Malawi, the ‘Warm Heart of Africa’, is about to see a lot more tourists from South Africa, as SAA prepares to start its long-awaited flights to the country on Thursday, March 16.
The airline will operate a triangular schedule, on SA172, Johannesburg-Blantyre-Lilongwe-Blantyre-Johannesburg. Blantyre is Malawi’s second-largest city and the de facto commercial capital. Lilongwe is the largest city and the political capital and is closer to Lake Malawi, giving easy access to the Lake.
Lake Malawi is a defining feature and the biggest tourism attraction, covering a fifth of the country. It’s Africa's third-largest lake and has a diverse ecology. Leisure activities include boating, snorkelling, diving, kayaking and many other means of enjoying its clear, fresh water. Lake Malawi National Park is listed as a Unesco Heritage Site due to its unique species.
Another interesting attraction in the small central African state is Mulanje Mountain, a large massif in southern Malawi, 3 000m high, rising sharply from the plains, formed by the intrusion of magma into the Earth's crust 130 million years ago. The first European to report the massif was David Livingstone in 1859, but archaeological investigations reveal the presence of humans on the mountain in prehistoric times.
For rock-climbing enthusiasts, Mulanje has the longest rock climb in Africa on the western face.
Malawi has several national parks, the most famous of them being Nyika National Park, Kasungu National Park and Liwonde National Park.
SAA’s special opening airfares are on sale until March 31, for travel from March 16 to May 31.
JNB-BLZ is on offer from R8 735 (€449) and JNB-LLW fares start from R8 766 (€450).
From March 16 the winter schedule is still in use. Flight SA172 departs JNB at 09h55 on Thursdays and Sundays, arriving BLZ at 12h15. The flight then departs BLZ at 13h05 and arrives LLW at 13h55. It departs LLW at 14h50 and arrives JNB at 17h30.
From March 31, until the end of October 2023, the summer schedule takes effect. SA172 departs JNB at 10h10 and arrives BLZ at 12h30. It then departs BLZ at 13h20 and arrives LLW at 14h10. The flight then departs LLW at 15h00, arriving JNB at 17h40.
