Hiking up to the former utopia of Livingstonia from Lake Malawi

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
7
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
7
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
7
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
10
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
3
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
7
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
77 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
71st/454
Top 20%
continent
Africa
country
Malawi
Length of time
1 day or less
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$30 ($10-$30 in 2020 prices)
Time of year visited
January
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Hiking Hilltop towns Mountains
All Tags
Beaches Camping Jungle Lakes Local villages Old town Waterfalls
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐
Summary

In 1875, Christian missionaries tried to create a utopian town in what at the time must have felt like the heart of the African continent.  Naming it Livingstonia after David Livingston, the embodiment of the pioneer African coloniser, they originally settled at Cape Maclear on the south shores of Lake Malawi, but were forced to abandon the settlement because of malaria and instead looked for a spot further up in the mountains.  The spot they found not only avoided malaria, but, because it was up in the mountains on a plain that had a different climate, provided farming opportunities.  The missionaries had indeed found the right sight for their vision of Livingstonia utopia

 

Today, Livingstonia still has that vibe with its tree-lined streets, cooler climate, former colonial buildings such as the church and museum, and separation from the main road that hugs the west shore of Lake Malawi.  More than anything, it just feels like a trip to what another future of Africa could have looked like, and a very pleasant detour from the usual spots in Malawi

 

To get there – you’ve basically got the option of walking from the lake (15km / 9.5miles, will take around 3.5hours and an elevation gain of 850m / 2800ft) or driving up the very windy and bumpy road (takes around an hour).  My suggestion is to do a combo of both – get a ride up to the Mushroom Farm Ecolodge, which breaks up the ascent so you only have 7km / 4.5miles and 1.5hours with 220m / 720ft of incline to get to Livingstonia.  From here, you can check out the views, the waterfall and the farmland around you without the uphill slog – bear in mind it gets very hot in Malawi!

Where to stay – the Mushroom Farm Ecolodge is the obvious option as it could break up your journey to Livingstonia, but I’d also highly recommend staying by the lake in one of the various campsites nearby.  We camped for 2 nights there and you also have the option of rooms available at places like the Hakuna Matata Hostel.  It felt quite magical being able to wake up and kayak around this quiet section of lake and a bit of a must if heading up to Livingstonia

Highlights
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#1 The views of the lake and all the way across to Mozambique 40km / 25miles away

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#2 The challenge of the hike with some fairly steep inclines . . . or the ride up to halfway and far more pleasant stroll - your choice!

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#3 Seeing some of the locals living in and around Livingstonia. They have way fewer tourists visiting here, so they get that wee bit more excited to see you

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#4 Checking out the very different farmland that sits up in the mountains. Its a super sharp contrast to that by the lakeside

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#5 The views out from the splendid Machewe waterfalls, which are on the way on the hike to Livingstonia

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#6 Seeing the gorgeous plateau that Livinstonia is based on from from the lakeside roads

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The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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