I have often thought that I would have loved someone to guide me about what to pack when I went to Malawi for my first solo trip. Knowing that many people must feel the way I did, I thought I’d make a list of the items I always take with me.

Contrary to popular belief it can get cool in Malawi during the months of June and July with nighttime lows reaching 4 degrees sometimes. Keep in mind that houses are neither heated nor insulated. Layering is important though because during the day it may reach up to 18 or more for a few short hours.

One can buy most toiletry or personal items in Malawi but the quality is generally very poor. Batteries may only last for a few days, things may break, fabric may tear or an item may not work at all. There is no such thing as taking purchases back or exchanging them. It truly is a “buyer beware” market.

So, if you’re planning a trip to Malawi for more than just a safari or sight-seeing excursion here are some items I suggest you might like to take:

Clothing:

• Long, comfortable pants such as jeans or yoga pants
• Capri pants
• Skirts
• T-shirts
• Sweatshirt or fleece
• Water-proof jacket
• Winter pyjamas
• Summer pyjamas
• Bathing suit
• Towel
• Running shoes
• Sandals
• Flip-flops (for showers, baths, beach)
• Hat (to protect from sun and blowing sand)

Irons are expensive to buy in Malawi, about $15 for a horrible one with a cord that is about 5” long and has only one temperature setting, or about $50 for a more user-friendly product. I suggest not taking anything that needs to be ironed.

Personal Items:

• Flashlight (balckouts are frequent)
• Hand sanitizer
• Insect repellent
• Sunscreen
• Medication for everything from colds, flu, diarrhea, constipation, insomnia, nausea, headache, allergy to anything you have ever suffered or thought of suffering in your life.
• Batteries
• Cell phone (GSM 900, 1800)
• Camera with SD card
• Earplugs if you’re going during the rainy season as it is loud on the tin roof
• Ziploc bags (for storing items away from the roaches)
• Bed sheets if you plan to stay a while as sheets there are of very poor quality)
• Power adapters
• Multi-use knife
• Pens and notebooks
• Paring knife for preparing your food
• Solar powered radio for extended stay. Battery operated radios can be purchased there but the reception is poor and the batteries don’t last long.
• Shampoo can be found there but can cost up to $30 a bottle.

I was surprised to find many of my favourite foods in Lilongwe but learned that these items cannot normally be found outside of the city. Milk, cheese, pasta, yogurt, ice cream, pudding, custard, soy sauce, ketcup, and most other common foods are found in Lilongwe.

Although Malawi is known for it’s coffee production whole beans are rarely found and the coffee sold in grocery stores is either Nescafe, at $12 a jar, or ground coffee for a machine. Green tea and English tea are easily obtained but not herbal tea. Bottled water is cheap and found almost everywhere. Pop is readily available. Carlsberg is cheap and very commonly found. Heineken is found but is more expensive.

Eggs, bread, peanut butter, margarine, honey, sugar and tea are found in almost every town.

Beware when purchasing meat as it is poorly refrigerated. Frequent blackouts do not cause vendors to discard meat that has been allowed to thaw. In small towns, butchers don’t refrigerate at all.

There are Wi-Fi hotspots in the cities and most small towns have internet cafes using dial-up. The high speed internet found in most areas is not fast enough to do live streaming of video but it may work for Skype calls.

My rule of thumb is, if I use it at home and would miss it there, I take it with me.

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