Blantyre

Blantyre was founded in 1876 as a Church of Scotland mission and named for Livingstone's birthplace, which makes it the oldest city in Malawi and older than the country's other centres by decades. It became the commercial capital and remains so, spread between hills with the business district in one valley and Limbe, once a separate town, in another. The mission church of Saint Michael and All Angels is the founding building. Limbe, a few kilometres east, grew separately around the railway and was only absorbed into the city later, which is why Blantyre still reads as two centres rather than one.

What you actually see

• Saint Michael and All Angels - the mission church built by amateur hands in the 1880s.
• Mandala House - the oldest surviving building in the country, from 1882.
• The city's age - the oldest urban centre in Malawi, founded 1876.
• The hills - the setting between Michiru, Ndirande and Soche.

When to go

May to October is the dry season and most comfortable. October before the rains is very hot. Museums close on some days.

Honest expectations

The city is congested and the centre is workaday. Museum opening is unreliable. Normal city care applies, particularly after dark.

Nearby

Michiru Mountain is west, and Zomba is north.