WELCOME TO LAKE MALAWI NATIONAL PARK
Located at the southern end of the great expanse of Lake Malawi, with its deep, clear waters and mountain backdrop, the park includes a land area around the cape and bay as well as the Lake and Islands up to 100 metres off shore. It is home to a staggering array of colourful tropical fish species, all endemic to Malawi. Most of these fish species are in the cichlid family.
Its importance for the study of evolution is comparable to that of the “Finches of the Galapagos Islands”
It was designated as the World’s first fresh water National Park in 1980 and a World Heritage Site in 1984 to protect the diversity of marine life, most of which is endemic. It encompasses a wide variety of scenery ranging from the wooded rocky mountains slopping down to the shores of the lake to sandy coves and beaches. Its clear bluewaters are popular for snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking and swimming.
The National Park is also bordered by several heritage sites such as the “rock of the ethnic face scars” and graves of the early missionaries who settled at the site in the 1870’s
Access is by road, water and air through Monkey-bay air strip.
