Just a note: Saiga Tours doesn’t currently offer trips to Southern Africa, however when we have good travel advice we want to share it, so enjoy!
If you happen to be crossing the land border from Tanzania to Malawi, you will come across an interesting phenomenon. These are share taxis, but not in the traditional sense, as they depart whether they are empty or not. “What?” you might be thinking. “That seems like a dumb business plan…”
But what they are in fact is grey imported vehicles. And doubling as a share taxi is just a little bonus income for them.
If you want to buy a car in Malawi and you don’t want to utilise the local second-hand car market, you need to buy it from Tanzania. Individuals are then paid to drive the cars from Dar es Salaam to the Kasumulu border. At which point a Malawian driver will take over and drive it from the border to wherever in Malawi they are delivering the car.
As you are crossing the border, touts will be asking where you are going. They are generally pushier and looking for their cut, but they will ultimately take you to a car going in the right direction. Otherwise look for cars with no licence plates or just stand around after you exit the border area waiting, and you will be approached, whether it be by a tout, or directly by a driver.
It’s an extremely cheap way to get from the border to other destinations in Malawi, and there is a seemingly endless supply, as half a dozen cars cross the border every hour, with more than enough seats for this otherwise small border outpost.
For example, from the Kasumulu border all the way to Lilongwe is only 35,000 Malawian Kwacha per person (roughly $17USD on the black market). We purchased the entire back seat so we wouldn’t have three people squeezed in for 80,000 MKW ($40USD), however if you’re first to the car and you’re by yourself just make sure you take the front seat.
Mzuzu, which is about a third of the way from the Kasumulu border to Lilongwe was 20,000 MKW ($10), and the prices offered by various drivers all seem to be the same across the board, suggesting the going rates are well known by local users. Please be warned though that all the drivers want payment in Kwacha, not in USD. No explanation was given for this, however the ride was refused if the appropriate Kwacha payment wasn’t available.
There are a multitude of factors that make this a much better option than the bus. Not only will the journey be quicker and more comfortable, but you can also take stops as you need, whether it be a quick toilet break or a 30-minute stop for dinner.
You’re also in a much more intimate situation and therefore more likely to interact with those around you, as well as the driver, as you discuss what you should do for dinner and whether anyone has any music they want to play.
It’s also much more convenient, in that you’ll be able to get a car directly from the border, where you can stand and wait in shade if you need to. As opposed to the bus which leaves from a busy little centre about 1km from the border, which you would have to walk to via a steep, unshaded, un-made road. And then even when you get there, finding the bus would involve asking directions from several people, and who knows until the next one fills up and leaves.
The drivers delivering these cars are obviously relatively poorly paid and by selling these seats they are supplementing their income, but not only that, it also means they have company for the long drive ahead, and in our experience thoroughly enjoyed the unique conversation. This isn’t a well-trodden tourist path, so chances are you’ll be the first of your kind in the car with any given driver.
The drive itself is beautiful, weaving in and out of pockets of rainforest, through hilly agricultural land and along the shores of Lake Malawi. Driving from north to south through Malawai (pretty much the only way to do it since it’s a long and thing country) also means passing a lot of police stops, who will almost all want to check your passport and ask you the same questions about where you’ve been and where you are going. Other than a minute or two these were quick and everyone was incredibly friendly.
