I'm slowly ticking off the last things on the Malawi lists of sights that I need to see before returning. One of the biggest omissions was Mount Mulanje in the far southeastern corner. I've come to find that there are numerous places in Malawi that are astonishing and one has never heard of them. After all, why would you climb Mulanje when Kilimanjaro is nearby? But once you get here, it is mistake to miss places like Lake Malawi, Mulanje, and Nyika. They are unique and unforgettable. The peak of Mulanje reaches 3000m high and one can climb up to the plateau and spend days between the mountain huts.
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| The plateau with Mulanje Plateau rises up out of nothing. |
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| Island in the sky is a perfect description. |
One thing that is fascinating is the J.R.R. Tolkien of visited Malawi in the 1930s. A number of place names made it into the Lord of the Rings. I doubt it was set here in his mind, but who knows. Here are a few parallels:
-The Shire River (pronounced Shir-ee).
-The 10,000 foot apex of Mulanje, Sapitwa, is known in local legend as “the place where you are not supposed to go.” Mount Doom anyone?
-A community of diminutive people is said to have once lived on its plateaus (Hobbits, anyone?). Malawians are not a very tall people anyways.
The tea estates on the lower fields. This is looking out at Mozambique.
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| We climbed up to the plateau one day. |
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It was far steeper than one might imagine. Compared to Kili, it went up much faster. People who go to the peak never fail to come back struggling to walk because their muscles are so sore.
On the way to Likhubula Falls, we ran into a bunch of guides who wanted employ. Ten of them chased the car to the car park!
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| Likhubula Falls |
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