent Mulanje Massif, a huge block of mountains of more than 640 sq km (250 sq miles) rising to over 3000m (9850ft) at its highest point at Sapitwa. For the tourist, Mulanje offers a wide variety of activities, from rock climbing and mountain walking to the more leisurely pursuit of trout fishing. Much of the massif is accessible and guides can be hired. Forest huts provide simple accommodation. Mulanje is best visited between April and December.
There are a number of game parks and reserves in the Southern Region but best known are Liwonde, north of Zomba and Lengwe in the Lower Shire Valley. The Lower Shire Valley is different from the rest of the country, low lying, hotter and dominated by the great river which drains Lake Malawi. Here are vast sugar plantations at Sucoma
