Captivated by Lake Malawi’s beauty – and the glow of fishermen’s lanterns at night – explorer David Livingstone called it “the Lake of Stars”. Despite growing population pressures, it is one of earth’s last unspoiled places – little bays marked with sculpted boulders, mountains that rise sheer from the shoreline, bright blue fish and water so fresh and pure it’s a wonder it hasn’t all been bottled.
Three countries – Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania – sprawl along its shores: Known as Lake Malawi, Lago Niassa (Mozambique) or Lake Nyasa (Tanzania), it is 580km long, 75km wide at its widest point and 706m deep at its deepest. – the third-largest freshwater lake in Africa.
Home to crocodiles, hippos and a vast number of fish eagles, the lake’s most famous inhabitants are the brightly-coloured cichlid fish, of which there are roughly 1 000 species and which are highly sought-after to adorn the world’s private aquariums. Read More
