This guide will help you to get to Zulunkhuni River Lodge in

Ruarwe while hiking from the north. The described hike starts

in Chiweta (although you can still ‘cheat’ and use a form of

public transport to bridge the 11 km between Chiweta and

Mlowe. The hike will take most people 3 days but you can make

it longer if you want to. You will be hiking on the lake shore

path and if you, at any point in the hike, feel tired or

overwhelmed it is possible to find a local boat that you can hire to bring you to the lodge.

If you start in Chitimba (at Chitimba Camp (+265 (0)888387116) or Hakuna Matata (+265 (0)882297779)

you can choose to walk to Chiweta (about 14 km) but it is also really easy to find a Matola (shared taxi)

that will drop you in Chiweta. If you start in Livingstonia (for example at Mushroomfarm

(themushroomfarmmalawi@gmail.com) or Lukwe (info@lukwe.com) you can choose to get up early and

find a Matola that can drop you in Chitimba or you can hike the beautiful (and famous) Gorode (11 km)

down yourself. We recommend getting a local guide to show you all the shortcuts down the windy road

and it will take you about 3 hours to reach Chitimba. From there you can make your way to Chiweta and

start the journey down the lake. Throughout the hike you have beautiful views over the lake. You do not

need a compass or a map as long as you remember one rule; if the lake is on your right and the

mountains on your left, you are traveling north and in the direction of Chiweta. If the lake is on your left

and the mountains on your right, you are traveling south and in the direction of Zulunkhuni (Ruarwe).

It is possible to organize a porter if you have heavy luggage or if you feel more comfortable with a local

guide to show you the way. You find more information about sleeping options below.

We did not find any drinking water for sale along the way so we recommend bringing enough

purification tablets or Waterguard to make lake and river water safe for drinking.

Money.

Mosquito net as most places where you will sleep might not have one readily available.

Protection against the sun.

Plasters in case you get blisters.

Snacks. On the way you are able to buy sweets, biscuits and cool drinks but you may want to

bring some (dried) fruit, nuts or bars for extra energy.

Crossing the Chisanga River

The route is pretty straight forward and as long as you follow the

lake you cannot really get lost. Instead of giving a step by step

description we list the villages and settlements that you will walk

through. If you want to know how you are doing or if you feel

that you are getting lost just ask the local people in which village

you are and they will be happy to help you along. The description

is given from Chiweta to Zulunkhuni but we trust that you will be

able to find your way if you do it the other way around.

Chiweta – Here you can choose. You can either start walking on the sand road towards

Mlowe (around 11 km) or find some sort of transport that will bring you to Mlowe (bike,

Matola etc). Chiweta has many shops in case you need some ‘fuel’ for on the way.

On the way between Chiweta and Mlowe you will cross the big South Rukuru or Mlowe

River, it is an important river as it is one of the biggest rivers in Northern Malawi.

Once you reached the big open spot where the ferry stops (Mlowe stop) your only choice is

walking. Follow the sand road towards the South (lake on your left, mountains on your right)

and enjoy the journey.

Mlowe is a big town and it takes some time before you really leave it but the next real

village that you will reach is Nkhombwa.

After Nkhombwa you will get to Zunga. Look towards the lake and you will see an old

windwill pump. It is no longer working but it was built to pump water from the lake to the

village. Nowadays a gravity feed system is used to get running water. Zunga has a clinic and

a football ground and is a great place to stop for the night.

After Zunga you will cross many big and small rivers. The first biggish one is the Dowoko

River. There is no bridge as it flushed away a while ago but the community made a

makeshift bridge with tree trunks.

After Dowoko you will cross the Chisanga rover, probably the most memorable river

crossing of the journey. The river is about 10 meters wide and has many rapids but no

bridge. When it’s not in the rain season you just take of your shoes, find a long stick to help

you gage the depth and rocks in front of you and wade through the water which reaches up

to your knees. When it’s rain season and the water is too wild, or if you just feel unsure, ask

some locals if there are some fishermen who can paddle you across over the lake in their

dugout canoes for a small fee.

Crossing the river means that you left Zunga and entered Chisanga. After Chisanga you will

walk through Old Salawe. There is not much to see except for an old rock wall. More about

that in the ‘interesting facts’ section.

After Old Salawe you will walk through the small village of Mzuwu. As you walk south you

will start to see some nice houses on a peninsula. This is Tcharo Clinic where you can find

taps to refresh but be careful, the water is untreated!

Nyambuzi Rocks, do the ancestors talk to you?

After Tcharo Clinic you will descend into the beautiful bay where Tcharo (or Tchalo, or

Tgaro) is build. Tcharo is a bigger-ish place where you will be able to stock up on snacks and

drinks. It is also a great place to spend the night.

When you leave Tcharo, you will cross the Tcharo River. After crossing that you will enter

Msuku.

Between Msuku and New Salawe you will see a remarkably big and black rock, right next to

the road. This rock is called Nyambuzi Rock. More about this rock in the ‘Interesting facts’

section. You will also cross the Malongowe, an important river as it marks the border

between Rumphi District (where you have been walking up until now) and Nkhata Bay

District (where you are going).

You pass through New Salawe and enter into Londo. The youngsters here have nicknamed

this place ‘London’ and in this cosmopolitan () place you will see a beautiful beach with big

rocks and the bluest water.

Khondowe is a beautiful place with the most stunning views and an amazing beach that

seems to come straight from a post card. It is the last biggish place that you walk through

before you reach the Zulunkhuni River Lodge.

After leaving Khondowe you will see Nkoso Hill in front of you. It’s on a small peninsula and

it is the only real hill that you have to climb on this route. It will probably be midday and

super-hot during your climb but please do not forget to stop and look around to take in the

beautiful views.

Once you are at the top of the hill you can see the Zulunkhuni River Lodge, nested in a quiet

cove, marked by a big round boulder. Hike down into the small village and follow the lake

shore path. Soon you will hear the roaring of a big waterfall which means that you are

almost there. Cross the bridge, walk down the stone steps and know that you have arrived!

Order a drink and know that you have deserved it .

Doing this hike in a single day is not impossible but also not

advisable. We recommend dividing the hike from Chiweta to

the Zulunkhuni River Lodge into 3 days. This way you have

more time and energy to enjoy the beautiful landscape but also

a great opportunity to explore rural village life as you will spend

the nights in such villages. When you get to a village ask for the

local village headman. He will help you to find a place to sleep.

If you hike with a tent they will usually give you a place to pitch it at a local church, school or

sportsground, but don’t worry if you do not have one. The village headman will happily make space for

you or find a house where you can spend the night. You do not need to pay but it is nice to leave a tip.

Drying Kadonosya cakes

Our advice is to break up the route as follows, but you should obviously see how your energy levels are

and decide what works best for you.

Day 1: Chiweta to Zunga – The terrain is rather flat and is the easiest of all 3 days if you start hiking at

Mlowe. Chiweta to Mlowe is about 11 km and can be done by taxi or walking. Mlowe to Zunga is about

14 km.

Day 2: Zunga to Tcharo – The terrain is a bit more challenging than on day 1 but very enjoyable. The

distance is about 17 km.

Day 3: Tcharo to Ruarwe (Zulunkhuni River Lodge) – This day is the hilliest of all but provides you with

beautiful views. The distance it about 16 km.

When you walk through Old Salawe you will see on the

left hand side an old, partially overgrown wall build up out of

rocks. This wall is the only bit that remains of a school/church

that was built in the 1940’s by the Scottish people/missionaries

who lived in Livingstonia at that time. After having completed

the building in Old Salawe they subsequently moved further

south to New Salawe (that you will also walk through) and did

the same. The rock wall building was typical for that time; all

the houses were built in that way. Building a house was a very

labour intensive activity and once people learned how to make mud and clay bricks, most

builders moved on from rocks and started using bricks.

Between Msuku and New Salawe the footpath leads around a dark big rock. This is Nyambuzi

Rock and traditionally people believed that the rock could talk if you called its name. Rumour

had it that it was a way to talk to the ancestors. Give it a try and maybe your ancestors will talk

to you too… or is it maybe the echo?

On your way you will walk though many cassava fields and often you will smell the typical

slightly sour smell of drying and fermenting cassava. Our sources had different opinions about

how long cassava must grow before you can harvest it, some said 9 months, others would let it

grow up to two years. When it is time, you harvest as many as you can keep in the special clay

fermentation pots that you own. After harvest you wash and peel them and leave them in water

for 3 or 4 days where is will start fermenting. After that you remove the fibre and pound them

for the first time. Now you can make ‘cakes’ called Kadanosya. They need to dry in the sun for 2

to 3 days. Now it is time for the final pounding and sifting and finally you can make Kondowole

Nsima, the staple food of this region.

The remains of the rock wall in Old Salawe

The green

route is the

part where

walking is

your only

option

(unless you

decide to

take a boat).

The pink part

of the route

is where you

have a choice

between

public

transport and

walking.

Enjoy!

(This map is

not an

accurate

depiction of

distance or

the coastline

etc, but just a

tool to help

you along the

way.)