Africa > 🇲🇼 Malawi
The city by city Car or no Car advice for Malawi can be broken down into three similar questions - do you need a car in Malawi; is it worth it (based on costs), and ultimately - should you rent one? (a balance of the two).🚆 🚌⛴️ Do we need to rent a car in Malawi?
These scores are based on the quality of public transport and other travel options. If these are good enough to see the main points of interest, then you don’t need to rent a car.
💰💶💳 Is it worth hiring a car in Malawi?
These scores reflect the practical factors that affect whether renting a car is convenient, good value, and stress-free.🏙️ Main Cities in Malawi
| CITY | IATA | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Blantyre | BLZ | |
| Lilongwe | LLW |
Malawi — the “Warm Heart of Africa” — offers friendly people, stunning scenery, and one of the most accessible travel experiences in southern Africa. But it’s also a country where transport options vary widely depending on your destination. So the real question isn’t simply should you rent a car in Malawi, but how do you want to explore it?
🏞️ The Case for Renting a Car
If you want the freedom to explore Malawi’s lakes, mountains, and national parks, a rental car is the most practical choice. The distances aren’t huge, but road quality and public transport reliability vary. With a car, you can make the most of your time — and stop where the views demand it.
Highlights worth driving to include:
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🐘 Liwonde National Park – one of Africa’s great success stories for wildlife conservation, now home to elephants, rhinos, and big cats.
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🌊 Lake Malawi – a UNESCO-listed freshwater paradise with clear waters, sandy beaches, and local fishing villages.
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🏔️ Mulanje Massif – towering granite peaks and tea estates perfect for hikers and photographers.
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🌅 Nyika Plateau – rolling highlands and zebra-dotted plains in the north.
A 4×4 is ideal for reaching remote lodges or national parks, especially during the rainy season (December–March).
🚌 When You Might Skip the Car
If you’re on a tight budget or planning to stay in just one or two destinations, public transport and organised transfers can cover your needs. Malawi’s minibuses connect most major towns, and many lakeside lodges offer pickups from Lilongwe or Blantyre.
That said, public buses are slow and often crowded. Roads are narrow, and stops are frequent. If you’re not in a hurry, it’s an authentic experience — but it’s not the fastest way to move around.
🚉 What About Trains in Malawi?
Malawi once had a more active passenger railway network, but today it’s effectively defunct for tourism and long-distance travel. The system, run by Central East African Railways (CEAR), mainly carries freight between Mozambique’s Nacala Port and inland Malawi via Nkaya Junction.
Although a few local passenger trains have operated in the past — notably between Limbe (Blantyre) and Nkaya — there is no reliable or published passenger service at present. Tickets cannot be booked online, and even CEAR’s own information is incomplete or unavailable.
Even if the passenger rail network were fully restored tomorrow, it would still offer limited value to most visitors, as the tracks don’t pass close to Malawi’s key tourist areas such as Liwonde National Park, Cape Maclear, Mulanje, or the Nyika Plateau.
For now, travellers are far better off using buses, shared taxis, or private cars for overland journeys, with cross-border routes available to Mozambique, Zambia, and Tanzania.
🚗 Road Conditions and Driving Tips
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Main roads (like the M1 north–south route) are mostly paved but can have potholes.
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Fuel stations are easy to find along major routes but less so in rural areas.
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Drive cautiously — expect livestock, bicycles, and people on the roadside.
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Night driving is risky due to poor lighting and wandering animals.
The pace is slow, but the scenery — from shimmering lake shores to highland tea fields — more than compensates.
🌺 Best of Both Worlds
If you prefer a relaxed trip, you can combine public transport with local car hire. Many travellers:
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Fly into Lilongwe or Blantyre,
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Use transfers to reach Cape Maclear or Nkhata Bay, and
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Hire a car locally for day trips or drives through the highlands.
This way, you avoid long hauls but still enjoy the freedom of exploring.
🧭 Final Verdict
So — should you rent a car in Malawi?
✅ Yes, if you value independence, want to reach national parks, or love scenic drives.
🚫 No, if you’re on a strict budget or happy to move slowly between a few lakeside lodges.
Either way, Malawi is a country that rewards those who take the time to explore — by road, by boat, or by foot along its golden lake shores.
