Mulanje Forest Reserve entry gate | Tourist Attraction

It’s true that when you turn right before the gate, guides will be waiting for you. There will be more at the gate and even more when you will have your camp up.

All the guides where friendly, not too invasive but… they will not take no for an answer.

When we arrived late I tired to explain them that we only wanted to go without a guide to the waterfall.
A few were here again the next morning.

When I explained again that we wanted to go alone, after some time, they said it was OK but we bedded to register first in the book at the forestry office.
They took us there and the second act started with the man in charge on the precious book.

He strongly advised us to take a guide, then refused to open the book for us to register.

It’s not our first show so we exited the office (without registering of course) and carried on to the falls following maps.me.

Again, their are only trying to make a living and nobody was angry or even unpleasant but be prepared for heavy discussion if you want to go alone !

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Starting point for Sapitwa Peak, a dramatic, beautiful hike. We had an excellent guide, Frank (contact details below) for a very reasonable price. He was very knowledgeable about the area and could take you on other multi-day hikes or up some of the other less popular peaks as well. He was very environmentally conscious, cleaning up any litter along the way and speaking about conservation efforts.

We completed the 3 day hike with Frank but he can organize porters, chefs and camping gear if needed.

Frank +265 988697805 (on Whatsap too) or you can show up and ask for Frank.

Sapitwa Peak hike: Day 1 hike up to Chisepo Hut (approx 6 hours). Day 2 Summit Sapitwa Peak and back down to Chambo hut (approx 8 hours). Day 3 hike back down to Likhubula via the stunning waterfalls and pools (approx 3-4 hours plus swimming time).

Day hike to waterfalls: approx 1hour each way. They get very busy Friday, Saturday Sunday but you can hike higher up and find more pools.

Entrance fee: 1000MK pp
Hut fees: 1000MK pp per night (+ bring a tip for the caretakers)
Porters and guides appreciate any extra hiking gear that you wish to leave behind!

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Contrary to what people and guides tell you it is NOT mandatory to take a guide to hike the Mulanje mountain. After been warned by locals, Bradt guide book and many others it felt like climbing the Mulanje is like climbing the Everest. It is not, we can say after two days of hiking with a guide and porter (‘because you really need them’). Surely you have to be fit and mountain experience is recommended, and some paths are not clearly marked, but it is doable on your own. That being said, mountains can be dangerous. For instance, in 2003 a Dutch woman went missing hiking the mountain on het own.

Guides know the area and tourism provides work to local people. So they are valuable. Just be aware that the dangers are hugely exaggerated (if you are aware of the mountain risks that do exist).

One more thing: the Mulanje cedar is endangered. So better not to buy the wooden curios at the shop as this will encourage cutting the valuable trees down for a small profit.

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same price in 2022
1000 kw/pp
500 kw/ton for the vehicule

and a guide for hiking 25 us$ per day
and to go to the falls (2-3 hours) we negociate at 10us$

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1,000 kw pp per entry
500 kw per ton (vehicle)
With our 18 t mobile we didn‘t pay 9,000 kw ofc, just 2000 after negotiation.
Be aware: They want to sell their own guides at the gate, but you can take also another one. But a guide is mandatory.

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Mulanje mountain in incredible and every hikers dream! We went up and stayed at Lichenya, chisepo, Chambe and Tuchilla hut.

Guides are highly recommended - we were assisted by Moses who is incredibly professional and knows the mountain very well. We used him to make all our arrangements (porters etc) We highly recommend using Moses. To contact him you can reach him via SMS or phone call at +265882830224

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Entrance gate to the Mulanje Forest Reserve. Enter here for the tourist office and to hire a guide for hiking the mountain.

Entry fee is paid once each time you enter, not for each day you spend inside the reserve. Cost if MKW1,000 per person + MKW500 per vehicle.

Standard price for a guide is US$25 per day (can be paid in USD or MKW). If you are just doing a 2-3hr trek to the waterfall and back you can expect to pay $10-15.

There is a guide called Bright who took us to the waterfall in the morning, and in the afternoon gave us a tour of the local village where we met his family - which was excellent. He can be contacted on +265882727850.

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