Lake Malawi Reasonably safe
Bilharzia is the risk people get wrong: the lake carries it, the shallow weedy water near villages and reed beds most of all, and Cape Maclear has a long record of it. Swim from a boat or off the islands rather than the village shore, towel off quickly, and have a test about six weeks after you come home — the treatment is simple and the disease is not. The UK FCDO says to avoid travelling after dark on Malawi’s roads, warns of frequent fuel shortages, and notes occasional demonstrations; it does not advise against travel to any part of the country. Theft from beaches and rooms happens at Cape Maclear — lock things away and do not leave a bag on the sand. Malaria is present all year at the lake.
Comfortable: Cape Maclear · Thumbi West Island
- Swimming or wading in shallow, weedy water near villages and reed beds, where bilharzia is carried
- Bags and phones left on the beach or in an unlocked room, which is the theft that happens here
- Street money changers, who offer a better rate and pay in folded, short or fake notes
- Roads after dark, which the UK FCDO says to avoid — unlit, and shared with people, bicycles and animals
- Boats without life jackets, and the afternoon wind, which builds waves on the open lake
