Mount Mulanje added to prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List

Mount Mulanje Cultural Landscape in southern Malawi has been officially inscribed onto the UNESCO World Heritage List. This is the latest addition of Africa’s underrepresented sites and is a milestone that not only celebrates the mountain’s cultural and ecological value but one also expected to significantly boost the region’s eco-tourism and sustainable development.

Announced during the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris, the designation recognises Mount Mulanje under criteria (iii) and (vi), acknowledging its rich cultural traditions and profound spiritual significance. It joins a very select list of cultural landscapes worldwide and becomes Malawi’s third UNESCO World Heritage Site after Lake Malawi National Park and  Chongoni Rock Art Area.

For centuries, Mount Mulanje has been a sacred site for the Mang’anja, Yao, and Lomwe peoples, who revere the magnificent towering granite massif as a realm of ancestral spirits and sacred shrines. Sites across the massif—peaks, springs, caves—continue to serve as venues for traditional rites and rituals, marking Mulanje as a vibrant example of living heritage.

Beyond its cultural relevance, with its dramatic peaks, waterfalls, and panoramic hiking trails, Mulanje offers some of Africa’s most breath-taking natural scenery – home to unique ecosystems. Standing at over 3,000 m with deep ravines, rainforest gorges, montane grasslands, and miombo woodlands from 600 m to its peaks, the massif falls within the Mount Mulanje Biosphere Reserve. Its biodiversity is exceptional: home to the critically endangered Mulanje cedar (Malawi’s national tree) and numerous endemic species such as the Mulanje dwarf gecko, pygmy chameleon, and striped-greenbul bird.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site listing typically drives a surge in responsible tourism and attracts development funding, benefiting ecotourism, cultural preservation, and livelihoods. Ongoing initiatives at Mulanje—like reforestation projects restoring miombo woodlands and cedar groves—are likely to intensify with this elevated status and increased international and domestic tourism to the region is anticipated. Mount Mulanje already attracts trekkers, climbers, and visitors looking to explore the variety of rich experiences on offer – a mix of physical adventure, cultural encounters, and ecological wonder.

Trekking & Hiking
The mountain’s extensive network of trails caters to a range of trekkers—from casual day hikers to seasoned mountaineers. The iconic Sapitwa Peak, rising 3,002 meters, rewards climbers with panoramic views stretching across southern Malawi and into Mozambique. Routes wind through cedar forests, across grassland plateaus, and past spectacular waterfalls like Likhubula and Dziwe la Nkhalamba.

Cultural Encounters
Visitors can engage with local communities through village homestays, traditional dance performances, and storytelling sessions around campfires. As they make their approach to the mountain, explorers will witness tea pluckers tending to the swathes of tea plantations at the foot of Mulanje. Cultural guides share oral histories, myths of the mountain spirits, and the sacred customs still practiced at sites like Namasile and Chambe basin.

Birdwatching & Wildlife
Nature enthusiasts can explore the mountain’s rich birdlife, including the white-winged apalis and the elusive Thyolo alethe. The misty forests also shelter butterflies, amphibians, and rare plant species found nowhere else on Earth.

The anticipated increase in tourism is expected to bring tangible economic benefits to nearby communities through job creation, local guiding services, accommodation, and cultural tourism initiatives. The Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust and local authorities are developing new community-based tourism models to ensure that heritage protection and local development go hand-in-hand. Programs are already underway to train local guides and hospitality providers; develop interpretive centres focused on indigenous traditions and natural history; and to reinvest tourism revenues into reforestation and conservation education.

Mount Mulanje’s UNESCO designation affirms it as a place of “outstanding universal value”—a rare union of living culture, sacred tradition, and ecological splendour. As Malawi seeks to position itself as a key eco-tourism destination in Africa, Mulanje stands as both a national symbol and a gateway to sustainable prosperity.