Guide to Malawi
Must See Malawi
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Lilongwe become the country's new capital in 1975 and is a sprawling place, but of limited interest for travellers. The awfully modern New City or City Centre has the ministries, embassies, airline offices, travel agents and a collection of office buildings and mini-malls.
Far more inspiring is Old Town, where you'll find the market, several restaurants and cafes, the bus station and a good range of accommodation. The market is jammed with pots and pans, car and bike parts, vegetables, live chickens and dried fish. Worth poking around even if you don't buy anything.
Between Old Town and New City is the Nature Sanctuary, covering 150ha (370ac) of indigenous woodland that escaped development. There's a wildlife information centre and several walking trails through the woods. The Lingadzi River flows through the reserve bearing crocodiles. Plenty of bird species can be found, as can several mammals, a few hyenas, leopards and tigers in cages.