Languages: English, Nyanja
Population: 300 000
Prices: Services cheap, goods cheap or european prices
Attractions: South Luangwa National Park (125km out of the city)
Info: Chipata is an important gateway city for the traffic between Malawi and Zambia. Located near the border and good connections to the capitals of both countries. The nearby South Luangwa National Park also brings in some tourism during the high season.
SA Recommends:
South Luangwa National Park,
Daves Hill View (best prices for accommodation. Peaceful and has the best view)
29.11 19:07 GMT+1
Once again a long and exhausting bus ride. Though I have to say, this was probably the most interesting bus ride I've ever had. First the bus was thirty minutes late so some local pastor started to preach via the incredibly loud PA-system that was about to burst our ears. After the preacher said 'amen' and my ears said 'thank you' we started heading towards Chipata. Even though we had half the leg room you get on Ryan Air planes and the bus was over booked as usual, the eight hour trip was surprisingly swift and fun. The scenery was spectacular the whole way, untouched nature acre after acre. Chipata is long way from Lusaka and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to notice that we're getting closer to the eastern coast. One of the first things that caught our ears when we got out of the bus, was the Islamic call to prayer from a nearby minaret.
Chipata is a town of 300 000 people, but it's quite relaxed, peaceful and definitely a refreshing change after dusty and chaotic Lusaka. Our taxi driver tried to convince us that he knows a nice cheap place for travelers like us and took us to some really expensive BnB of his friends. Luckily he caved in in the end and brought us to this three times cheaper traveler commune. It's off season in Chipata this time of the year, so we were the only backpackers in our accommodation. Couldn't see many tourists in the Town either and that's exactly the way I like it, serene. Our place is on a hill few kilometers from the center with a nice view over the whole town. You really can't beat sitting on a porch, belly full of nshima, watching the moon rise from behind the mountains near Chipata while listening to really catchy tunes sung by some African family in our neighborhood. And in the morning we were of course woken up by a rooster. Being away from everything I know feels so good. I have never before felt as
comfortable as I feel now that I got out of my 'comfort zone'.
30.11 23:57 GMT+1
Today we went to Mfuwe, a small village of five thousand located inside South Luangwa National Park known for its abundance of wildlife and beautiful nature. In the village, our driver brings us to a luxurious lodge full of rich middle aged safari hat and khaki vest wearing tourists, not really our scene, but luckily the lodge offers some safaris. After all what would a trip across African continent be without at least one safari. We head out to the national park with a couple of local guides and manage to see tons of different animals, I'll never get tired of seeing elephants. People saying South Luangwas nature is rich, aren't exaggerating, we saw elephants, zebras, impalas, a buffalo, a giraffe, a porcupine, a hyena... and the list goes on. We were expecting to have to stay in Mfuwe for one night, but all we could find was these luxurious tourist lodges, so we were extremely happy to hear that our man Mwansa, can take us back to Chipata in the evening. The car ride back was an adventure of its own since the african roads get quite chaotic during the night, but we got home safe and sound and saved a lot of time we otherwise would've spent struggling with transportation. Now we can head to our next destination day earlier than expected.
Back at our place we met an old Austrian lady, who had sold all her belongings couple of years back and plans on living the rest of her live as a nomad. She had spent a year in India and was now traveling around Africa. She gave some amazing insights about Tanzania and Malawi, which is where were heading next. Zambia has been treating us extremely well, but regardless I'm extremely excited about going to Malawi, the first country on our tour where I've never been before. Urban legend says that everyone entering Malawi, will get either malaria or yellow fever, but the picture perfect beaches at Lake Malawi make it a risk worth taking.
Next destination: Lilongwe, Malawi
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