Volunteer's stay
What to take on your trip to Malawi
Basically everything on this list (except of course the different papers, passport, ATM card and alike ), you can also buy in Malawi, thought might be difficult to find, of lesser quality or much more expensive, so it is best to bring as much as possible from home.
Note: since laundry will be done in camp daily, don’t take loads of clothes.
(White, bright yellow, orange and so on are beautiful colors but are not colors suitable for the bush.)
- Passport
- Medical/vaccination papers
- Travel insurance papers
- Money/Traveler cheques/visa card/ATM card (tip: ask your bank whether you can use your ATM card in Malawi)
- Contact details of family and friends
- Long trousers
- Short trousers
- Underwear
- Socks
- Swimming clothes
- Rain clothes, preferably a poncho (only when you come to Malawi in the rainy season: December-April)
- Shirt(s) long sleeves
- Shirts short sleeves
- Warm sweater (the evenings/nights can be surprisingly cold in the months June, July, beginning of August)
- Hat/cap
- Sunglasses
- Good strong shoes. Important: if you buy new ones, start using them frequently before you come to Thuma
- Waterproofing bee wax for your shoes (is better than normal shoe polish): you can buy it at your outdoor shop
- Flip flops
- Towel(s)
- Small back pack for hikes/day trips
- Binoculars
- Camera
- Flash disk/memory stick
- Torch: I advise you to buy a headlight with led lights
- Rechargeable batteries
- Pocket knife
- A roll of thin rope
- Water bottle (at least 1 liter though more is better)
- Mobile phone (buy a Malawian sim-card and top-up cards upon arrival at the airport)
- Mosquito repellent
- Mosquito net
- Some water disinfectant drops or pills
- Bathroom items (soap/shaving soap/razor blades/tooth brush/little scissors/tweezers and so on)
- Little mirror
- Sun cream (do not underestimate the African sun!)
- Some basic first aid items
- Anti-malaria pills (plus any other medicine you (might) need
- Small tent
- Sleeping bag
- Sleeping mat (for the nights in the bush; we however always just sleep on the bare ground)
- A good (wildlife) book
- Plus anything else you want or think is necessary to take.