Manchewe Falls

The Manchewe falls drop around a hundred and twenty-five metres off the escarpment below Livingstonia, and a path leads down to a cave behind the curtain of water, which local tradition says was used as a refuge during the slave raiding of the nineteenth century. The view from the top runs down the escarpment to the lake. Flow depends entirely on the rains and thins considerably by the end of the dry season.

Highlights

• The fall - a drop of around a hundred and twenty-five metres off the escarpment.
• The cave behind - the chamber behind the water, reached by a steep path.
• The lake view - the drop down the escarpment to Lake Malawi.
• The refuge tradition - the cave's use during nineteenth-century raiding.

When to go

December to May after the rains gives the strongest flow. By October it is much reduced. The path down is slippery when wet.

Things to know

The path to the cave is steep, slippery and unprotected. Flow drops a great deal late in the dry season. Guides at the site expect payment.

Nearby

Livingstonia is above, and Chitimba is below.

Key facts