When you think of holidaying in Africa, Malawi might not be the first place that springs to mind. As one of Africa’s poorest nations, it doesn’t generally feature in most travel providers’ destination lists, losing out to better known Kenya and Zimbabwe for nature and adventure, and South Africa for culture and sunny beachside vacations. So, you might be surprised to learn that it does, in fact, offer some exclusive and outstanding holidays that you can’t find elsewhere. And one of its unique attractions is diving, because Lake Malawi – running down its eastern border with Mozambique and Tanzania, is one of the world’s favourite freshwater diving locations.
Reaching almost 360 miles long and 50 miles wide, the lake is the ninth largest body of freshwater in the world. It is home to an impressive number of dive sites, unusual species of fish and marine life, and became a natural reserve in 2011. Divers flock here from around the world – at least, those who know about this unique location do – holidaying in Malawi itself or visiting the lake from diving holidays on Africa’s eastern coastline. In fact, it’s so special it’s been featured on television in a nature series hosted by David Attenborough and written about in countless numbers of diving related books.
Bakers Oven is one of the lake’s most popular dive sites, boasting shoals of Cichlids (bright, tropical coloured fish) all year round. At its deepest point is sits at 15m below the water line and extends into a rocky cavern which gives it its name. Divers can swim through various tunnels and crevices to explore the formation, meeting some unusual reef inhabitants among the granite boulders.
The Wreck is the aptly named 30m deep dive to a scuttled vessel, where a 15 long steel hull extends along the lake bed, providing a welcome home to huge numbers of beautifully coloured fish. Although its depth means it’s only suitable for experienced divers, it’s an easy wreck dive to enjoy, with a safe hull and easy access points giving first-time deep divers the chance to really explore a sunken ship.
For something a little different, The Canyon and Zimbabwe Rock are two unusual and challenging dives that require a little more experience than most. With long crevices, deep drop offs and multi-rock formations with swim-through’s to explore, these are two dive sites that let you enjoy all the best aspects of scuba diving contain in one location. The abundance of fish here is impressive, and research scientists with an interest in Cichlids use these sites for their research on their habitat and environment.
To keep in touch with all the latest news from Malawi, including where to dive and what’s happening in this unique country, many dive operators have their own websites with regular updates on trips and adventures on the Lake. If you’re a certified scuba diver with space in your passport for another stamp, and room for a few more logs in your dive book, check out the fabulous adventures you could be having on a visit to the world’s most unique freshwater diving destination, Lake Malawi.
