This is a simple argument for visiting Malawi. Many countries are beautiful of course. Malawi’s strength on this is that it is (i) very beautiful and (ii) that beauty has many aspects.

Lake Malawi is often described as probably or possibly the most beautiful lake in the world. Mulanje Mountain is also spectacular with so many different aspects to it's grandeur. Nyika Plateau is an altogether different mountain but also has another kind of mystical 'other world' beauty. Malawi’s attraction lies in it’s people, it’s language, the mountains, rivers, wildlife and stunning settings for those safaris on land, lake and river. 

The Shire River in Liwonde National Park

To really begin to appreciate Malawi’s beauty you will have to consider other elements of the 30 reasons to visit Malawi. However, to start understanding why Malawi is beautiful first consider that it is within the Great Rift Valley. This is what gives Malawi it's great and beautiful lake and some of the landscapes combining escarpments, hills and mountains. Following on from that the Lake and the Shire River connecting to the Zambezi River are therefore stratigically important for bird migration. This then is one reason why such a small area is so rich with different species on birds. Another reason why there are so many species of birds here is because Malawi is a transition area between East African and Southern African birds - it therefore has a large number of birds from both groupings. Lake Malawi underwater has more different species of freshwater fish than any other inland body of water in the world, and they are very colourful.

Now that we have begun to scratch the surface of Malawi's beauty it's time to pause and consider whether to proceed and look deeper. If we do go further perhaps we should consider 'Reason 2' and whether there is enough variety in that beauty to justify more than a fleeting visit?