| Cape
Maclear.
The Cape Maclear peninsula divides the
lake into branches; the westerly one into an enormous circular bay,
the easterly branch is more elongated and ends in the Shire River.
The territory is very hilly, with enormous blocks of granite covered
in lush vegetation, jutting out of the hills. The peninsular end in
a picturesque bay protected by a number of islands. The bay has
beautiful golden sandy beaches delimited by a granite outcrop of
Otter’s Point to the west and the Ilala Gap separating the
mainland from Domwe Island to the east. It is the heart of the Lake
Malawi National Park, created to protect the cichlid fish of the
lake and to preserve the natural beauty of the spot. In recognition
of its uniqueness UNESCO has declared the place a World Heritage
Site. The park was founded twenty-five year ago and it was the first
fresh water park in the world.
There are more than 500 species of cichlid fish in the Lake
and every year new ones are being discovered! It is to be remembered
that there are more species of fish in each of the Great African
Lakes then in all the other fresh waters of the glob put together.
Cape Malear is a scuba divers paradise, and will not disappoint even
the most sophisticated diver, but to see the fish you don’t need
to dive deep, a simple swim with a mask will be sufficient to see
clouds of coloured fish come towards you. Throwing some breadcrumbs
on the surface of the water will be enough to attract them. If you
get in the water and keep completely still, you can feel them
nibbling at your hands and feet, but not to worry they have no teeth
so there will do no damage!
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Scuba diving at Cape Malear
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Cape Maclear is also a historical site; it was here that in
1875 Dr. Laws with his team of Scottish missionaries built the first
Livingstonia mission. This was not the first Christian mission to
Malawi, but it was the first to succeed. It later moved to Bandawe
and then to its present site at Livingstonia on the Nyika plateau
where it is still functioning. The first mission to Central Africa
was at Magomero near Blantyre founded in 1861 by Bishop Makenzi, but
it collapsed a few years later.
The first missionary graves are still visible and visit
beautiful Otter’s Point rocks is a must. Local folklore believed
that this was the dwelling of the spirits. When the few local
fishermen that lived there, saw the first white men on the beach
they believed them to be the spirits come out of the rocks. For a
few weeks they would not approach them but pass by on canoes
sprinkling flour on the water to hope to appease them and get them
to return to the rocks.
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Kayaking at Domwe Island
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