Monkey Bay: A Port Town on Lake Malawi

Monkey Bay lies on the southern shore of Lake Malawi and on the Nankumba Peninsula. Its location combines a coastal landscape with a prominent maritime role: Monkey Bay is one of Malawi’s most important ports on the lake and serves mainly as a construction and repair centre for shipping. This gives you two distinct ways to think about the town when planning your holiday: the shoreline and shipping.

A shoreline of sand and rock

Monkey Bay has sandy beaches and rocky headlands to explore. Sand and rock give the coast different forms and offer a distinctive landscape along Lake Malawi. If the shoreline is a particular priority when choosing your destination, this aspect of Monkey Bay’s character is a focus in its own right, alongside the port and shipyard.

Port, shipyard and shipping

Monkey Bay’s port has a dry dock, a slipway and a passenger pier. It also has modern mechanical, welding, carpentry and electrical workshops. The shipyard’s core tasks include ship construction, refurbishment and general maintenance. It is the only shipyard on the lake that serves vessels from Tanzania, Mozambique and Malawi. Together, these facilities make the port a working and repair centre for shipping on Lake Malawi.

The ship Chilembwe is also part of the town’s maritime history: it was built at the Monkey Bay shipyard by Damen of the Netherlands. Its construction links the port to a specific historical episode and adds shipbuilding to the picture of shipping. For visitors interested in the technical and cultural side of a lakeside port, this offers a different way to experience the town than exploring its coastline.

The Ilala and its route across the lake

The Ilala calls at Monkey Bay. Its route runs between Monkey Bay in the south and Chilumba in the north; in both directions, it calls at Likoma Island and Chizumulu Island. If you plan to include the ferry in your trip, check the current timetable in advance. This lets you take the connection into account when planning without assuming a fixed departure time for the route.

Nature nearby and in Mangochi

Near Cape Maclear, beyond the headland, lies Lake Malawi National Park. There are lodges, uninhabited islands, beaches and water sports opportunities there. The park is in Mangochi District, within the wider destination of Mangochi. It includes miombo woodlands and an aquatic ecosystem with 13 islands in total; rare cichlid species are also part of its natural environment. Birdlife is a significant feature of the park, particularly on Boadzulu, also known as Bird Island. This distinct natural area complements Monkey Bay’s coastal and port perspective.

History in the wider destination of Mangochi

Fort Mangochi is part of the history of the destination of Mangochi. The fort was built in 1897 on the site of an earlier stockade camp belonging to Zarafi (Jalasi), a powerful Yao chief. The remains include an outer stone wall and the remnants of at least seven brick houses. This historic site offers a distinct cultural point of interest in Mangochi and differs thematically from Monkey Bay’s port and shipyard character.

Discover more destinations: Mangochi, Mulanje, Chembe.

See the regional travel overview: Southern Region.