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Malawi destination information
All you need to know before visiting Malawi
Malawi summary
Malawi is a medium sized country with around 17M Malawian. Official language is English. Malawi uses metric system (kilograms, centimeters, °C). Time zone is UTC+02:00. Currency used in Malawi is Malawi Kwacha (MWK).
🎫 Border Rank #️⃣ 67
🗺️ Passport Rank #️⃣ 151
ATMs in Malawi are Rare. Internet speed in Malawi is on average 1.7 Mbps. In Malawi you drive on the left side. Most cars have manual transmission (stick).
🏙️ Lilongwe🗣️ English Chichewa
👨👩👦👦 17M ☀️ ~22 °C 🌧 ~89 mm 👍 Least Developed 🚩 118k km2 (46k mi²)
General
Socket 🔌
Malawi uses 230V, 50Hz with socket and plug Type G.
Languages 🗣️
- English
- Chichewa
Money
Currency 💱
100 MWK = 0.13 USDMalawi uses the Malawian kwacha (symbol: MK), code MWK.Banknotes come in denominations of 1000, 500, 200, 100, 50 and 20 kwachas. Kwacha is subdivided into 100 tambalas. Coins come in denominations of 10, 5 and 1 kwachas and 50, 20, 10, 2 and 1 tambalas.
ATM 🏧🏦
RareAutomatic teller machines are rare in Malawi. Your best bet is to look for them in large cities and community places.You do not need a chip & PIN card to use an ATM — your standard magnetic card will work fine.
Tipping 💁🏽
Card 💳
Phone
Mobile Phone 📱
Malawi uses GSM mobile networks GSM 900 and GSM 1800.
Roaming 🌐
If you don't want to buy SIM card in Malawi upon arrival, make sure to check the roaming charges with your telecom provider before your departure so there are no surprises when you return home.
Emergency Calls 🚨
Universal :112
Police :112
Ambulance :112
Fire department :112
Calling ☎️
InternationalTo call Malawi, dial +, then 265 (the country code for Malawi), then the area code (without the initial 0) and the local number.
LocallyFor local calls within Malawi, start with the area code (with the initial 0). In the case above area code is 1 .
international: + 265 1 1234567
calling local: 01 1234567
Internet connection
Internet Speed 💯
Internet speed in Malawi is on average 1.7 Mbps.
Wifi 📡
WiFi coverage in Malawi is very low. It's quite hard to find one.
SIM Card #️⃣
You can buy a SIM card for about 6,834.62 MWK, which includes 1 GB of data plan. You can choose from 2 telecoms: Airtel or TNM.
Driving
Rules 🚗
In Malawi you drive on the left side. Most cars have manual transmission (stick).
Limits 🚦
Unless otherwise posted, the speed limits for cars and motorcycles are as follows: 100 km/h (62 mph) on motorways, 100 km/h (62 mph) on expressways, 50-60 km/h (31-37 mph) in all built-up areas and 80-100 km/h (49-62 mph) on undivided highways.
Weather
Temperature 🌡️
Rainfall ☔
Countries nearby Malawi
More on Malawi travel and visa information
All the informations you need to schedule your trip to Malawi.