Malawi is a warm and welcoming country that offers visitors wonderful scenery, fascinating parks and some of the friendliest people in Africa. It is no wonder that it is known as the "warm heart of Africa." Malawi is a country in the heart of central southern Africa that offers a true African experience at a relatively low cost. It is a long and narrow, landlocked country covering more than 1,000km from north to south. Lake Malawi, nearly 600km long and up to 80km wide, dominates the countryside.
There is no country in all of Africa that has its geography so sculptured and determined by Africa's Great Rift Valley, the largest single geographical feature on Earth. This ancient 5,000km-long geological formation bisects much of Africa from Egypt to Botswana and boasts a bewildering array of habitats and lush vegetation. Towering mountains, lush, fertile valley floors and enormous crystal-clear lakes are hallmarks of much of the Rift Valley - and Malawi displays them all.