A Mini Guide to Lilongwe
Who travels to Lilongwe Airport?
Often it’s travellers that want to combine seeing an exciting country with helping out as a volunteer, so you’re likely to see many young people, often backpacking, on your flight. The city is pleasant and has good infrastructure and sometimes doesn’t feel like you’re in an African city. For this reason many choose it for a short stay from
South Africa and enjoy the sights and sounds of the old town.
How easy is it to get to Lilongwe Airport?
It’s not too bad getting to the airport. You might have expected that the capital city of a country might have flights from outside the continent but to get to Lilongwe Airport from the
UK you’re going to have to fly to Addis Ababa or
Johannesburg’s OR Tambo airports and connect from there. Getting into the city is quite straightforward with bus and taxi links as well as the availability of car hire at the airport.
What is the airport like?
The airport is quite basic for what is essentially more of a regional airport than an international one. There are no air bridges for disembarkation, you’ll have to walk to the terminal from your plane and the facilities of the airport are quite limited once you’re inside. You won’t find banks, ATMs or currency exchange apart from a local, infrequently manned small bureau which offers poorer rates. On departure there is only one basic eating place serving tea and excellent coffee. No fixed shops are found at the airport but there are often a couple of ‘market stalls’ selling local souvenirs.