Matema Beach

Matema sits at the northern tip of Lake Malawi where the Livingstone mountains come down almost to the water, giving a strip of sand with a wall of green rising immediately behind it. The lake here is clear and bilharzia-free by local report, and swimming is the main activity. Village women at Ikombe along the shore make pots by hand without a wheel and sell them at the Saturday market, and boats run along the shore to the villages under the escarpment.

What you actually see

• The beach - sand and clear water under the Livingstone escarpment.
• The Ikombe pottery - hand-built pots made without a wheel and sold at market.
• The escarpment - mountains rising steeply straight from the shoreline.
• The boat trips - the shore villages reached by local boats.

When to go

May to October is the dry season and the best time for the roads. The lake is warm year round. Winds pick up in the afternoon and can make boat trips uncomfortable.

Honest expectations

The road in is rough and slow, especially after rain. Accommodation is basic. Local advice on where it is safe to swim should be followed as conditions vary along the shore.

Nearby

Kyela is west, and Mount Rungwe is north.