Country information
- Religion: 80% Christian (presbyterian mainly). Muslim 13%
- Weather: rainy season is Nov-May; dry from May to Nov
- Tourist information: Malawi Tourism
- Malawi packing guides: Virtual Tourist
Lowdown
Went around southern Malawi a couple of years ago, so I’m going to suggest easy wash cottons, though probably not in white, as the daily dusting from red dirt roads in the dry season, mixed with the tropical sweats, leaves some nasty streaking. (I’m hoping that’s not just me.) Long sleeved and trousered clothes from dusk – to combat mozzies, and a fleece for up in the hills. Waterproof or umbrella for wet season.
Aside from that, it’s a colourful country so you can be colourful, bold or patterned except if you’re going for the conventional colonial look or going on safari where a set of naturals (khaki/beige) will help you blend in to the landscape and won’t rile up the wildlife – hot pink or bright blue to a hippo is, er, like a red rag to a bull, if that’s not mixing too many multicoloured metaphors.
For casual daywear, Malawi PR recommends t-shirts and shorts or light dresses to cope with the heat, but also trousers and a jersey for (rare) cool evenings, or night safaris, or if you make it up Zomba Plateau or any of the other crazy randonly placed ‘inselbergs’, or mountain islands that are dotted around Malawi. Apparently, to get past immigration officials, you used to have to wear your hair short and your trousers/skirts long, and women in trousers were a no-no. But times have changed though you will feel out of place if you dress for the beach on arrival. Also, forget camouflage gear; the military vibe don’t go down!
For posh dining, or if meeting the Ferrero Rocher ambassador, pack a tie but you won’t need a dinner jacket or ballgown if just eating in the hotel restaurant – unless that’s the look you’re aiming for!
Practicalities include a hat for walkabouts and boots for snake protection.
No-nos
Short shorts/skirts and skimpy dressing. Modest is the Malawi way – covering up from the sun and cultural convention.
Best buys
Vibrantly patterned and coloured 2m cuts of fabric called ‘chitenge’. Find stalls by the roadside with dizzying array of choice. In Malawi, chitenge is versatile and used for everything from baby carriers to women’s clothing. In town markets, there were rails aplenty of charity shop clothing that had been sent over from ‘the west’ – like being in a rummage sale or Camden market in London. The abundance of this handout clothing has tended to put local tailors out of work so why not have something made up instead if you have the time? Strangest spot: an Osama bin Laden sarong in Zomba market.
