Travel Guide Lake Nyasa

Nyasa means "big water", and this lake is in fact the third largest in Africa (550 km long, 75 km wide, covering an area of 11,400 km2), with a surface area comparable to that of Belgium. It was discovered by the Portuguese Gaspar Bocarro in 1616.Unlike Lake Victoria, which flows into the Mediterranean, and Lake Tanganyika, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean, the waters of Lake Nyasa in Mozambique join those of the Zambezi River, which flows into the Indian Ocean. This lake is the southernmost of the great East African rift, and its most southerly geological manifestation. The whole mountainous region is superb, as is the view over this long, steep-sided lake of 2,600 km2, dominated to the east by the Livingstone Mountains. The lake itself lies at an altitude of 472 m (with a depth of over 500 m), and the surrounding mountain range peaks at almost 3,000 m. Although only intermittently cloudy, it rains more than 2,000 mm of water a year, as the mountains to the north of the lake (the Poroto Mountains with the beautiful Kitulo Plateau to the east, the Kipengere and Livingstone Mountains) trap all the clouds brought in by the prevailing southeasterly winds; clouds that originate from the Indian Ocean, weighed down on their way by evaporation from the lake. The Poroto Mountains are renowned for their ornithological interest (particularly for the swamp widow). Lake Nyasa is home to many cichlid fish (over 600 species), and its ecosystem is quite similar to that of Lake Tanganyika. Hippos and crocodiles are only found around the major river mouths.Lake Nyasa is in fact entirely in Malawi, due to the colonial-era division, which everyone hopes will not have unfortunate long-term consequences, should demographics or simply yield requirements increase. Fishing is the basis of the local economy, and Tanzanian fishermen are still tolerated on the lake's waters. In any case, don't say Lake Malawi, the locals wouldn't like it... And that's putting it mildly!60 km from the north shore, on the east coast, lies Manda, the arrival point of the Kilwa caravans. A railroad was to be built here, as it was between Dar es Salaam and Lakes Tanganyika and Victoria, when the First World War broke out.