Malawi - Mumbo Jumbo

February 27-March 2

Hello everyone!

 

As I mentioned in a previous post, Malawi’s tourism industry has been hit hard by the pandemic. Many of the more luxurious places to stay haven’t had international visitors for almost a year now. One consequence of this is that they’ve reduced their previously exorbitant prices, allowing residents in the country more of a chance to access them. Mumbo Island is one such place.

The main beach on Mumbo Island

 

Looking like people who definitely wouldn't
spend $200pppn on a place to stay...

You can see from the pictures why it’s in the ‘exclusive’ bracket. A small island which is commissioned to a South African company for ten years at a time, Mumbo Island has developed into a spot of serenity in Lake Malawi. It’s not a place we’ve ever considered before, simply because of the price. Until now.

Far more weavers than people on the island

At the moment the number of visitors is capped at 14

 

I should caveat ‘residents’. Many people who live in Malawi live below the poverty line. Going to Mumbo will never happen to them, and they have more important and pressing concerns. For lucky and privileged people like me, however, dropping the price by more than half has given me the opportunity to experience and enjoy a slice of paradise.

Tea and coffee are brought to your chalet so
you can have a drink whilst seeing sunrise

Being a deserted island means Mumbo
keeps its greenery and forests intact 

You have to get to the lake first. Mumbo Island is accessed from the used-to-be backpacker haven of Cape Maclear, usually a four hour drive from Malawi’s capital of Lilongwe. A couple of incidents extended our journey.

The drive includes one of my favourite Malawian roads,
winding down the Rift Valley from just after Dedza

Mumbo is about 10 km from the beaches of Cape Maclear

Police have been out in their masses recently, particularly on the roads. I had the misfortune of being pulled by one at the end of the town of Dedza after overtaking a lorry which was struggling to keep moving forward up the hill. I disputed his take of ‘reckless driving’ and disputed things further when he leant through the passenger window to start shouting at us. A word with his superior officer eventually led to an apology. Continued petulance on my part eventually led to the 30,000 ($40) official fine being reduced to a 10,000 ‘off the books’ payment.

A newspaper image of a Malawi traffic officer

The other hold-up was due to the weather. Bright sunshine on our drive south was very different to the rain which had lashed across the country overnight. A plain had flooded, resulting in a usually flat and clear road looking somewhat different…

Cape Maclear showed its usual stunning sunset, with us getting to Mumbo the following morning.

Our usual place to stay at Cape Mac now has a pool 

Spectacular

The island itself is a 45 minute catamaran ride from the lakeshore. On approach, you are confronted by enormous and spectacularly smooth boulders rising out of the azure blue water. The mind boggles as to how these were formed.

We passed many fishermen in their dugout canoes

I'm assuming there's a geological explanation!

We arrived with the Sun at its strongest. Initial paddling was done in a t-shirt to avoid an early sunburn. From the water you can see a few huts on top of a tree-covered rock.

An example of an island chalet - we stayed in
on the other side which got sunrise

Very. Warm. Indeed.

The views from these island chalets are pretty special. I guess paying hundreds of dollars a night makes you feel entitled enough to a rather nice panorama…

Our view

It was quite a drop from our balcony to the water below!

Mumbo is a place for escape and a relative return to the wild. Next to no internet allows you to switch off from all media. Noise is reduced to birdsong and the lapping of lake waves as the hammock sways. Toilets are composted and showers are buckets above your head.

Where I spent quite a lot of time

One of the many birds who joined me on the balcony

One thing which surprised me – when I wasn’t dozing in my hammock – was the ability to trek and trail across a very small island. This gives you some amazing views, both in the morning and at sunset.

View from Pod Rock at about 7am

View from Pod Rock at about 6pm

One fascinating part of walking was seeing the different trees. A tree called Euphorbia which resembled a cactus with many arms. Another tree which seemed to have wrinkling ‘skin’ on its trunk. The roots which have grown around boulders, looking like a long witch’s fingers enveloping an apple. Otherworldly.

 

Amazing roots

Euphorbia

The weather wasn’t always worthy of a travel magazine, however. As our first afternoon unfolded, the skies darkened in anticipation of a storm arriving. Watching the winds whip across the water from our rock-top position was a bit surreal, particularly as we were sheltered from the wind by our cabin. It soon turned into a downpour with thunder and lightning joining in to make quite a display.

You can see the wind pushing the water

The wind had calmed by the time Hannah and I took a kayak the following morning to circumnavigate the island. It was still choppy, though, and I would have found it a struggle without Hannah happily paddling away and singing Beatles songs in the back.

Yesterday...all these waves seemed so far away...

There are more species of fish in Lake Malawi
than in Europe and North America combined

Kayaking was regularly stopped for snorkelling, trying to find the colourful mbuna cichlids amongst those strange boulders. We saw some monitor lizards scrambling across rocks and were given a show by a cormorant.

Cichlids nibble the algae from the boulders

A cormorant keen to impress. Or dry off its wings...

Mumbo is a delightful place and a perfect way to escape the relentlessness of life in front of a screen. As progress is made and tourism begins to return, it would certainly be a place to visit when coming to Malawi. Until then, I’d like places like this to keep their prices down so I can experience them myself!

 

Love you all,

 

Matt