Montag, 16. Februar 2026

13. - 15.02.2026 Monkey Bay - Chilumba, Malawi: MV Ilala: Monkey Bay - Chilumba, Lake Malawi

 

MV Ilala: Monkey Bay - Chilumba, Lake Malawi

 




Mgoza Lodge, Cape Maclear

John Banana, Mgoza Lodge, Cape Maclear

John Banana, Cape Maclear

John Banana, Cape Maclear

John Banana, Cape Maclear - Monkey Bay

John Banana, Cape Maclear - Monkey Bay


John Banana, Cape Maclear - Monkey Bay

John Banana, Cape Maclear - Monkey Bay




In den letzten Tagen habe ich herausgefunden, dass es zur Zeit ziemlich schwierig war, einen Fahrer von Cape Maclear nach Monkey Bay zu finden, der einen normalen Preis verlangte... lieber einen Kunden pro Woche, der viel bezahlt, als viel Arbeit um den gleichen Betrag einzunehmen?

Auf einem Spaziergang durchs Städtchen traf ich aber John Banana, der da Sustainable Recycling Cape Maclear betreibt und der eine neu erfundene Glaszertrümmermaschine von zwei Studenten erhalten hatte, die während ihres Projektes in der Mgoza Lodge (https://www.mgozalodge.com) logierten... John offerierte mich am Montagmorgen zur Malawi Shipping Fähre (https://www.msc.com/en/local-information/africa/malawi) zu fahren, da er eh in Monkey Bay sein muss! : )

Over the past few days, I've discovered that it's been quite difficult to find a driver from Cape Maclear to Monkey Bay who charged a reasonable price... better one paying customer per week than a lot of work to earn the same amount?

However, during a walk through town, I met John Banana, who runs Sustainable Recycling Cape Maclear and had received a newly invented glass-crushing machine from two students who were staying at the Mgoza Lodge (https://www.mgozalodge.com) during their project. John offered to drive me to the Malawi Shipping ferry (https://www.msc.com/en/local-information/africa/malawi) on Monday morning, since he had to be in Monkey Bay anyway! : ) 




Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay

John Banana, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Reemke, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba




Kurz nach 7 Uhr trafen wir bei der Malawi Shipping ein und da John jedermann kannte, durften wir mit dem Auto zur MV Ilala fahren um mein Gepäck auszuladen... Draussen vor dem Hafen warteten hunderte von Menschen und ich realisierte erst später, wie viel Glück ich hatte, dass ich mich schon in meiner Kabine einrichten konnte! Die MV Ilala hätte nach Fahrplan um 8 Uhr Monkey Bay verlassen... aber stündlich erhielten wir eine spätere Abfahrtszeit: Es musste noch etwas repariert werden, weshalb alles zuerst abgeladen und danach mit mehr Ware wieder aufgeladen wurde... Am Mittag stiegen dann langsam mehr Passagiere hinzu und um 17 Uhr lichteten wir den Anker um fast die ganze Länge des 580 m langen Malawisees hinter uns zu legen...

Shortly after 7 am we arrived at Malawi Shipping and since John knew everyone, we were allowed to drive to the MV Ilala to unload my luggage... Hundreds of people were waiting outside the port and I only realized later how lucky I was to be able to am... but every hour we received a later departure time: Something needed to be repaired, so everything was unloaded first and then reloaded with more cargo... Around midday more passengers slowly boarded and at 5 pm we weighed anchor to cover almost the entire length of Lake Malawi, which is 580 meters long... 




Makanjira, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Makanjira, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Makanjira, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Makanjira, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Makanjira, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Nkhota kota, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Nkhota kota, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Nkhota kota, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba




Die MV Ilala ist eine Mischung zwischen Passagier- und Frachtschiff, ähnlich aber nicht so luxuriöser wie ich es in Polynesien mit der MV Aranui (https://franziskaaeschbach17.blogspot.com/2017/06/aranui-5-papeete-tahiti-maella.html) erlebt hatte. Das Schiff steuert mehrere Zwischenstopps an, die meisten ohne richtigen Hafen.... fas heisst: Alle Ware und Passagiere werden mit den zwei kleinen Beibooten hin und her transportiert, was 3-5 Stunden in Anspruch nahm... Wenn das Schiff voll war, waren 6000 Passagiere an Bord... unten konnte sich niemand bewegen, so voll war es! - Die Angestellten arbeiten rund um die Uhr.

Ich war nicht der einzige Tourist an Bord... und wir hatten viel Zeit, unsere Reiseerfahrungen auszutauschen! : ) Zudem erfuhr ich, dass wir ziemliches Glück hatten, denn normalerweise zu dieser Jahreszeit gibt es heftige Stürme auf dem Malawi See. Wir hatten nur heftigen Regen während eine Nacht!

The MV Ilala is a hybrid between a passenger and cargo ship, similar to, but much less luxurious than the MV Aranui I experienced in Polynesia (https://franziskaaeschbach17.blogspot.com/2017/06/aranui-5-papeete-tahiti-maella.html). The ship made several stops, most of them without proper ports. This meant that all cargo and passengers were transported back and forth in the two small tenders, which took 3-5 hours. When the ship was full, there were 6,000 passengers on board. It was so crowded that no one could move downstairs! The crew worked around the clock.

I wasn't the only tourist on board, and we had plenty of time to share our travel experiences! : ) I also learned that we were quite lucky regarding the weather, as there are usually severe storms on Lake Malawi at this time of year. We only had heavy rain during one night!




Likoma, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Likoma, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Likoma, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Likoma, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Likoma, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Likoma, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Likoma, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Likoma, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Likoma, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Likoma, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Likoma, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Likoma, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Likoma, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Likoma, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Likoma, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Likoma, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Likoma, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Likoma, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Likoma, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Likoma, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Likoma, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Likoma, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Likoma, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba



 

Am Samstag Abend ankerten wir vor Likoma und die netten Angestellten liessen uns Touristen mit dem ersten Beiboot an Land, damit wir es bei Tageslicht erforschen konnten! : )

On Saturday evening we anchored off Likoma and the friendly crew let us tourists ashore in the first tender so we could explore it in daylight! : ) 




MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Geertje, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Geertje, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

Enok, MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba

MV Ilala, Malawi Shipping, Monkey Bay - Chilumba




Kurz vor Mitternacht am Sonntag erreichten wir endlich Chilumba. Der liebenswerte Alfred, der Thunduzi Beach Lodge (+265 997 38 0101) kam mich um Mitternacht abholen. Wir luden meine drei Gepäckstücke auf ein Motorrad, setzten uns aufs andere und los ging es 10 Minuten zu seinem Lodge ... unterwegs gab er mir die Neuigkeit, dass heute Morgen ein Baum auf die Leitung gefallen ist und sie sie Montagmorgen früh reparieren kommen... Also kein Strom, aber er hatte in seinen Bungalows eine Notlampe montiert, die einwandfrei funktionierte! Und ich war einfach nur glücklich, mich in einem geräumigen Bungalow für ein paar Tage einrichten zu können... : ))

xxx Franziska


Shortly before midnight on Sunday, we finally reached Chilumba. Lovely Alfred from Thunduzi Beach Lodge (+265 997 38 0101) came to pick me up at midnight. We loaded my three pieces of luggage onto one motorbike, got on the other and off we went for a 10-minute ride to his lodge. On the way, he told me that a tree had fallen on the power line that morning and they would come and repair it early Monday morning. So, no electricity, but he had installed an emergency light in his bungalows, which worked perfectly! And I was simply happy to be able to settle into a spacious bungalow for a few days. : ))

xxx Franziska

 

Keine Kommentare:

Kommentar veröffentlichen

20. - 26.03.2026 Livingstone, Zambia: Livingstone, Zambezi & Victoria Falls

Livingstone , Zambezi & Victoria Falls Lake Safari Lodge, Siavonga Lake Safari Lodge, Siavonga Lake Safari Lodge, Siavonga Lake Safari L...