(Zambia)

Most international visitors to Malawi arrive at Lilongwe, the capital; hence their first view of the country is the Central Region. It gives easy access to the rest of the country, including the Lake, as well as being an exciting region in its own right.

Anyone staying in the Central Region and not venturing outside its limits could be forgiven for being unaware that the region is actually part of the Central African Plateau. Gently undulating landscapes give the area the appearance of a plain and its altitude of some 4000ft (1200m) is not immediately evident. Only in the east, close to the Lake, where the plateau forms the edge of the Great Rift Valley, do its occasionally steep sides reveal the truth.

The plateau is crossed by numerous rivers making their separate ways to the Lake and, here and there, isolated hills, called inselbergs, punctuate the gentle landscapes. North-east of Lilongwe is Dowa, a steep–sided plateau adding another 1000ft (300m) to the general altitude. To the south a narrow upland rib forms the border with Mozambique – this is the Dedza Highlands.

The scenery in Central Malawi is less dramatic than elsewhere in the country but it has the same attractive variety that makes Malawi a wonderful place to tour. Its importance stems largely from the fact that its regional centre, Lilongwe, is also the national capital. This, and the pivotal position of the region, give central Malawi a status which distinguishes it from the rest of the country.

Though not in Malawi's Central Region, or actually in Malawi at all, Zambia's South Luangwa National Park, on eof the continent's greatest game reserves, is most easily accessed from Lilongwe.