Getting to Lilongwe and Around by Taxi, Car and Bus

Sitting in the geographic heart of Malawi on the central plateau, Lilongwe is the main international air gateway for the country and the crossroads where the north-south M1 spine highway meets the road from eastern Zambia to Lake Malawi.

Arriving at Kamuzu International Airport (LLW)

Kamuzu International Airport (LLW) (also known as Lilongwe International Airport) lies 26 kilometres north of central Lilongwe near Lumbadzi off the M1 highway. Direct flights connect Lilongwe with Addis Ababa (Ethiopian Airlines), Johannesburg, Nairobi (Kenya Airways), Lusaka and Dar es Salaam, alongside domestic services to Blantyre (Chileka) and charter bush flights to Likoma Island, Liwonde and Majete. Check Malawi's current visa rules before flying: many western and Commonwealth nationalities have benefited from visa-free entry windows, while others use the official Malawi e-Visa portal or visa on arrival (carry crisp post-2013 US dollar notes if paying at the counter). Because there is no public bus from the terminal into town, pre-book a transfer through your lodge in Area 3 or Area 10 or use an official airport taxi outside arrivals for the 30- to 40-minute drive.

Overland buses from Zambia, Tanzania and Blantyre

Overland travellers combining Zambia's South Luangwa National Park with Lake Malawi enter along the paved M12 highway via Chipata and the Mchinji / Mwami border post, just two hours west of Lilongwe. Within Malawi, comfortable express coaches (such as AXA and SOSO) run daily down the M1 between Blantyre and Lilongwe (roughly four and a half to five hours via Dedza) and north to Mzuzu; upmarket coaches stop at designated depots in Old Town or City Centre rather than only the crowded main Devil Street bus station.

Getting around Lilongwe: hire cars, private taxis and minibuses

Because Old Town and City Centre are separated by four kilometres of woodland and residential Areas spread out in loose loops, walking everywhere is impractical:

• Private taxi (agreeing a per-trip or half-day rate): every lodge has a list of reliable local drivers who will ferry you between Area 3, Old Town Market, the Wildlife Centre and Kumbali for a fair Kwacha fare.
• Self-drive hire car: driving is on the left, traffic inside Lilongwe is calm compared with larger capitals, and a car makes day trips to Senga Bay or Dedza effortless. Avoid driving outside town after dark due to unlit bicycles and pedestrians on the M1.