Day 11: 2 July
Malawi – Senga Bay, Salima, Sunbird Livingstonia campsite
Having needed to catch up on some much-needed sleep, we left Mama Rula’s only after we’d cleaned up and enjoyed a cooked up brekki of eggs and bacon. The Malawian border was fairly quick but it was hot and we still had to pass through Lilongwe and then head out to Senga Bay before the Super 14 rugby that afternoon!
Lilongwe is a two hour trip from Chipata. We overshot the turnoff to Salima travelling north on the S115. We were 60 km off track and had to turn back – our carefully calculated fuel efficiency now in disarray. We made it to Senga Bay just in time for the second half of the rugby. Most of the teams were there – some having pushed through all the way from Livingstone in order to get two full days on the lake. The campsite is clean and located next to the main hotel. Guests can make use of the canoes and swim in front of the lodges (there are quite a few places along the lake were swimming should be avoided due to bilharzia and hippos). The beaches were clean, the water turquoise … I feel that Lake Malawi is still a relatively undiscovered beach paradise and really affordable. The people are friendly and helpful and generally don’t harass you, forcefully sell their curios or change money.
The Shoesonfeet team had left Chipata before us as they were hosting the Mad Hatter’s Checkpoint Four party that night. The team at the Sunbird Livingstonia hotel set up tables and chairs on the beach and put out a seriously good spread before the awards and the party started.
I had been to Senga Bay 12 years earlier and all those memories came flooding back. My parents had taken my sister and I out of school for four months and we’d explored southern Africa and landed up in the very same place. I hold them responsible for my gypsy spirit and desire to explore more of Africa.
The Getaway team would like to thank:
4×4 Mega World for their fully kitted out VW Amarok
K-Way – the official gear partner to the Getaway team on the Put Foot challenge
MapStudio for their Southern and East Africa map
Contact
Sunbird Livingstonia
Email [email protected]
