What commonly occurs with our plans happened yet again and within hours of arriving on Likoma we knew we needed a new one. We thought we could spend a few days on the island and then go to Chizumulu, a less inhabited island nearby, for a couple days. It turned out that there are only so many boats between the islands and unless we wanted to pay a fisherman there was no other way off. So we had the next 4 days to enjoy the island.
The view from our room for the next 4 days
Once we got settled in at Mango Drift, we took out one of the double kayaks. The wind and waves made it hard to paddle, but we went along the shoreline towards a baobab with a fish eagle perched on the bare limbs.
The first morning we woke up to enjoy breakfast on our bungalow’s porch that overlooked the lake. It was a little slice of paradise and felt like we were on vacation. Before it got too hot, we started to climb up the nearby hill to see what the view would look like. As we worked our way up Tico said he didn’t feel well. Not too much further, we stopped and he got sick. We rested under a tree for shade while seeing if he’d feel better. He was able to make it to the top, but we decided it would be best to head back.
The blue water and the yellow mountains around the island
The trail disappeared and we created our own route to the bottom. It meant we had to zigzag around large rocks and step over tall grass. Because we had to choose our steps wisely it took us longer than the going up. Once we reached the path below, we split ways. Tico headed back to our cabin to lay down and I kept going towards the nearby village. We wanted to see how much a fisherman boat cost to Chizumulu as well as what was available in the shops.
The beach in front of Mango Drift
The trail followed the water’s edge and up a slope. From the top you could see the village below. It wasn’t the main town on the island, but would hopefully provide us with a few things without having to walk all the way into town. As I came down the hill a child yelled mzungu and then several more came running. At the base of the hill a fisherman who was laying out his fish to dry in the sun greeted me. I stopped to talk with him and see what information he could offer about a boat.
From speaking with him, I ended up getting the same price that the hotel had given us. I had hopes of an additional boat crossing the waters, but there were only 2 boats per week and the locals waited for that to move between the islands. I walked to the shore to see the fishermen fixing their nets and then found the small shop to buy some snacks. As I walked back to the hotel, I waved goodbye to the fisherman and told him I’d probably be back the following day.
Once back at the bungalow, Tico was feeling a little better so we got snorkel gear from the hotel and got in the lake. We could see a few cichlids swimming around and they didn’t seem to care that we were watching them. We didn’t stay long in the water as it was cold and Tico thought it would be best to get back in bed. He opted out of dinner that night so I ate with the rest of the guests under the stars.
Dinner under the stars
The following day Tico wasn’t feeling much better so while he rested I walked to town with Gülçin and Lee. We stopped at St. Peter’s Catedral on our way in. The church was huge compared to the size of the island. The gardener let us in and showed us around. When he reached the bell tower, Gülçin asked if we could go up. He hesitated at first, but then opened the door to the narrow stairwell. We climbed up 2 flights of stairs before climbing a ladder to reach the platform that held the bells. He proceeded to step on the bells to make his way through a small hole in the ceiling to the ‘viewpoint.’ We all followed and could then see out over the lake. It was not your conventional tour, but was nice of him to lead us to the top.
Afterwards, we ate breakfast at a Tanzanian woman’s restaurant and then wandered around the market. As the food was overpriced at the hotel, we wanted to find things to have for lunch. We got a few items and then made our way back towards our home base. When we passed the nearby village, the fisherman from the day before was out turning his fish. He wanted to practice his English again so we all chatted a bit before finishing the walk.
Tico was feeling the worst that he’s felt in his life and was having trouble keeping anything in his system. His time was spent curled up in bed and occasionally making the walk along the beach to the communal bathroom. While there was a hospital on the island, we wanted to avoid having to go. Our last resort was to try the antibiotics that we’d brought with us from home. He took his first dose after a significant amount of persuasion and fell fast asleep. The next morning he woke up keeping things down, but still wasn’t 100%. I took the day to get some sun while he tried to recover. We were thankful that he was feeling better as the boat was coming the following day and he’d need energy to make it to the port.
Maria getting some sun
The crystal clear water of Likoma
When he woke up, he was doing much better. He finally ate a little more and was ready to carry his pack to the taxi. There was a group of us heading to the Chambo ferry so we all piled into the bed of a truck and were thrown around as we bumped along the dirt road. The time of the taxi was dependent on the time the ferry would leave. We’d heard different answers, but figured earlier was better. As we approached the port we could see the Chambo pulling away from the island. The driver honked and we all stood and waved. When nothing seemed to happen, the driver ran towards a building and moments later the boat was turning. He ran to the immigration post and they radioed the boat to tell them to come back. We couldn’t believe it as if we had missed this boat we would have been stuck on the island for another 2-3 days.
Clapping when the ferry was coming back
When the boat got close enough to shore, we took turns climbing up the hovering platform. They were encouraging us to rush, but we hung around a few extra minutes once we were on board. We found seats and paid our ticket at the bar. The Chambo was small compared to Ilala, but was still filled with people and sacks of goods. We headed to Chizumulu before making our way back to the mainland.
We reached Nhkata Bay several hours later. The ferry didn’t reach the shore so again we were put in smaller boats. One-by-one we climbed down the ladder and found a space on the fishing boat. The seat I found was on top of large sacks, which I later realized were full of dried fish as I was pierced by several fins. Once back on dry land, we headed to the Aqua Africa Dive Shop as it was near the port. We knew we wanted to dive so we figured we should get information before finding our hostel. It also let us grab a bite to eat. So with the necessary contact details, we got a taxi to Butterfly Space.
A young fashion man on the Chambo
The classic chicken is on every mode of transport, including boats
The sacks full of fish
Maria on the Chambo writing this blog
The boats to and from Likoma were definitely highlights of that part of the trip. While our plan wasn’t to relax as much as we did on the island, it was by far the best time for Tico to get sick. Thankfully, he made a quick recovery and he was able to enjoy the gorgeous view from bed.
The Chambo ferry
Helpful tips:
- Mango Drift has excellent food, but keep in mind that their prices are high. They have facilities to grill, but you need to bring your own charcoal or buy wood from them.
- Use the Malawi Tourism website to find out the boat schedules.
Thanks for sharing your incredible experiences and journey! Norm