About Blantyre
Blantyre is Malawi’s commercial city and the second largest city after the Capital, Lilongwe. Located in an area of the Shire Highlands at an average of 1000 meters above sea level , it is surrounded by a number of mountains. The population is fast approaching one million and growing rapidly. There are a number of well planned residential suburbs but much of the settlements are unplanned.

Blantyre is served by Chileka International Airport which is situated around 13KM away from the City Centre. Boasting of several Shopping Malls, Blantyre also has manufacturing companies of different products.

The main means of transport are minibuses which are cheap, fast and convenient. There are also a number of taxis available in most places 24hrs. Blantyre is also a departure point of buses and coaches to neighboring countries like, South Africa and Zimbabwe. There are also intercity buses and coaches.

Communications There is only one fixed telephone service provider, Malawi Telecommunications Ltd (MTL) and two Mobile (GSM) operators TNM and Zain. A number of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) offer broadband internet but not at the speeds available in developed countries.  Wireless hotspots are available in Airports, business centers, hotels, and in some locations. You can also find many internet cafes in Blantyre at MK5 per minute or just under USD 2 per hour. 

With over 10 FM private radios, one state controlled television, Blantyre has various sources of information including 5 daily newspapers, 3 weekend papers and one evening newspaper.

Climate

In general climate in Blantyre is not different from the rest of the country. The cool season is from May – mid August, the hot season is from Mid August to November and the rainy season is from November to April. The average minimum and maximum temperatures in November when it is hottest are 17°C (63°F) and 29°C (84°F) and those in July the coolest are 7°C (45°F) and 23°C (73°F).

Food

Malawi’s staple food is Nsima (made from Maize / corn flour). It is taken together with different types of relish like beef, fresh or dried fish, vegetables, beans, pork, eggs, and goat meat. Nsima is usally taken as lunch or supper. Breakfast is mostly Tea or Coffee and bread. Some prefer tea or coffee with potatoes, chips or even rice.

Places of Interest
The projects mostly run from 8am to 3pm and the volunteer is left with a couple of hours before nightfall. There are several places within Blantyre and outside that are of interest. Ranging from wildlife reserves to cinemas and concert halls, volunteers are not short of places to visit. In Blantyre there is Michiri Mountain Forest Reserve, the National Museum, Cine City Cinema and the French Cultural Centre where one can go to visit.  Arrangements are also made to visit some projects in Blantyre like what other orphanages and schools are doing, checking out some townships or even going to some slums in the city. 

 

During weekend when the volunteers are not working, there are even more exciting places to visit like the Lake Malawi, Mulanje Mountain, Majete and Mwabvi Game Reserves and one can also watch some sporting activities at the Kamuzu Stadium and other sporting arenas in Blantyre.