August 11-12
The other extreme of the hedonism and pure relaxation of Lake Malawi is the second jewel in Malawi’s crown, the Mulanje Massif. It’s a strikingly high plateau that rises dramatically out of the flat escarpment only eighty kilometers southeast of Blantyre… another perfect weekend getaway for us. And having a 3000-metre high trekking paradise in your backyard certainly isn’t something the average Australian is accustomed to, so we were keen to capitalise on this.
A series of well maintained huts up on the plateau itself (equipped with sleeping mats, blankets, cooking equipment, crockery and cutlery… as long as you're a member of the Mountain Club) and seemingly endless different treks up there make this destination enjoyable and completely different every time you venture up, and that’s without even taking into account the vegetation and weather changes as the year moves through its seasons.
The other extreme of the hedonism and pure relaxation of Lake Malawi is the second jewel in Malawi’s crown, the Mulanje Massif. It’s a strikingly high plateau that rises dramatically out of the flat escarpment only eighty kilometers southeast of Blantyre… another perfect weekend getaway for us. And having a 3000-metre high trekking paradise in your backyard certainly isn’t something the average Australian is accustomed to, so we were keen to capitalise on this.
A series of well maintained huts up on the plateau itself (equipped with sleeping mats, blankets, cooking equipment, crockery and cutlery… as long as you're a member of the Mountain Club) and seemingly endless different treks up there make this destination enjoyable and completely different every time you venture up, and that’s without even taking into account the vegetation and weather changes as the year moves through its seasons.
Our first trip up, heading towards the peak of Sapitwa, which at 3001-metres above sea level is the highest of the 59 recognised peaks, was with a huge group of twenty expats from Blantyre… not your every day trekking group. Despite this the speeds of different walkers soon had us into smaller more manageable groups, allowing us to relax and enjoy the endless views as we climbed the rather steep ascent to the plateau – an unavoidable initial slog regardless of which path you choose. With the 1000-metre high escarpment stretching into the distance in every direction around the massif, every walk here affords incomparable vistas with each new turn – the current one being no exception. Small villages appear more and more like ant colonies the further you climb, smaller mountains waver in the mirage of distant perspective and dry season dusts, and small fires, both legal and illegal, dot the mountainside and surrounding land begging for the drenching of the wet season which hits in November and transforms the country.
The huts on the plateau, Chisepo being the one we were heading towards, are well built wooden constructions with communal sleeping space for a varying number of people – although with more you can always sleep out on the verandah during these drier months. A local hut attendant takes care of the place on a daily basis, keeping the fires going, fetching water if required and cleaning the pots and dishes after each meal, with the general principle of leaving a small tip for each night you stay to supplement his forestry wages. We also generally take porters and guides up the mountain. Not because we cart extraordinary amounts up or wound have excessive difficulty finding the paths, but mainly because it is their only form of employment, and the set rates are very reasonable, providing a good source of income for otherwise struggling families. Many of them are also nice young guys who are good at what they do.
Sapitwa itself is a remarkable peak, with a nice scramble over large rock formations to reach it. The views from the top, to which only a handful of us decided to trek the following morning, are quite incredible, with one entire side of this expansive massif looking out towards the north of Mozambique and on to the Indian Ocean. Despite the knee shattering 6 hour 2000-metre descent, and the fact that the other trekkers had mistakenly taken our lunch from the hut we returned to leaving us with nothing, we were completely intoxicated with Mulanje. Peter’s goal is to climb to the plateau once for every month he is here – we’ve decided we like the sound of that. And the best bit about it all? The pizzeria with authentic pizzas and bloody cold beer back in Mulanje town… a just reward for a weekend of activity.
