Museums & Historical Sites

There is much to see of Malawi’s history, beginning with the pre-history remains on display at the Cultural & Museum Centre in Karonga and the Stone Age Chongoni Rock Art site near Dedza. Elsewhere, the colonial period is preserved in a number of buildings that remain from that era, particularly in Blantyre and Zomba, which was the country’s capital during that period. There are sites dotted around Malawi noted as places visited by Dr David Livingstone during his expeditions of the late 19th Century. The Livingstonia Mission, which followed on from the great explorer, has left its mark along the lakeshore, with attempts made to settle at Cape Maclear and Bandawe near Chintheche, before settling on the northern lakeshore.

Malawi does not have a large number of museums, but there are a few that can be visited around the country. As well as the museum at Karonga, the main Museum of Malawi is in Blantyre, though it isn’t particularly large. More specialist museums are found at Mangochi (a Lake Malawi museum) and Zomba (a postal services museum). Livingstonia Mission has its own small museum and perhaps the best cultural museum is the Chamare Museum at Mua Mission.

A vast wealth of knowledge and history is stored in Blantyre, at The Society of Malawi – a true treasure trove of the country’s history. With thousands of books and resources safely stored away, it provides an opportunity to find out a bit more about Malawi that perhaps many tourists don’t ever discover.