Nkhata Bay

Nkhata Bay is a small, bustling fishing village of about 15,000 inhabitants, located about 50 kilometers from Mzuzu. Straddling the steep, verdant mountains of Malawi's rift valley, Nkhata Bay overlooks the lake like a lord overlooks his manor.

Understand
Nkhata Bay has a long history of as a backpacker destination, and at the turn of the millenium it was a place to find "the cheapest diving course in the world" and dorm beds with breakfast for one U.S. dollar a night. After that some more expensive places have popped up, and tours by overland truck (far from all going through Nkhata Bay) have become more common way for seeing Malawi than independent backpacking. As such the town has several places to sleep but they're rarely fully booked.

The town is home to the Tonga people who are famed for their love of fine clothing &mdash; it's common to see older men dressed in full suits with Homburg hats, spats and canes!

Climate
As with most other destinations in the tropics, the seasons are defined by the rain rather than by the temperature. December to April is the rainy season while considerably less rain falls in May-November.

By plane
Mzuzu, 50 km from Nkhata Bay does have an airport but the only services there (by Uluendo airlink) are short hops from Chelina and Likoma Island plus non-scheduled flights from Lilongwe. The closest airports for getting in from further away, as of September 2020, are in Lilongwe and Blantyre.

By bus
The  is in the middle of the town, next to the market. You can reach Nkhata Bay from the south via the Lakeshore road or west from Mzuzu, by minibus. The winding, scenic, hour and a half trip from Mzuzu costs about $4 on a minibus or $20 by taxi. There are regular buses from Blantyre and Lilongwe, the latter which are operated by the bus company AXA. There is no road access to the north.

By car
Take Highway M5 from Mzuzu or along the western shore of Lake Malawi. Nkhata Bay is 4 km off the road. The highway itself is paved and in a fairly good state, but in some places a bit narrow. From Mzuzu the distance is 45 km, from Salima 300 km. If driving from Lilongwe, the distance is about 370 km both via Salima (M14 and M5) and Mzuzu (M1 and M5).

If you need to fill up in Nkhata Bay, there's a Puma petrol station opposite to the People's cash'n carry supermarket.

Get around
Nkhata Bay is fairly small and walkable. Alternatively, you can hire a water taxi to take you from one end of the village to the other; this is also a neat way to see the coastline. Most of the hostels and hotels also have vehicles and you can usually hitch a ride when they head into town for supplies.

See

 * The lake is what Nkhata Bay is all about. There is only one at Chikale which is a gentle 20 minute walk from the town.
 * One of the must sees of Nkhata Bay is the feeding of the fish eagle which lives high up on the cliff face south of Njaya Lodge. Trips can be organised by any of the lodges.
 * If you have a vehicle at your disposal, you should visit the huge located roughly half-way between Mzuzu and Nkhata Bay (as you travel towards Nkhata Bay, there's a small sign on your right).  A very friendly Sikh manages it, and he's happy to take you around and show you how the plantation runs. The countryside around the plantation is also worth exploring if you want a break from the lake.
 * The rubber and tea plantation at Chombe and research farms dot the land between Nkhata Bay and Mzuzu; hiring a bike is the best way to explore these.

Do
Activities the town has to offer take place on or under water. Most of the lodges can arrange other day trips to points around the lake, and rent out fins, masks, kayaks and more. They can also organise longer 2 or 3 day trips either north to Usisya and Ruware, south to Kande beach or over to Likoma Island and Chisumulu Island.

When diving in Lake Malawi, you can see mouth-breeding cichlid fishes that are fascinating and represent the most diverse vertebrate radiation in the history of the earth.



Getting money
There is a "Bureau de Change" and an ATM in town, another plus ATM on the road out towards Mzuzu. there are 4 banks in Nkhata Bay NBS, FNB, Malawi savings bank, Opportunity bank. the National Bank of Malawi, Standard Bank and Ecobank has a master card visa card ATM in Mzuzu.



Shopping

 * There are also several "Rastas" posing as curio vendors. Aside from accommodation, food, and drink, these guys offer among the only options for taking your money.
 * There are also several "Rastas" posing as curio vendors. Aside from accommodation, food, and drink, these guys offer among the only options for taking your money.
 * There are also several "Rastas" posing as curio vendors. Aside from accommodation, food, and drink, these guys offer among the only options for taking your money.

Eat
Aside from the lodges, which all have restaurants, there are several independent restaurants in town, which change regularly. If you have a dollar, you can find a burger, Malawian pizza, or a great Chambo (fish) dinner.

For a particularly good local restaurant, find the large tree in the middle of the market; here you will find reasonably priced, good food to enjoy on benches beneath the branches.





Drink
There are a number of local bars in Nkhata Bay. Additionally, small tourist-friendly bars spring up regularly.



Sleep

 * There are several places to sleep in Nkhata Bay and representatives from these will meet the ferry when it arrives.
 * There is a government rest house in town, but most travelers find municipal accommodation run down and depressing.

Connect
There are two Internet cafés in town, on one of the side roads off the main road. The speed is very slow, although better than some other places in Malawi. It costs 400 MWK/hour. A new one has opened up at Butterfly Lodge. The fastest one is at Aqua Africa but there are only two computers and it cost 600 MWK/hour.



Stay safe
As with most places be careful walking at night and do not carry all your cash with you, especially walking between the town and the lodges to the south. A frequent problem is Rastas trying to sell marijuana who are working with police to shake down tourists for bribes.

Note that while guesthouses may claim that Nkhata Bay is Bilharzia-free there is evidence that this claim may not be entirely accurate. Since treatment is simple and inexpensive travelers are recommended to not take chances and take the single-dose medication within a month of contacting the water. Delaying treatment until symptoms appear can cause irreversible problems since Bilharzia is a parasite the makes your organs bleed. It cannot be medically detected until 6 weeks after exposure. Anyone going into the water is advised to take the medication as it costs roughly $2 in most African countries.

Go next
Suitable destinations for excursions of 2-3 days in length include:



Those travelling to Mzuzu will find frequent minibuses leaving throughout the day from the town centre. There is a daily 6:30AM commuter bus run by AXA which travels down the lake shore, passing through Nkhotakota and Salima before arriving in Lilongwe.