Malawi is becoming well known for the number of activities it can offer visitors. Wildlife and game viewing in the national parks are especially attractive to those wanting to experience trekking and viewing in entirely natural surroundings without tarred roads filled with convoys of 4-wheel drive vehicles. Birdwatching is excellent throughout the country, which is something of a birdwatcher’s paradise at any time in the year. There are over 650 recorded species.

Lake Malawi offers a range of watersports along its whole length. Snorkelling and scuba-diving are increasingly popular in Lake Malawi because of the attraction of seeing the brilliantly coloured fish, the mbuna. Instruction in these sports for beginners as well as for experienced practitioners is possible at many resorts. Swimming, water-skiing, sailing and kayaking are all available along the lakeshore. The Lake Malawi 500km Sailing Marathon, which is the world’s longest freshwater sailing race, is held each year in July and attracts an international entry field. The risk of contracting bilharzia when engaging in watersports in Lake Malawi is minimised if sensible precautions are taken: bathers should swim only at the resort areas known to be free of bilharzia, avoiding parts of the lake where there is still water or close human habitation. Many areas of the lake are bilharzia-free. Fishing is especially attractive on the southern lakeshore north of Mangochi and at Senga Bay. Tournaments take place each year and catches include the delicious Sungwa. There are also opportunities to fish for yellow fish, lake salmon and lake tiger. Elsewhere, angling for trout is easily arranged at Chelinda on Nyika Plateau and on Zomba Plateau. There is also good fishing for lake-salmon (mpasa) in the rivers of the Nkhotakota Game Reserve.

The Nyika Plateau is popular for trekking and walking. Guides and porters are available for one to six-day wilderness hikes. The same arrangements apply on Mount Mulanje where huts are available for hire. There is excellent walking on the Zomba and Viphya Plateaux. There is plenty of scope for climbing. Rising to a height of 3000m (9850ft), Mount Mulanje is the highest mountain in central Africa and has proved to be an irresistible lure to climbers. The massif has the longest sheer rock face in Africa. Dedza, south of Lilongwe, and Michiru, Ndirande and Chiradzulu, near Blantyre, also offer challenging slopes.

Horse riding is a speciality on Nyika Plateau, where safaris on horseback are popular, and on Zomba Plateau, where there is a dressage school. Cycling has more recently been added to Malawi’s list of activities for tourists and has also attracted the interest of charity organisations. Popular areas include Nyika, Luwawa Forest and along the lakeshore. Tennis, golf and squash are available at some hotels and at sports clubs in Lilongwe, Blantyre and Mzuzu. A pro-am golf tournament also takes place at Club Makokola on the southern shores of Lake Malawi every June.