About
Zomba is the former capital and situated at the foot of a 2,000m mountain in between Blantyre and Liwonde with stunning views on Mulanje Mountains, just 60km away. It is home of the University of Malawi and one of the biggest markets in Malawi.
Things to do
Zomba is a nice place to stay for a few days. You can go shopping on the market or walk around town to get some chitenje (fabric) and fruit & veg that cannot be found elsewhere in the country.
If you enjoy sports, you can swim at T&D, Mulunguzi Riverside Lodge or at Tuta2 lodge.
On the mountain you can hike or go mountain biking. Pakachere rents out Africycle mountain bikes and occasionally offers yoga classes.
There are nice trails for walking or running around Mulunguzi/Old Naisi. There are a couple of gyms (Viva and at Gymkhana Club), and at Gymkhana you can also ask for tennis, squash or learn how to play golf for only MWK 5,000!
Soon Malawi Defense Museum will open its doors to the public and there is talk about opening a new museum in the former State House. The KAR memorial close to the Kobe Barracks, remembers people who died in the 1st world war. Around the Botanic Gardens there are nice old buildings built around the 1900’s.
There are many places for coffee, lunch or dinner. For food & drinks, please check the FOOD & DRINKS page
Malawi Made Market
AfrocChoc organises the monthly Malawi Made Market at Pakchere every 1st Saturday of the month.
Deforestation and Conservation
TREEZ and WESM
Like many other places in Malawi, Zomba suffers from deforestation. A growing population of Malawi requires wood to cook (only 10% of the people have access to electricity), wood to build (hospitals, schools and houses), and there are illegal loggers selling wood for a lot of money to the highest bidder.
TREEZ (The Reforestation of the Environment and Ecosystem of Zomba) is a project started by Zomba Forest Lodge. Amongst other things, TREEZ supports fire prevention and plant many trees.
WESM is the Wildlife & Environmental Society of Malawi. With more than 120 wildlife clubs in schools, WESM Zomba educates children about conservation and every year the wildlife clubs plant trees, do big clean-ups and the schools get a chance to visit Liwonde National Park.
Conservation and reforestation is very important for Zomba, not only to protect the beautiful nature on the plateau, but also because all drinking water for Zomba comes from Mulunguzi dam. Without trees our dam can become dry, leaving Zomba without water.
University of Malawi
A few months after Malawi attained its independence from Britain in 1964, there came plans to establish a national university for the new nation. In 1973, a university college campus was established at Chirunga in Zomba with funding from the World Bank.
Following the establishment of Chancellor College in Zomba, a constituent campus of the University of Malawi, the town changed in character from a government centre to a university town. In 2020 Chancellor College will officially become the University of Malawi, as the university is ‘delinking’ and 4 colleges will become 3 fully-fledged standalone universities.
Chancellor College has an average of 5000 students in a variety of undergraduate programmes. You can study Law, Science, Education, Social Sciences and Humanities which includes fine and performing arts.
Sometimes the Arts Department organises theatre plays, music concerts or other cultural events. The student association occasionally organises debates, book presentations or poetry nights. Lunch at the Senior Common Room is very nice and affordable, but come on time (12noon!).
Governour’s House (1886)
Gymkhana Club (1921)
View Points on the Mountain
