The Warm Heart of Africa

When David Livingstone first clapped eyes on Lake Malawi, its surface danced with twinkling stars. He named it the Lake of Stars, though it's also called the Calendar Lake for being 365 miles long and 52 miles wide at its broadest, with 12 big rivers flowing into it. It's a massive expanse of water, waves break onto the sandy beaches and on appearance it's a vast freshwater ocean stretching beyond the horizon.

- Keri Harvey

'Lake Malawi is quite unique," smiles local lake guide Johnson Nthenda. 'It's only the third largest lake in Africa, but it was the first lake in the world to be proclaimed a national park to protect the marine life of a tropical, deep water, Rift Valley lake. Because nearly 1,000 species of fish mostly dazzling, brightly colored cichlid live in its waters, and new species are still being discovered every year.'

Islands in the lake are boulder strewn and dotted with baobabs; wildlife is regularly seen on the lake shores. Zebra, bushbuck, klipspringer, baboons, monkeys and rock hyraxes live along the lake, otters frolic in the waters and in the quiet reaches are hippos and crocodiles. Tiny deserted beaches and coves are everywhere, giving the lake a island paradise appeal. This is also a favorite area for kayakers, who go island to island enjoying pristine nature.

With goggles and snorkels, we slip quietly over the side of the small wooden fishing boat and into the tepid lake water. Before long we are part of an underwater Pied Piper scene, with clouds of neon colored cichlid fish following us through the clear water. As we turn, so does the cichlid cloud of yellow and blue behind us, and if feels like we are swimming in a tropical aquarium. 

'That's exactly what this spot is called,' laughs Johnson when we are back on the boat, 'it's The Aquarium because it always looks like that underwater.' The southern section of the lake around Cape Maclear is a proclaimed national park, yet over 7 000 local people still live on the shores here and use the lake for water and subsistence fishing.