Are you planning on visiting Malawi from Tanzania by bus, but are struggling to find the correct information? The good news for you is that you have come to the correct site, with the latest and most importantly, THE CORRECT INFORMATION!
This easy travel guide will lead you through the steps of getting to Malawi from Tanzania, which will also allow you to experience the local way of life along the way.
Traveling from Tanzania to Malawi by bus is an exciting journey that offers the opportunity to explore the stunning landscapes and cultures of East Africa.
After spending over 40 days chilling in Zanzibar as part of our Cairo to Cape Town adventure, the next leg of our Africa adventure involved traveling from Tanzania to Malawi, this is how we did it!
Step 1 – Getting To Malawi From Tanzania
The very first step you must take to get to Malawi from Tanzania is to make your way to a place in the south of Tanzania called – Mbeya.
Mbeya is a city which is located in the southern highlands of Tanzania and 80 kilometers from the Malawi border (The Songwe Border Post). There are two ways of getting to Mbeya, either by train or by bus.
Dar Es Salaam To Mbeya By Train
If you are in Dar Es Salaam and are planning to travel from Tanzania To Malawi then a great option is to take the Tazara Train (Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority).
Lots of backpackers opt to take this train, with many continuing to Zambia, while others get off in Mbeya to get into Malawi from Tanzania by bus.
The Tazara train sets off from Dar Es Salaam’s Tazara Railway Station only twice a week, Tuesdays and Fridays, on a 1,860-kilometer journey to its last stop in Kapiri Mposhi, Zambia. However, if your destination is Mbeya, the distance is only 800 kilometers!
Because the train only goes twice a week it can be booked out, so we highly recommended to book your seat at least two weeks in advance.
The smart people of the Tazara train didn’t bother setting up a website to book tickets, but we have attached a number of the station master in Dar es Salaam with whom you can book your ticket. This number can be reached by WhatsApp on +255 713 413 141.
There are 3 different classes on the train. Going third class is the cheapest, but keep in mind that it is only a seat. Considering getting to Mbeya takes nearly 24 hours, we would not recommend this option. Unless you are a hardcore traveler, or a cheapskate…..
Second-class and first-class carriages are sleepers, and the only difference is that the second class has 6 beds, whilst the first class has only 4 beds. If you’re a couple, you’ll need to reserve all the beds in the carriage to ensure you can sleep together. Otherwise, you’ll be allocated separate sleeping arrangements based on gender.
It works out cheaper to buy 4 beds in the first class at around 22,000 Tanzanian Shillings in total, that’s less than 10 USD!
- The ticket price mentioned is for Dar Es Salaam to Mbeya, expect to pay twice that amount if you are traveling to Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia.
Sounds easy right? But this is where it got a bit tricky for us. We had our tickets booked weeks in advance and arrived at the station on a Friday, only to be told the train was canceled and the next available train would depart the following Friday.
In fact, we have heard many awful stories about the Tazara train. We met a fellow traveler who took the train the whole way to Zambia and was stuck on the train for 5 days due to a derailment. Another friend who took the journey, which normally lasts just under 48 hours did it in 72 hours.
Dar Es Salaam To Mbeya By Bus
So instead of taking the Tazara train, we decided to leave by bus the next day. We used a company called “New Force” which is located on Somali Street, Dar es Salaam.
Tickets cost us 45.000 Tanzania shillings per person and the bus departs from Shekilango Bus Terminal at 6 AM. However, in African time that’s around 06.45 AM!
Another term you will learn when traveling Africa is “This is Africa, also known as TIA“. Of course, our bus broke down for a few hours on the way from Dar es Salaam to Mbeya -TIA!
Shekilango Bus Terminal is located 10 kilometers from Dar es Salaam and the easiest way of getting there is by Uber, which is available all over Dar Es Salaam at any hour.
Altogether the trip from Dar es Salaam to Mbeya by bus should take around 16 – 17 hours. Hence the reason why we choose a train as our first option.
There are a few stops in Mbeya, so keep an eye out on Google Maps where you should get off, we just asked the bus to stop once we were close to our hotel.
Step 2 – Getting To Malawi From Tanzania
Once you arrive in Mbeya, you will have to stay for the night. We arrived at 4 AM and stayed for 2 nights. If you choose to stay longer than a day it is possible to visit the nearby Lake Ngozi, the second largest crater lake in Africa.
The best place to stay in Mbyeya is around your next departure point, which is not the main bus station, but a bus station called Nane Nane. (You can find it on Google Maps)
From Nane Nane Station you will find a bus that will bring you to the Malawi border (Songwe Border Post). The bus you are looking for goes to a town called Kyela, but you will get off earlier in the border town that is called Kasumulu.
Only buy tickets from the drivers, there will be many people walking around Nane Nane Station that will try and sell tickets at nearly 5 times the amount. The bus fare should cost you around 7000 Tanzania shillings per person.
Kasumulu to Songwe Border
Once in Kasumulu, you can get a motorbike (Boda Boda) to the Songwe Border Post for only 1000 Tanzania shillings per person.
If you want to exchange money, then this can also be done in Kasumulu. The money touts are friendly enough and made the mistake of giving us nearly 200 Euro more than they should have!
Luckily for them, they caught up with us before we crossed the border, and of course, we returned the extra money they had mistakenly given us.
We thought we were getting scammed, but seeing one of the men nearly in tears when we gave the money back showed they had made a genuine mistake.
If you want to be a good currency exchanger, then don’t smoke weed and exchange money folks!
Some of the information we read online was from a famous blogger who suggested when getting to Malawi from Tanzania, you get off at a border town called Ipenda on your way to Kyela. From Ipenda she said, you can walk or take a motorbike to the Songwe Border Point. Seeing that Ipenda is nearly 6 kilometers from the border we would NOT recommend this!
Step 3 – Getting To Malawi From Tanzania
You are now at the Songwe Border point and are about to cross into Malawi from Tanzania on foot. This is a very straightforward process.
Walk into the Tanzania border office and get stamped out. Walk onto the next building next door, which is the Malawi border office, present your visa, and fill in some paperwork (Remember to bring your own pen, for more easy travel tips click this link) Then wait about twenty minutes for your passport to be returned with the Malawi stamp.
- We did have a border officer who we thought was looking for a payout, but we just played dumb, and eventually, he gave us our passports.
Malawi Visa
Make sure to have your visa in advance as it makes the process a lot easier. The correct link for a Malawi visa is www.evisa.gov.mw. The Tourism Visa will cost 50 USD PP and is valid for 30 days, but can be extended to 90 days for an additional fee.
There are numerous websites online claiming to be the “official” visa website. Take note that only those with .GOV in their URL are the real official websites. Don’t use any other website because they will charge you a fee for something that can be easily done by yourself.
Step 4 – Getting To Malawi From Tanzania
Welcome to Malawi, although with the amount of bicycles being used by the locals, it looked more like Beijing.
Now that you are in Malawi, the first thing you must do is change the time on your watch as the time zone is one hour earlier than Tanzania. You just gained one hour on your journey from Tanzania to Malawi by bus.
The next step you will take is to find a bus or shared taxi to your next destination.
After leaving the Malawian immigration building walk for about 100 meters and take a right by the small hill. Walk up the stairs to the top, where you’ll find mini-buses or shared taxis waiting. These will only leave once they are full which can be five minutes or one hour.
Most people traveling to Malawi from Tanzania continue on to either Livingstonia or Mzuzu. We chose to go to Karonga, the nearest town which is less than one hour away from the Songwe Border. This fare cost us 2500 Malawian Kwachas per person (At the time of writing 1000 Kwachas is around 1 Euro).
Accommodation is very cheap in Karonga. We stayed at a local hotel called the Kachere Lodge for 6000 Kwachas in total. The room was very basic but it had clean sheets, some old towels, a private shower, and a toilet. Not bad for that price!
From Kachere Lodge you are only a short walk away from the bus station where you will get a bus the next day to Mzuzu or Livingstonia.
Additionally, there are ATMs in Karonga and plenty of stalls that sell Malawian SIM cards
Don’t buy a SIM card at the Songwe border, it is way cheaper to buy it once in Malawi. A sim will cost you 500 Kwachas, and 3 GB data cost 1200 Kwacha. That’s about 1.50 US dollars!
The following day we took another local bus from the nearby bus station. Our destination was Mzuzu and even though it was a 220-kilometer journey, it took us nearly 7 hours. Again, these buses only depart when full.
Along the way there will be many checkpoints where you may be asked to show your passport, all police and soldiers we spoke to were very friendly and there were zero issues.
What does get annoying is a million stops along the way to buy tomatoes, onions, eggs, fish, chips, and a million different things……Africa time is definitely a lot slower in Malawi!
Read our summary below.
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Summary
- To cross from Tanzania to Malawi, make your way to Mbeya, either by train or by bus.
- The next morning take a local bus from Nane Nane to Kyela, but get off at Kasumulu.
- Walk one kilometer, or take a taxi motorcycle for 1000 Tanzania shillings to the Songwe border.
- Get stamped out of Tanzania
- Present your E-visa at the Malawi border (Songwe Border) and get stamped in.
- Take a local bus to either Karonga, Livingstonia, or Mzuzu.
- Enjoy the Malawian people and hospitality
For all other questions related to Malawi travel visit the official Malawi Tourism website.
Have you traveled to Malawi from Tanzania but taken a different route? Then we would love to hear from you.
If you have any questions, please leave us a comment, and make sure to follow us on our socials to find out about our latest adventures.
Slán go fóil
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Thank you for the information. Point of correction, Tsh220,000 is not equivalent to $10 but $100.
Thank you, we had an extra 0 there, updated now! When we crossed the border, the money exchange boys gave us TOO MUCH money! (We met them at the border again and gave the extra back) There must be something about the Malawi- Tanzania border about too many zeros!! haha
Tanzania to Malawi via bus how much ?
price is in the article!