Nkhata Bay beyond the blue: From Dwambazi to Usisya

By Mirriam Naledi Phiri:

When people speak of Nkhata Bay District, the conversation often begins with Lake Malawi: its beautiful beaches, lakeside lodges, hidden hideaways, fishing boats and breathtaking sunsets. It is easy to understand why Nkhata Bay has a natural beauty that deserves to be celebrated, and its lakeshore has become an important part of Malawi’s tourism identity.

But there is another Nkhata Bay that deserves to be seen, experienced and understood.

Before the lodges, holiday hideaways and beautiful beaches became familiar attractions, this land was already home to generations of people. It was home to the Tonga people whose histories, cultures and everyday lives have shaped the district. It was a land of ancestors, family connections, shared traditions and livelihoods. Its identity did not begin when visitors discovered its beaches.

My connection to Nkhata Bay is personal. I have lived and worked here, have relatives here, and my roots are firmly connected to this land. Through my experiences and relationships, I have come to appreciate that Nkhata Bay cannot be fully understood by looking at the lake alone. One has to travel beyond the familiar tourist routes, into the communities, hills, plantations and places whose stories are not always told.

The beauty of a place is not only what the eye sees, but also what its people remember.

There was a time when community life was defined by simple things that carried enormous meaning. A neighbour could visit another household to ask for salt. People shared meals, helped one another and lived with a sense of togetherness that made communities feel like extended families.

Deep in the highlands, away from the familiar lakeshore, cassava was cultivated as one of the cherished foods of the communities. For some families, reaching the lake was not an everyday affair. People would walk for miles to see the water and buy fish before making the journey back home.

This is a side of Nkhata Bay that may surprise someone whose experience of the district begins and ends at a lakeside lodge. The lake is central to its identity, but not everyone has always lived within walking distance of its shores. The hills, fields and inland settlements have their own stories and their own relationship with the water.

I also remember the beautiful simplicity of childhood evenings. When the moon came out, children would gather beneath it to dance, play games and giggle freely. We did not need elaborate playgrounds or expensive entertainment. The open spaces, the moonlight and the company of other children were enough. Those nights were part of the social life of our communities, creating memories that remain long after childhood has passed.

Another memory that stands out is the excitement whenever someone returned from South Africa after many years away. Sometimes people had been gone for 20 years or even longer. News of their return would spread, and people would gather to see someone who had spent so much of their life outside the country.

Summer was particularly special because it was often a time when people returned home and Malipenga and Chilimika were danced. These were more than performances. They were cultural expressions connected to people’s histories and identities. For those who had grown up dancing to these rhythms, seeing them again after many years away was a way of reconnecting with home.

Imagine spending decades away and returning to familiar faces, familiar rhythms and dances that take you back to your childhood. It is a reminder that culture can travel with people, even when they leave the places where it was first formed.

Furthermore, to appreciate the breadth of Nkhata Bay, one must be willing to travel beyond the places that frequently appear in tourism advertisements.

From Dwambazi towards Usisya, and through the many communities that make up the district, there are places whose names carry local identity, belonging and history. Fukamalaza, Kamphambali, Timbiri, Fukamapiri, Malenga Mzoma, Siyalimba, Kafuzira, Malanda, Kabunduli, Khoza, Nyaluwanga, Kabuthu, Mbwana, Mkumpha, Boghoyo, Kanyenda, Zilakoma, Chipimbininga, Thula, Mkondowe and Mwase are among the places that form part of this wider picture.

These are not simply names to be marked on a map. They represent communities, homes, livelihoods and landscapes. They remind us that Nkhata Bay is a district with a rich geographical and cultural identity, extending far beyond the familiar stretches of lakeshore.

Tourism should create room for these places too. Visitors should have opportunities to discover the communities, learn about their traditions, appreciate their food and hear the stories of the people who give the district its character.

One of the places that demonstrates the remarkable geography of Nkhata Bay is Usisya, situated in the northeastern part of the district along the shores of Lake Malawi. Popularly known as the Island on Mainland, Usisya has a distinctive landscape. Tucked behind steep, forested hills and dramatic mountain ranges, it feels almost separated from the rest of the mainland. Its geography makes reaching it an experience in itself.

Visitors can travel by water, including aboard the Ilala, or take on the challenging dirt roads that require a suitable four-wheel-drive vehicle. The journey reveals a landscape of hills, settlements and water that makes the destination especially memorable.

Usisya offers a different kind of tourism experience. Beyond its lakeside setting, there is the surrounding natural landscape, the local communities and the opportunity to experience a quieter side of the district. The Eco Lodge adds another reason for visitors to discover this part of Nkhata Bay.

For those who enjoy travelling beyond conventional holiday destinations, Usisya offers an invitation to explore. Sometimes the journey to a place becomes just as memorable as the place itself.

Nkhata Bay’s tourism story also extends into its agricultural landscapes, which deserve greater recognition. Along the M5 Road lies Vizara, known for its rubber plantation. Travellers passing through can stop to appreciate the plantation landscape and take photographs. The trees and greenery offer a different experience from the open views of Lake Malawi.

For those interested in exploring further, a journey through Banga towards Chombe and onward to Kawalazi Tea Estate opens up another side of the district. The tea-growing landscapes introduce visitors to the agricultural character of the area. Kawalazi also has macadamia, nut trees, adding another interesting feature to its landscape.

Further into the district, Chikwina has its coffee-growing landscape, offering yet another perspective on the diversity of Nkhata Bay.

These plantations are more than attractive stretches of green. They form part of the district’s agricultural identity and invite visitors to appreciate the relationship between land, production, livelihoods and communities.

There is an opportunity here to broaden the tourism experience. Visitors who come for the lake could also discover the agricultural estates, learn about the crops grown in the area and appreciate the landscapes that contribute to the district’s economy.

A journey through Nkhata Bay should not have to end at the beach. The road itself can introduce travellers to a different world.

Nkhata Bay is also a place of remembrance. The memorial commemorating those who died on March 3, 1959, fighting for freedom, reminds us that the district’s story is not only about natural beauty and cultural celebrations. It is also about sacrifice, resistance and the people whose lives became part of Malawi’s history.

Such places deserve a place in the tourism conversation. Tourism should not only take visitors to places where they can relax, swim and take photographs. It should also create opportunities to learn, reflect and appreciate the histories that shaped the communities they are visiting. A destination becomes more meaningful when visitors understand the people who lived there, the struggles they endured and the events that continue to shape local memory.

When I think about the tourism potential of Nkhata Bay, I see a district with far more to offer than what is commonly presented in travel photographs and newspaper features. There are the lakeside lodges, the beautiful beaches and the hospitality that welcomes visitors. There is Usisya, with its remarkable geography and the character of the Island on Mainland. There is Vizara’s rubber plantation, the tea-growing landscape of Chombe and Kawalazi and the coffee-growing areas of Chikwina. There are the inland communities, the cassava fields, the traditional dances, the moonlit childhood memories and the stories of families returning home after many years away.

There is also an opportunity to develop tourism that recognises local communities as important custodians of culture and knowledge. Visitors should be encouraged to explore responsibly, learn from local people, appreciate cultural traditions and understand the landscapes beyond their appearance. The people who live in these places should not simply become part of the scenery. Their stories, skills, traditions and livelihoods are part of what makes Nkhata Bay worth discovering.

Nkhata Bay is not simply a lake with lodges around it. It is a home, a cultural landscape, a place of memory, agriculture, history and belonging.

Its beauty deserves to be photographed, but its stories deserve to be heard.

To discover Nkhata Bay is to look beyond the blue waters of the lake and find the people, places and memories that make this land what it is.