Blantyre beautifully combines British colonial architecture with natural scenery and served us as a gateway to southern Malawi’s wilderness areas and tea estates. It is the country’s bustling commercial and financial capital, situated in a basin within the Shire Highlands at an elevation of approximately 1,039 metres above sea level.
Founded in the 1870s by missionaries from the Church of Scotland, the city was named after the Scottish birthplace of the famous explorer, Dr David Livingstone. Over time, it developed into an important centre for colonial trade, particularly the ivory trade, and has preserved much of its historical character while growing into Malawi’s leading industrial and economic hub. Today, Blantyre and the neighbouring industrial town of Limbe form the country’s largest urban area.
We hired a local taxi for 50,000 MWK and spent the day exploring some of the city’s most important landmarks. Our first stops were Limbe Cathedral and St Michael and All Angels Church, a stunning brick church built in the late 19th century by missionaries who had no formal training in architecture or engineering. We then visited the Shree Satyanarayan Temple before taking a walk through the city centre around Victoria Avenue.
Our tour ended at Mandala House, the oldest surviving building in Malawi, built in 1882. Today, it houses an archival library, a café—where we stopped for lunch—and the beautiful La Caverna Art Gallery, making it one of the city’s most charming places to visit.
Parking location – Blantyre: 15.7917600S 35.0143464E (🚻,🅿️10,000 MWK)