Recommended duration
Per person per night
Free briefing on Malawi sustainability
Recommended duration
Price per night per adult
Free briefing on Malawi sustainability
Known as ‘The Warm Heart of Africa’, Malawi’s nickname represents its landlocked position and its people.
Partly for this reason, coupled with unique developmental challenges as one of the poorest countries on earth, Dom and Kate set up this Malawi operation in 2008, and its UK-based sister operation 5 years on.
They are committed to sustainable development through social enterprise, reducing the dependence on the aid industry and driving tourism-generated income to rural communities through partnership.
Visit 'The Warm Heart of Africa' - stunning places, beautiful people, impact purpose
Diverse landscapes & ecosystems: lakes, mountains, plateaus, & wildlife safaris
Great adventures & activities: Hike Mount Mulanje, cycle fair trade tea estates, run the Zomba Plateau, kayak on Lake Malawi
Immersive experiences: cultural exchange, community initiatives, social enterprise, womens empowerment
Sustainable development in action: Group workshops on global goals & citizenship
Relax in style: Hang out in a hammock at fabulous ecolodges at Lake Malawi
Tours can be arranged all over Malawi. Read more about the country on our Malawi sustainable travel guide.
Lake Malawi covers a significant portion of the country, at which visitors can enjoy activities such as snorkelling, kayaking, and relaxing on picturesque beaches.
Beyond the lake, Malawi offers diverse wildlife experiences in national parks and reserves like Liwonde, Majete and Nkhotakhota, and vibrant community and cultural immersion.
It is into this environment that Dom and Kate brought their combined skills of hospitality, business management, education and international development, focusing on the positive impacts of tourism to deliver much-needed support to community initiatives – whether as individual private trips, students or organisations. The company is now owned and managed by Dom and local Malawian Inno Kaliati.
By choosing to work in partnership with existing community initiatives supporting entrepreneurial Malawians, Orbis can co-create sustainable community development.
Malawi offers ideal ‘outside the classroom’ immersive learning experiences, providing both an insight into behind the scenes real Africa and an all-encompassing overview of development and key global challenges facing rural communities in Africa.
On the ground ‘agents of change’ local entrepreneurs’ inspiring examples of sustainable development help dissipate myths and promote transformational learning, combined with the diversity of landscape offering a hive for environmental research, and rural communities’ rich cultural heritage.
Dependent on specific trip itinerary.
You can join set date departure tours – see ‘Options you can book’.
Alternatively, trips can be tailor-made to match interests, objectives, group size, budget and time frame, and are always accompanied by a local Malawian guide.
See “Options to book’ for information on specific tours, but generally include facilities for:
Travellers will have opportunities to experience authentic Malawian cuisine and drinks throughout their journey, especially when staying with local families or visiting rural communities.
You might also like to experience as part of your itinerary:
See “Options to book’ for information on specific tours, but activities for bespoke trips can include:
These activities are often combined in tailored itineraries to provide a mix of adventure, cultural immersion, and social impact experiences.
As tours may be in diverse regions, see out Malawi sustainable travel guide for more information.
There are great value safari opportunities with wildlife viewing in national parks and reserves and chances to see the “Big 5” (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and buffalo) in some parks.
You can enjoy walking safaris for a more intimate wildlife viewing experience.
There are also boat safaris, available in parks with broad river stretches, including opportunities to see hippos and crocodiles in the Shire River.
And birdwatching opportunities are available throughout the country, especially in highlands, wetlands, and protected areas – Malawi is described as an “ornithologist’s paradise” with around 650 bird species.
For aquatic life, Lake Malawi offers opportunities to see diverse fish species, particularly colorful cichlid: activities include snorkeling and scuba diving
Some trips may include visits to wildlife conservation projects and opportunities to learn about and potentially participate in conservation efforts.
The company always aims to provide a mix of adventure, cultural immersion, and experiences in nature.
Malawi is a unique blend of outdoors and authentic local experiences, appealing to adventure, nature lovers and cultural enthusiasts alike.
The organisation believe that everyone should take the chance to #BePartOfSomething purposeful during your travels, encouraging travellers to actively engage, participate in and contribute to impactful, sustainable tourism and community development in Malawi, while providing meaningful experiences for visitors.
Bespoke group trips may be for schools, universities, clubs or societies, a collection of friends or family members, or organisations with an interest in immersive learning experiences on global sustainable development and citizenship.
Any room in your luggage? Let the company know and they may be able to give you a list of resources much needed by local community initiatives which can be delivered personally or via the organisation.
The experienced qualified guides who accompany trips have a wealth of inherent cultural knowledge as well as receiving ongoing training in guiding, conservation and environmental awareness to provide support and enhance immersive learning.
They offer:
The organisation
As such, the company’s ethos and travel options
They are committed to ensuring the benefits of tourism reach local communities and therefore has set up a Payment for Ecosystem Services scheme which contributes 1.5% of all booking value to projects in Malawi.
The company’s ethos is #TradeNotAid and to #BePartofSomething: through empowered collaboration, meaningful long lasting change can take place. They choose to support existing organisations rather than starting our own independent initiatives, for tourism-generated income to help build sustainable solutions in local communities.
They believe in balance. The educational and culturally diverse experiences they offer awaken minds and inspire future generations.
For those interested in bespoke group trips on sustainable development in action or global citizenship, workshops are arranged in an appropriate environment which is hands-on and participatory, with practical subject matter including: Healthcare, Education, Environment – land and lake, Climate Change, Water, Fair Trade, Sustainable Agriculture and Local Economic Development.
The organisation believe that when promoting a fragile destination you need to ensure the benefits reach the local communities.
They partner with The Neno Macadamia Trust, a UK charity supporting smallholder farmers in Malawi to adapt to climate change through macadamia agroforestry, enhancing incomes, nutrition, and resilience. The approach regenerates land and ecosystems while improving local food security and livelihoods. $100 per booking and 2% of annual turnover supports this work.
The organisation believe in the potential of Malawi’s people and that empowering them via tourism offers a chance to develop out of the poverty cycle.
The company partners with CISER, a community initiative led by local boat builder Joseph Makwakwa since 2008 on Lake Malawi’s southern shores, where youth deliver healthcare, environmental, and education projects, including founding a village secondary school on Joseph’s land.
Visitors can book half or full day visits to CISER, joining a local guide for activities like cooking with a Malawian family, visiting conservation projects and schools, and playing village sports.
After over a decade of partnership with CISER and Rainbow Hope Secondary School has enabled clients to support education for over 200 students, including 55 sponsored by visitors. Guests can engage with students and assist at the school.
The company pays CISER $30 per visitor for hosting these experiences.
The organisation are committed to building the local economy in Malawi. By employing local people and creating sustainable growth through social enterprise, they aim to reduce the dependence on the aid industry.
A core focus is to assist local conservation, environmental and cultural preservation initiatives, via the ‘Payment for Ecosystem Services Scheme’ in which 1.5% of every booking goes towards protecting the ecosystems tourists benefit from during a stay in Malawi.
To 2016, this had generated in excess of $13,500 to conservation, $36,500 facilitated community donations through more than 7,500 travellers, with more than 16,000 beneficiaries.
SDG 1 No Poverty: Supports local entrepreneurs and community initiatives to create economic opportunities.
SDG 2 Zero Hunger: Offers nutrition workshops and visits to feeding centers.
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being: Provides learning experiences about healthcare programs, especially those targeting mothers and children.
SDG 4 Quality Education: Organises visits to schools and supports education initiatives, particularly for girls.
SDG 5 Gender Equality: Facilitates women’s empowerment trips and workshops on female entrepreneurship
SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation: Addressed in Global Development Workshops .
SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth: Promotes sustainable tourism and supports local Malawian suppliers.
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: Supports social enterprise, and supports projects with a pioneering Payment for Ecosystem Services.
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities: Offers cultural immersion experiences to promote understanding and reduce gaps.
SDG 11 Sustainable Communities: Supports rural communities in multiple ways.
SDG 13 Climate Action: Provides workshops on environmental conservation and climate change.
SDG 15 Life on Land: Organizes wildlife conservation activities and environmental surveys.
SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals: Collaborates with local communities, NGOs, and government entities to support development initiatives.
Dependent on bespoke itinerary. Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways & South African Airways provide flights from UK to Malawi via respective hubs; Addis Ababa, Nairobi & Johannesburg.
Other airlines include KLM, Air France, Delta Air Lines, LAM Mozambique Airlines, Qatar Airways,United Airlines.
Most flights to Malawi involve one or more stops, with Lilongwe International Airport being the most popular entry point into the country.
For group bookings of more than 9, flights usually can’t be booked online – our partner can work upon confirmation of trip to secure the best option and flights and organise local transport logistics.
...a bespoke 2 week tour taking in six different locations for our party of three. As well as exploring Blantyre we took in trekking in Malanje, safari in Liwonde, an island stay on the lake and also Zomba coupled with visiting a village to see the work of YODEP. Service from our initial consultation through to our departure was excellent and I would highly recommend... Ozzie our guide and driver deserves a special mention for his professionalism. Well done team and thank you.
RSC put together a week long self drive trip for us including tea estate visit, village home stay, Liwonde safari and relax at the lake. The team were amazingly helpful and the trip they put together was amazing. Just perfect for our family with 5 and 8 year old. Can't recommend these guys enough! Thanks so much for helping us have the best family holiday ever
2013 Shortlisted for the PURE Awards
2012, 2009 2 star eco-certification from Sustainable Travel International, the first company in Africa to receive this recognition.
2011 Partnered with The Geotourism Development Foundation to promote pro-poor tourism
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