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Outside of Africa, the UK and Ireland have the best air access to Malawi. British Airways, Ethiopian Airways, KLM, South African Airways and Air Zimbabwe all fly between London and Lilongwe. There are also flights from many other European capitals. Travellers from other parts of the world will probably have to fly via Europe or South Africa. The airport departure tax is US$20.

The Malawian ferry Ilala runs twice a week between Likoma Island and Cobuè, Mozambique. The train is the best way to get between Malawi and northern Mozambique. There are twice-weekly trains between Nampula and Cuamba. Crossing other points of the Malawian border will involve a bus, a car or feet. If you're heading for southern Mozambique, there are buses between Mwanza and Zóbuè; other bus routes between Malawi and Mozambique include Nsanje and Villa de Sena, just south of the Zambezi River, and Chiponde and Mandimba.

The only land crossing between Malawi and Tanzania is at the Songwe River bridge north of Kaporo, in the far north-western tip of Malawi. Buses make the run twice a day. The main crossing point between Malawi and Zambia is about 30km (20mi) east of Chipata, on the main road between Lilongwe and Lusaka. All crossing points on the Malawi border are open roughly from 6 am to 6 pm.

Money & Costs

Currency: Kwacha (K)

Meals


• Budget: US$5-10

• Mid-range: US$10-15

• Top-end: US$15 and upwards
  
  Lodging
  

• Budget: US$1-30

• Mid-range: US$30-100

• Top-end: US$100 and upwards

You can travel rather comfortably in Malawi, staying at the top-end lodges and eating at the best restaurants, for US$250 to $350 a day or more, depending on whether you criss-cross the country in chartered planes and refurnish your dining room with handcarved chief's chairs. Moderate travel will run closer to US$100 to $200 a day, though you can get by for less if you pick your accommodation with care and do a little self-catering. Budget travellers can squeak by for well under US$50 a day if they stick to cheap resthouses and restaurants.

US dollars are widely accepted. It's a good idea to have some travellers' cheques on hand, although cash will bring better exchange rates. Credit cards are near useless outside the capital and a few major cities. You should be able to get cash advances on credit cards at major banks, although the system has been known to break down and getting cash can take a day or so even when it's working. As banks are free to offer current market rates, there's no black market to speak of, and changing money on the street is likely to be an invitation to a rip-off.

All middle and top-end hotels and restaurants include a 10% service charge on your bill and add a whopping 20% tax. The 10% service charge should mean that a tip isn't required, but bear in mind that 6% comes off the top and goes straight to the Ministry of Tourism, so the staff are only getting 4% of the surcharge. The other thing to remember is that in local, low-end bars and restaurants tipping isn't expected. At self-catering camps and forest reserve resthouses, the staff are paid very low-paid civil servants, and a small tip (about US$1) for good service wouldn't be amiss. Bargaining is common and expected.