General Information

Mango Drift is situated on the west side of Likoma Island, facing Chizimulu Island. We have a long stretch of beach which has our huts and dorm strung out along it, as well as a bar under a huge mango tree and a bathroom block at one end with hot showers! Most people upon arriving like to chill out in our bar lounge or on the beach, have a meal from our menu, take a swim in the pool-like water of the lake or even head straight out to explore.

There are beautiful sights to see all around the island, as well as great interaction with the local community. The must-see sight of the island is the landmark St Peters Cathedral near Mbamba town, over 100 years old and bigger than Winchester! Even if you're not the cathedral type, it never fails to leave people awestruck. Hopefully Vincent the verger will be there to give you the grand tour - always entertaining!

Up on the north point of the island is a forest reserve, near to some beautiful beaches which makes for a great half day walk from Mango. Or you can head across the island to Mbamba town and see the small cobbled market where locals get their daily supplies. A good spot to have lunch is the Hunger Clinic at the bottom of the town road, where you can get local fare at really good prices!

If you find yourself here on a weekend, you might be lucky enough to catch the local dancing groups as they compete with visiting dancers from Chizimulu Island. This is a very serious affair for the dancers and they show off their moves very proudly to all who come to watch and don't mind if you join in either!

For those water babies out there, we offer scuba diving courses, the most popular of which is the Discover Scuba course which takes half a day with some instruction and a dive. If you have more time and would like to do a full certification course (PADI Openwater or Advanced) this is also on offer, though the instructors are primarily the instructors for the nearby Kaya Mawa Hotel and must plan courses accordingly, so please let us know in advance if you'd like to do a full course.

Mango Drift is undergoing some general improvements after being quiet over the last couple of years, so there is much good in store and a lot has happened already! Please ask us for any particular information not on here, as guide books like The Lonely Planet have not been updated with our info for a while.

Getting to Likoma

Likoma Island is a little off the beaten track - which suits most people - and so the standard forms of transport used in Malawi are not what you'd use to get here. Most people find their way to Mango Drift on the MV Ilala, an old steamer which ferries people and goods up and down the lake on a weekly schedule. The Ilala begins its journey in Monkey Bay in the south on a Friday and wends its way northwards to Chilumba over 3 days and then heads back down south again, arriving in Monkey Bay on a Wednesday. Most often, travelers will get on the Ilala in Monkey bay and arrive here on a Saturday night, or hop on in Nkhata Bay in the north on a Monday night and arrive here on Tuesday morning. Although the Ilala has a schedule, do not rely on their punctuality! Lately, it has been arriving around sunset on a Saturday night and anywhere between 4 and 7 am on a Tuesday.
For accommodation options on the ferry, it is reccommended that you take a first class ticket and camp out on the deck under the stars. You can hire a mattress for 200 Malawi Kwacha (about $1.50) and pick a spot wherever you feel comfortable. Most travelers take this option as second class is extremely crowded and uncomfortable and you'll more than likely find yourself squeezed inbetween grain bags and livestock! The deck is normally quite festive and there is a bar with drinks and snacks. The galley serves 3 meals a day - at extra cost - from a menu and a waiter will normally come around to take your order beforehand.
Make sure you keep your ticket with you as they check it when you are leaving the ferry at your departure point.
We do offer a transfer boat/car to and from the Ilala or the docking point it sends its tenders out to, but please let us know beforehand as we do not send a boat if we don't know somebody is coming or if nobody is leaving!

If you decide to stop off at Chizimulu Island first on a Tuesday, local dhows (sailboats) cross between the 2 islands every day. The same obviously also works in reverse. You can expect to pay around 200 Malawi Kwacha per person to hop on a dhow.

Travelers coming from Mozambique normally get on a dhow at Cobue, which is about 7km across from Likoma. To go across to Cobue, dhows leave daily from a spot near Mbamba town.

If you feel like treating yourself to a flight from various places in Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique, give Nyasa Air Taxi a call on +265 (0)1638471 and see what they have available. You can sometimes get a standby seat at a really reasonable price and they have flights coming to Likoma nearly every day, bringing guests in for surrounding hotels.

To use the Google map below:

The red marker indicates where Likoma Island is in the lake. To get a better overall view, zoom out by clicking on the minus block 8 or 9 times and then hold down your left mouse button over the lake to slide the whole image back and forth.