Malawi Developments 2022 / 2023 – Part 1: Malawi Tour Operators

Malawi was recognised as a Lonely Planet Top 10 Best in Travel Country for 2022 for its continued efforts in developing sustainable tourism even through the COVID-19 Pandemic. Many in Malawi’s tourist industry have since introduced new initiatives and pushed on with a variety of developments through 2022 & continuing in to 2023 – mostly geared towards ensuring that they and their guests have a positive impact on the country. In this first article in a series of 3 we take a look at what some of Malawi’s local operators have been up to:

Land & Lake Safaris

Malawi stalwart, Land & Lake has re-emerged strongly this year having invested in their personnel, equipment and infrastructure. Their all-female reservations team is supported by a manager and supervisor, who is also now responsible for driving the company’s conservation, sustainability and eco responsibility protocols. With new computers, streamlined reservations & quoting systems, a new website and social media links, they can be even quicker and more responsive than before!

Their impressive fleet of vehicles has been bolstered and, with demand increasing, they will have 4 fully-kitted safari vehicles available for self-drive in 2023. As well as providing self-drives, tailor-made trips and charity events, Land & Lake’s unique guaranteed fixed date scheduled safaris were back up and running in 2022 and will benefit from a new set of re-designed itineraries for 2023 – with less travel time and more experiences! Their Lilongwe café is also buzzing again, and is the venue for new ‘Conservation Chat’ events  – giving all the organisations doing amazing conservation work in Malawi a platform to share their findings and encourage support. Future presentations include Pangolins, Snakes, Mud and Leaf Architecture, Building with Bamboo and Paleontology in Northern Malawi.

Land & Lake’s Dzalanyama Forest Lodge has also been totally transformed into an eco-friendly lodge – check out the next article for more details on that, plus the exciting plans for horse riding activities!

© Land & Lake Safaris

Crafted Africa

After their re-brand and transformation from Malawian Style, Crafted Africa have lost none of their renowned dynamism and have forged ahead with a raft of new initiatives. The establishment and success of their sister company Wine & Wings has helped bring high quality imported wines, beers and ciders in to the lodges and hotels across Malawi. The highlight was their inaugural Wine Festival in Lilongwe that attracted over 350 and included tastings and training; and a new wine show room is slated for 2023 alongside another Festival.

Crafted Africa have expanded further into Mozambique, building relationships and enhancing their offerings and combinations across the region. 2023 will see even more Malawi-Zambia-Mozambique combination luxury and adventure packages. For trade partners educational trips are up and running again, with an exciting programme due for 2023; and Crafted Africa have invested in creating a smooth digital experience for their partners, giving easy access to resources and a new Safari Portal that creates beautiful itineraries.

© Crafted Africa

Orbis DMC

Orbis DMC have rebranded from The Responsible Safari Company, with 50% of the company now owned by local Malawians –  but their core ethos remains the same. Their educational model has been upgraded with the inclusion of new partnerships with residential ‘Social Impact’ Academies in both Blantyre & Lilongwe. These centres will host international groups on specialist Global Goals educational & training programmes.

Building on the success of a Dame Kelly Holmes-led trip in 2018, ‘Sport for Purpose’ Challenges have been re-launched for 2023 with 10 celebrity headliners (Dames, Knights, OBE’s, CBE’s & ex-players & captains of England’s National Teams) running expeditions covering a wide variety of sports.

Study programmes for Schools and Universities have also been re-launched, as have Social Impact Programmes including Women’s Entrepreneurship, Graduate Scheme Training, Management & Leadership programmes & Donor Led Fundraising trips.

© Venetia Norrington Travel

1 2 Travel Africa

Relatively recently established in Malawi, 1 2 Travel Africa are already making a positive impact. They have successfully hosted their first groups from the Netherlands for unique Workation Retreats in Malawi. Those Retreats will continue to be developed for 2023 alongside their ‘Dream Holidays’ options which are already attracting attention across Europe.

1 2 Travel Africa are also now working with Land & Lake Safaris to grow ecotourism activities in and around Dzalanyama Forest Reserve, and have worked with the Chifungo Village community to set up a Malawi Homestay Experience for visitors.

Having also taken over management of Africa House and Mitengo House in Lilongwe (see more in next article), they are clearly pushing forwards on lots of fronts!

© 1 2 Travel Africa

Read Part 2 and 3 covering Lodges & Hotels and Wildlife & Conservation using the buttons below.

Part 2: Lodges & Hotels

Part 3: Wildlife & Conservation