Northern Region · Malawi
Mzuzu travel guide
Mzuzu is a city in Northern Region, Malawi, home to about 150,000 people.
- Best months
- May to September
- Currency
- MWKMalawian kwacha
- Time zone
- Africa/Blantyre
- Language
- Chewa, English, Tumbuka
Things to do
What to see and do in Mzuzu
See
- Museum
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Mzuzu
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Mzuzu are May to September. November is the warmest month, with average highs of 31 °C; March is the wettest, with about 258 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Mzuzu
Getting in
The town is well-connected to the north and south by bus. The AXA bus line provides quite civilized transport at a reasonable price. There are also cheaper, rickety buses available, as well as the usual minibuses which hold up to 20 people - scary but cheap. If coming from Mbeya, Tanzania be careful of well established scam artists selling fake bus tickets. One of the scam artists even has an office in the main transit area in Mbeya. He also has professional looking lists of prices, services, etc. He may even use a cell phone to check availability of seats for you.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Mzuzu
Eat
A-1 Restaurant - located on the street behind the main banks and groceries in a commercial strip. Certainly the best food in town with a menu focusing on Indian fare with some Chinese selections. Extensive choice of dishes that are generally quite good. Prices are fairly steep for Mzuzu, but very reasonable by western standards. Obrigado Leisure Park - centrally placed with hideous red and yellow advertising for Celtel. Inside the fence you will find a beautiful garden with tables interspersed throughout. The food is typical Malawian restaurant fare, including nsima or rice with your choice of meats or relishes. A bit of a beer den at night, it seems.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Mzuzu: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Mzuzu?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Mzuzu are May to September. November is the warmest month, with average highs of 31 °C; March is the wettest, with about 258 mm of rain.
What currency is used in Mzuzu?
Malawian kwacha (MWK).
Nearby
Destinations near Mzuzu
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.