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Lilongwe
Capital city and largest city of Malawi

Lilongwe

Lilongwe is the capital and largest city of Malawi.

Plan a trip to Lilongwe→From Blantyre

It has a population of 989,318 as of the 2018 Census, up from a population of 674,448 in 2008. In 2020, that figure was 1,122,000. The city is located in the central region of Malawi, in the district of the same name, near the borders with Mozambique and Zambia, and it is an important economic and transportation hub for central Malawi. It is named after the Lilongwe River.

Get in

Getting to Lilongwe

  1. 01
    Kamuzu International Airport

    Regular flights to Johannesburg, Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Lusaka, Dar es Salaam, Harare.

  2. 02
    Main

    Malangalanga Rd, Area 2, (3 km south of city centre, off M1 at the Jamme Masjid - Maslak-E-Ala-Hazrat mosque, next to the market).

  3. 03
    Kanengo minibus to Mzuzu

    M1 Rd, Kanengo, Area 28 (north of city centre, off M1 at TotalEnergies Kanengo service station).

See

Worth seeing

  1. 01
    Lilongwe Wildlife Centre
  2. 02
    Kumbali Cultural Centre

    See the traditional Malawian dancing and traditional Malawian drumming.

  3. 03
    Parliament

    Forbidden to enter on premises but you can peek the buildings from the entrance gate.

  4. 04
    Kamuzu Mausoleum

    Presidential Way (next to the Parliament eastern side).

Do

Things to do

Golf Lessons, Lilongwe Golf Club. Very cheap compared to western prices with an excellent 18-hole course. Challenging for even pros.

Eat

Where to eat

There are many local cafes, especially in Area 2, serving cheap meals such as rice, chicken, nsmia, beef. Shoprite and Spar also have deli counters with hot food, sandwiches and a bakery. Sana (Opposite Diplomats pub). Sells meals such as curry, pizza, and burgers. Good quality for price. Chicken Inn (Next to Shoprite). Like KFC and surprisingly very good quality. Good chips, and sells ice cream.

How locals move

Getting around Lilongwe the local way

  • Get inTaxis are expensive (around US$50, depending on your bargaining skills), but you can use a minibus or open back truck (matola) for 500/600 kwacha.
  • Get aroundIf you're feeling adventurous, you can take a minibus.
  • Get aroundMoto-taxis are also ubiquitous and a ride should cost between 1500-2500 K as of August 2024; bargain.
  • Go nextIf you plan to go during rainy season, be sure to take a 4x4 just in case.

From Wikivoyage: Lilongwe, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-03.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.