Cheap flights to Malawi from $829

Malawi lies within the Great African Rift Valley, bordered by Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia. Travelers book flights to Malawi for one reason: its warmth. And it’s not just the temperature. The people of Malawi are famed as some of the friendliest toward travelers. Immediately upon leaving the Malawi flight, tourists feel welcomed in this small South African country. 

Outdoor enthusiasts booking flights to Malawi will love a hike through the mountains, national parks and wildlife reserves. At 360 miles long and about 1,500 feet above sea level, Lake Malawi is the country’s most famous feature. The inland lake has miles of white-sand beaches and is surrounded by mountains, making it a focal point for tourists booking flights to Malawi.

Malawi climate

Malawi is roughly the same temperature all year round. June and July are the coolest months of the year, when the temperature averages 70 F and nights are brisk in the highlands. The rainy season lasts from November to April and can be the cheapest time for flights.

Best Time to Fly to Malawi

Whether you’re relaxing by Lake Nyasa during the rainy season or scorching on its shores in the 90 degrees F summer days, flights to Malawi take you to a sultry, equatorial destination year-round.

Peak Season:

When the sun drenches the landscape after the rainy season ends, flights to Malawi tend to fill up as the heat rises towards the end of April. Malawi’s Lake of Stars Festival takes place at the tail end of dry season, and draws international musical talent to promote eco-tourism while raising money to benefit disadvantaged Malawian children.

Off-Peak Season:

The best time to book cheap flights to Malawi is during the rainy season, when the highlands are covered in clouds from November to early April.

Getting around Malawi

When it comes to travel within Malawi, the best and most comfortable way to get around is by coach. Shire Coach Lines offers non-stop trips between Lilongwe and other cities in Malawi. The busses tend to run far less frequently to rural parts of the country. The most efficient mode of transport is by way of matola, an informal bus that consists of a van or a pickup truck with people piled in the back. 

You don’t necessarily have to book a flight to Malawi if you’ll be traveling from other points in Africa: Border crossing is an easy affair and currency exchange facilities are available on site. Cheap flights to Malawi from Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa are readily available throughout the year, but all three countries are reachable by coach and travel to Tanzania and Mozambique by ferry can be easily arranged. There are domestic Malawi flights from Lilongwe and a bus and train network, but train services are slow. 

The road network varies. Major roads are generally in good condition, but smaller roads can be very poor. In many parts of Malawi, the motola system supplements public transport. Two inexpensive ferries travel between Monkey Bay and Chilumba once a week.

The following chart gives approximate journey times from Lilongwe (in hours and minutes) to other major cities and towns in Malawi.

Malawi Travel Information

• Flights to Malawi are full of biologists and lovers of the great outdoors looking to experience the natural beauty of Lake Nyasa, also known as Lake Malawi. The shores of the lake fall under the jurisdiction of three countries, but the majority of the lake falls is Malawian territory. Discovered by English explorer David Livingstone in 1859, the lake is home to hundreds of different fish species and provides a major food source to the people of Malawi.
• Sporting enthusiasts are splurging the cash they saved on their Malawi cheap flight on excursions to find some fascinating creatures in the country’s notable game reserves and national parks. The Nyika Plateau is home to the most substantial concentration of leopard in Central Africa, while Liwonde National Park in southern Malawi plays host to herds of elephants, zebras and antelopes.
• Over the past decade, humanitarians have been booking flights to Malawi to make a difference in the impoverished southern African country, and several celebrities have followed their example. Madonna has been raising awareness for humanitarian aid in Malawi for years, and picked up young David Banda from a Malawian orphanage while visiting in 2006.
• Cheap flights to Malawi land in Lilongwe, the country’s capital city. Lilongwe doesn’t offer much when it comes to attractions that have tourists coming back for more, but the charm of Lilongwe’s Old Town will definitely keep you busy for a day or two with its open-air markets and cafes.
• Travelers with a quick turnaround time should check out the Lilongwe Nature Sanctuary for a lengthy wildlife excursion outside the city.