Departing as early as possible always ends up being between 8:00 and 9:00 am. It doesn’t matter how hard you try it almost never works out to plan.
The road to Cape Maclear was actually very good except for the last 30 or so kms. The road became pot holed and then became mountainous terrain with very sharp curvy roads with potholes.
We descended the hills into a flat landscape and a road that eventually took us through the village of Chembe/Cape Maclear. It was a fishing day and the village was crowded. We had an incredible experience driving through a typical Malawian fishing village weaving our way through narrow roads and paths.
We made our way through the village to the gates of our next stop, Chembe Eagles Nest, a nice place with bungalows on the beach with a restaurant and bar attached and probably the best location in the whole cape. And like usual the drive took us about 5 1/2 hours.
Our two night stop here was really only to break up the long drives we had ahead of us however our location really exposed us to beautiful scenery and a great experience meeting the local villagers and fishers.
Our first evening was a beautiful sunset from our seats in the outdoor restaurant. Food was good and the beer was cold and no bugs to speak of. But I better ask Joyce first.
We set up a boat and snorkelling trip for the next morning and after breakfast we hopped aboard the Honey Guide and set off to feed some Fish Eagles and and then snorkel on the southern edge of Thumbi West Island to view the Cichlids.
Before heading over to the island we did a coastal route along the shores of the lake fronting the village and were surprised by the number of tourist lodges nestled among the shore.
The water level of Lake Malawi is way above normal so many of the closer to shoreline lodges have been flooded and are out of business until the water levels subside. A big hit to the local economy.
We proceeded out to the island and secured the boat to a some rocks on the shore. While I was getting my mask spitted up, Eliot was feeding the fish bread! Not a good thing but then I dove in to snorkel with a huge array of Cichlids, the worlds aquarium fish. People don’t know this. This is an amazing fish species with over 600 distinguishable species just in Lake Malawi.
The area also hosts the schistosomiasis parasite which I probably aquired by snorkeling so I’ll do a dose of praziquantel 3 months after my exposure so November 16 is my pill day and also my fathers birthday.
After arriving back at our beach we had a light lunch and then wondered off for a walk into Chembe Village.
Zambia and Zimbabwe are both experiencing severe drought and Malawi seems to be experiencing the opposite. I think extra water is ultimately better than no water but there are major repercussions either way.
We spent two nights in Chembe and then departed on the 17th of August to Rafiki Camp, beside Nkhotakota National Park.