Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital city, enthralls everyone with its beautiful sight-seeing. Despite being the Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe maintains a relaxed atmosphere. The country is divided into two main areas – Old Town in South and New Town in North and the Lilongwe Nature Sanctuary lies in between. Within this sanctuary one will come across the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre, a place for rescued, injured and orphaned wild animals. Accredited as the world’s first “People and Wildlife” (PAW center), this center works with local people with the main objective to promote nature conservation. This benefits the people as well as wildlife of Malawi.
Most visitors love to spend time in Old Town exploring the city as it houses the bustling markets, restaurants, craft shops, cafes and bars. On the other hand, the New Town is considered a dull place and lacks the character of the Old Town. The main Government buildings, International aid organizations, embassies and the headquarters of Reserve Bank are located in the New Town. Outside the post office in Old Town, there is a craft market where you will find vendors selling everything from Basketware, wood carvings, traditional Malawi chairs and jewelry.
Major Attractions of Lilongwe
Lilongwe experiences a subtropical climate with mild winters and warm summers. The dry season is considered the best time to visit the place for game viewing in the parks of Malawi.
Travellers find Lilongwe a welcoming as well as a friendly stopover and less daunting than Johannesburg and Nairobi, its biggest counterparts. Compared to the other major cities of Africa, this small city has excellent roads and well managed traffic. Lilongwe offers its travellers an colourful and interesting African life with a number of major attractions. The major attractions of the city include:
- Lilongwe Nature Sanctuary
- Lilongwe Wildlife Centre
- Parliament Building
- Mosque in the Old Town
- Lilongwe Golf Club
- Kumbali Cultural Centre
- Woodcarving Markets
- Tobacco Auction Floors
Apart from the major attractions, Lilongwe has a number of nightclubs and bars that give the visitors a taste of good night life. Karaoke nights make the evenings enjoyable and fun-filled. There are also lots of good cafes and restaurants and they serve excellent quality food at affordable prices. The population of this city is lively and the local people are friendly and you can spend a whole evening chatting with them. This city also offers the perfect ambience to pamper yourself, you will come across a number of beauty salons, hair dressers and they have people who are equally good as Western beauticians and hairdressers.
A walk around the streets of Lilongwe will give the tourists the chance to witness the festivities and rituals happening in the city. These festivities define the city. It will also give the tourists a chance to shop as a number of shopping centres and souvenir shops have flourished in this area. In addition, the city has a relaxing atmosphere and the traffic is also not very heavy compared to what travelers find in the busy streets of other countries. The city offers the best accommodation with a number of exquisite hotels.
About Author:
Tom Bowden and Rachel Balm are the owners of the Malawi Lodge well-known for offering a homelike atmosphere to their guests. This lodge can be a great option if you are looking for the best hotel Lilongwe.