Brooding and silent, Mount Mulanje stands as southern Malawi’s most stirring sight. Seemingly rising out of the surrounding tea plantations, it commands the respect of all who see it.
Indeed, watching it hove into view on the road from Blantyre represents something of an epiphany. To see such a grand peak dwarfing its surroundings, emanating equal parts serenity and intensity, is to witness firsthand the full force of nature.
Its size belies its heft. While Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro mops up most visitors to the region – understandable given its setting, size, challenge and, if apocryphal tales are anything to go by, setting of God’s footsteps – here is a mountain with challenges all of its own.
Read more: Find Mtae floating above the infinite savannah of Tanzania.
With a maximum elevation of 3,002m, Mount Mulanje is no slouch. The climb represents a great physical challenge, not so much for its elevation as for its seemingly unending slopes.
On the way, it is possible to see families collecting wood from the dense forests. And all around, unending views of the surrounding basin stretch across the vast, flat savannah.
Reach the top, and many different paths reveal themselves. Take the wrong one, or underestimate the sheer size of Mount Mulanje, and there’s every chance the intrepid explorer will never return.
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