Taxi in Mangochi

Mangochi is the doorway to the southern lakeshore, and for most visitors it is the whole reason they came to Malawi. The strip of resorts running north from the town — Club Makokola, Nkopola, Palm Beach and on towards Monkey Bay and Cape Maclear — is where the holiday actually starts.

We drive the Blantyre to Mangochi route regularly: roughly 230 kilometres and three and a half hours through Liwonde and Balaka. Coming from Chileka Airport it is closer to four hours, which makes a private transfer with luggage far more sensible than any staged alternative.

The last stretch to Cape Maclear leaves the tarmac and becomes a dirt road through the hills into Chembe village. It is perfectly drivable in a well-maintained car and spectacular in the late afternoon, but it is not a road to meet for the first time in the dark with a hire car.

Whichever journey you need, the next step is the same. You can book a Mangochi taxi online in about a minute, arrange an airport transfer to or from Mangochi with your flight number so delays are covered, or read how our fares are calculated before you commit. For trips beyond the district, see long distance travel across Malawi; for regular company journeys, see corporate transport accounts.