 |
 |
- Arrange comprehensive travel Insurance and carry the details with you.
- Check the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Travel Advice for Malawi.
- Visitors should carry identity documents at all times. Keep a
photocopy of your passport with you separate from the original.
- Enter next of kin details into the back of your passport.
- Bring enough money. Credit cards are not widely accepted in Malawi.
You should carry Traveller's cheques or cash.
- Be alert to muggers, bag-snatchers and con men. Be cautious of
over-friendly people who offer to act as tour-guides. On public transport,
do not accept food or drink from fellow passengers as it may be drugged:
the victim falls unconscious and is then robbed.
- Malawi is an extremely dangerous place in which to drive. Drive very
carefully. Avoid travel out of town at night, when main roads are
dangerous: hazards such as potholes and abandoned unlit vehicles often
cause serious accidents.
- Armed car jacking (especially of 4x4 vehicles) is fairly commonplace.
If an attack takes place, hand over car keys and anything else demanded;
it is extremely dangerous to resist.
- There is a very high prevalence of AIDS/HIV in Malawi. Malaria is also
highly prevalent and visitors should take anti-malarial prophylactics.
Care should be taken to ensure that drinking water is safe, especially in
rural areas. Bilharzia (a disease caused by infestation with blood flukes)
exists in some lakeshore areas and rivers.
- Possession of even small amounts of drugs can lead to arrest and
imprisonment. Visitors should avoid any involvement with drugs. Avoid
buying uncut precious stones, which is illegal. Although the dress code in
Malawi is now more relaxed than in the past, visitors should take care not
to offend local sensitivities, some of which reflect pre-1994 standards.
- The land route between Malawi and Zimbabwe along the Tete Corridor in Mozambique can be dangerous. Exercise caution, do not leave the main road and complete travel during daylight hours.