Nkhata Bay

By some strange force of nature I ended up staying in the Nkhata Bay area for about 2 weeks. It's not only a great base to explore from with a day pack whilst leaving your huge rucksack behind, but the small town also has a fabulous village-esque feel whilst being entirely touristy. 2 main backpacking sights are the reason for this; Mayoka Village and Butterfly Space. I stayed at Butterfly as it's marginally cheaper than Mayoka (and by marginally I mean literally 50p to a pounds worth per night). They are right next to each other and everyone at Mayoka knows everyone at Butterfly and vice versa so it doesn't really matter where you stay. http://www.butterflyspacemalawi.com/

Butterfly Space signage

I arrived in Nkhata Bay with my malaria infected, and seriously grumpy, friend Greg around midnight. We followed signs up a hill (which is slightly hideous and scary at that time of night on a Sunday) then back down a bit until we reached Butterfly. The place didn't look all too thrilling at first in the darkness but when the morning came you saw Butterfly in all its glory. Eco compost loos that look out onto the ocean, an elevated dorm room, a small secluded beach, a sun-catching jetty, palm trees everywhere, a small gorgeous bar, a herb garden, and restaurant/common area/self-catering kitchen. Theres a tree maze, an internet block, youth club, volunteering projects and 'gangsters paradise'. It;s a minature backpackers land!

What makes Butterfly Space and Nkhata Bay so special though is the slow-down-until-you've-stopped-and-are-lying-down relaxed atmosphere. I felt at ease to walk into the kitchen and use appliances alongside the chefs (who are lovely), bathe in the lake (for an actual bath... it's sometimes warmer than the showers), and we all bought our own booze for quiz nights as it's cheaper than buying from the bar. Countless times I left my bags in the dorm room and didn't pay for a bed whilst travelling about for 4 days at a time - it's just the ultimate atmosphere you want to be in on holiday.

Cute Nkhata Bay local restaurant

Nkhata Bay itself sways to the rhythm of the palm trees and the lake, an almost Caribbean vibe (much like Cape Maclear) but far more 'real malawi'. It's got everything you could want (except a definitely-going-to-work bank and shampoo). There are various markets throughout the week, fabric shops, curios, the luxury of a proper supermarket, beautiful local restaurants for local and international food, a diving centre, Internet cafes galore.... no wonder people get stuck there!!

I planned to stay only a few days before heading to Ruarwe, Livingstonia and then Tanzania. Unfortunately things entirely out of my control occurred putting an end to that particular plan of action, firstly my purse got stolen with all my money and cards in it. Secondly, the people stayed at Butterfly Space were to become some fabulous new friends and the best of my trip. Onto the first, purse stealage. It wasn't anyones fault but my own as I left my bag wide open at the fish market whilst taking a photo of fish. This is the photo --------------------------------> It's not even worth it. Anyway, Greg stayed an extra day showing me to Western Union (life saver) and then all was well again after a gazillion beers and a game of pool on a table which, rightly according to Greg, was 'more crooked than the leaning tower of pisa'. Just a small tip for future travellers to Malawi; if anything ever gets stolen, DON'T GO TO THE POLICE. I thought it'd be good to inform them just in case the purse was handed in (I hadn't been in Africa for long, give me a break) and I was popped in a delightful cagey-like room where the walls were pasted with Malawis' most wanted. If there's one way to freak you out about a country it's that!

Chikale Beach

ANYWAY! I decided to stay in Nkhata Bay a few days not doing altogether too much after the purse fiasco as, afterall, I WAS on holiday. Although Butterfly has it's own private beach it's a tad rocky for just a quick dip so I walked the 10minutes away from town to Chikale Beach. Perfection. A small, entirely sandy beach with thatched umbrellas for shade and a small bar to grab a drink from. Bliss. There is also another beach by Butterfly that none of the tourists really go to as it's also rocky and full of local kids, but I LOVED. The reason for this being that I met two fabulous local lads who played guitar! They were amazing! They sat on the rocks by the sea jamming until sundown, banging out tunes and verses on the spot, encouraging me to join in.

A hop, skip, scramble over some rocks and you're at a local beach

Onto the second, more fun reason, as to why I stayed in Nkhata Bay, you soon begin to realise every white settler in the central and north province know eachother, and they are all wonderful. All the owners of lodges and backpackers, restaurants and bars, they all know eachother and meet up for drinks etc regularly. If you're backpacking around Malawi for more than two weeks you will ultimately end up knowing all these people and LOVING them. Similarly with the locals; there are tons of beach boys, tailors, curio sellers and washer women in Nkhata Bay who know your name after a measly 3 or 4 days of being there. They always say hello and always want to play a "quick" game of Bawo or have a "quick" drink with you.

Butterfly's beach

There was also a very, very special set of people I met at Butterfly Space. I've just sat here and written all their names but there are simply too many! They know who they are, those people I went for long village walks with, the ones whose beds I jumped on, the ones who made me cry with laughter, the ones who watched sunrises with me and went on fantastically dodgey nights out. The ones I met only at Butterfly and the others I kept meeting time, and time again throughout my journey in Malawi and further afield. You guys gave me the bestest memories of my trip and I am forever thankful you amazing, crazy, mad, incredible people.

A local tailor hemming my kitenge

If I wasn't writing this 7 months down the line I'd probably be telling you all about that time I watched the sunrise whilst swimming in the lake and the dog stole my shoe, or when Steve wrote a quiz that Zoe and I were abysmal at and yet still managed to come 4th, or the countless nights out in Mayoka and town where we ate like kings at the buffet and drank like champions before being gyrated on by small boys in the local bar. In fact, just flicking through my diary I have so many stories about Nkhata Bay I'm pretty sure I could write a blog dedicated just to that small town!

But I wont. I'll move onto Ruarwe and Kandy.

Journeying on the Ilala

Note: 

This post contains a lot of photos of incredible sunsets/rises that will make you want to go on holiday immediately, predominantly to Malawi (something I would highly recommend doing asap).

The Ilala. http://www.malawitourism.com/pages/news/index.asp?NewsID=316. 

The easiest and quickest way to get up the country via the lake shore. She has 4 classes of travel; economy, second, first and cabin. Economy is fine enough for short journeys, just a bunch of plastic seats on the bottom floor full of people and STUFF. Like fish and chickens and furniture and booze and just loads and loads of STUFF. Second class is less full of this stuff and more full of people having a nap on the equally as uncomfortable benches. First class you have access to the small (and quite expensive by Malawi standards) restaurant, bar and top deck, and cabin you have your own small cabin area. Cabin class is ridiculously expensive and just not worth it. First class is the way to go (which is what I did).

I travelled on the Ilala from Monkey Bay where it departs at 10am Saturday mornings, (or did 7 months ago, don't quote me on that), to Nkhata Bay, where it arrives around 11pm Sunday evening. 

Lets start with Monkey Bay; gem of a place. Gorgeous backpackers right on the water called Mufasa, a bit more expensive than the usual as there are no dorm rooms, but it really is just STUNNING. You have your own private beach area, can cook your own food and camp if you want, the decor is really funky and welcoming, and the small town of Monkey Bay is fine enough for supplies (NOT doctors. The doctors is a small hut, you do not want Malaria here!). If I had more time I would've stayed a while longer.

There are hammocks on the beach and seats so high off the ground hung on trees you have to jump in them and can kick off the trunk to swing. Easy-to-climb rocks right next to the beach, a small mountain behind the town to explore, tiny fishermen boats floating at night with their lanterns - ahhhhhh it's my kinda place. So, so beautiful.

Monkey Bay sunset over the mountains of Cape Maclear

So, on the Ilala I went Saturday morning with my Malaria infected pal Greg (hence the knowledge of Monkey Bay clinics... don't go there). First class tickets to Nkhata Bay bought, up to top deck we climbed, and we are rewarded with a departing view of ladies washing their clothes by the lakeshore, naked children playing in the water, and a bunch of brightly coloured boats bobbing up and down with the most obscure names! 'Road Hell 2", "Jesus is my lover" and "bitches be crazy for my boat" to name just a few. The Ilala is not a grand boat. In fact, in my diary I've referred to it as "a bit of a dive". It's not a boat specifically made for tourists, it's a commuter boat; an easier way of getting goods from one end of the lake to the other, specifically to Likoma Island.

The only beds on the Ilala are in the cabins, everyone else sleeps on seats, the floor, or anything they can find space on. A whole lotta locals slept on huge bags of tiny fish being transported to Nkhata Bay which stank. A lot. Luckily for me first class is 2 decks above these

Greg helping Graham erect his bed for the night

stinky beasts. First class held a bar and restaurant, which you have no choice but to eat in unless you bring enough snacks and food that do not need cooking and will last your entire trip. In saying that, it was still only about £2 for a dish and they were amazing. Good cheffing from the Ilala kitchen team. You are also okay to bring your own drink on board, but in first class there are some points during the day when it's unbearably hot, meaning the shaded areas are taken over by bodies, not bags, so your drinks will be a bit nasty by the time you get round to drinking them all.

My bed for the night. Sleeping on the crate didn't last
long, it's much for comfortable on the floor (which
has to be saying something!)

As you can see by this photo, my bed was my soon-to-be Kilimanjaro sleeping bag and liner with a kitenge** acting as a pillow. The floor was a lot comfier than the crate and I had a surprising good night, made all the better by the thousands of stars above me.

Getting off the Ilala, casual bucket being passed
over everyones heads

There are 2 main reasons to love a journey on the Ilala, the first being the destination stops. At each stop passengers are allowed to disembark and chill out on the mainland until the REALLY LOUD horn blows to signal the Ilala is ready to leave. You are transported from the boat to land via small wooden lifeboats. This is a slightly traumatic experience and yet incredibly fun. There is no such thing as queueing in Malawi so you have to push to get on the lifeboat. This is a tad precarious given they are already lowered into the water and you climb down a vertical ladder to get to them, so a shove could send you flying over the edge. The Ilala is not disabled friendly in the slightest. The 'lifeboats' are filled STUFF, before being filled with more STUFF and someones baby and a few chickens and a bag of fish. They can then, and only then, when they are overfilled to the point of insanity, move slowly towards the shore where a mass congregation of people are waiting to claim their fair share of the stuff. Of course there are no actual docks in Malawi (apart from at Monkey Bay which is pure luxury) and so you have to wade a fair bit upon getting off the lifeboat (which is actually wonderful given your so squashed a few seconds before). Wading is particularly hard with a large rucksack on and yet extremely fulfilling when you manage to get onto dry land without getting your main bag AND day sack wet. This was particularly hard at Nkhata Bay at 11pm at night.

I explored Likoma Island a little with another traveller; it is gorgeous. There's not altogether too much to do considering it's an island with one village, but it's perfect for the ultimate relaxing, honeymoon-esque beachy time.

Now, onto why I REALLY love the Ilala.

Sun setting over Likoma Island

A sun fully risen over Mozambique and sun setting in a storm

Sunrise. No picture edits. No filters, no nothing. This is actually how it is.

The sun in Africa is incredible. I have a real thing for sunsets and rises and was rewarded to the extreme during my time in Malawi particularly. They are so full and so amazingly beautiful! Obviously travelling on the Ilala during the dry season helps a lot with the 'capturing-the-gorgeous-sunset' stuff, but I'm pretty sure you'd get incredible photos whatever the time of year. Although sleeping in first class in the rain would suck...






Right, I'm pretty sure not everyone cares about my sunset addiction so enough twaddle about the sun; I'm now in Nkhata Bay. Time to let everyone know why this really is the best spot for backpackers on the lake.



** A kitenge is a brightly coloured wrap-around  African material ladies get tailored into skirts, tops, trousers, hats, bags, and anything you can possibly think of. Kitenges' are the main dress for women and look absolutely fabulous. There are so many different patterns to choose from and ways to wear it, it'd be a miracle to find someone wearing the same kitenge as you!