Lichenya

break with a view along the 'Milk Run' path

The natural environment of Mulanje has some pretty unique features. For Pleuntje, recognising some of the plants and flowers brought back memories of family expeditions of the past. Favourites include the everlasting sunflowers (helichrysum), the 'Mulanje toilet paper', which is a particular kind of hanging lichen growing on trees, the proteas, and the tree ferns.

When we initially booked our trip, there had been some 'unrest' in the Mulanje region due to black magic and vampires. Yes, indeed, that sucks. And sounds very strange, doesn't it? Even at the time of writing, the official Belgian and Dutch travel advice is to visit Mulanje with 'heightened alertness' for these reasons. Different versions of what was going on in 2017 still circulate and this was not something we were too concerned about and not something we will go into here. However, it does connect with a bit of the mystery of the mountain that surfaces in accounts of locals and visitors, past and present. For example, most hikers head straight up to the highest point called Sapitwa, which means: 'Don't go there'. Some of this came up in our conversations with Aubrey (when we had a chance to catch our breath and talk). Just to say not all trips up this mountain are uneventful.

Looking across the Lichenya plateau

 If you're planning a hike more resources can be found through the Mountain Club of Malawi. 

For an excellent guide be sure to request Aubrey S. through the Forestry Office or contact him directly: 00 265 (0)884429448 (GSM/ WhatsApp)

Further reading & scrolling through other peoples pictures
A mountaineer who talks a bit about 'the spirit of the mountain' | makes reference to the rumour that Tolkien based his descriptions of Middle Earth on Mulanje | something about Laurens van der Post's (tragic) 1949 mission
https://www.markhorrell.com/blog/2014/legends-of-mulanje-africas-misty-mountain/

Stephen and just-two-drops-of-sweat-Aubrey

Account by a friend of the aforementioned Laurens van der Post (75yrs old!) travelling in the footsteps ...
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2012/jan/15/malawi-walking-laurens-van-der-post

More (sometimes quite heavily filtered) photos
https://travelswithben.com/2018/06/20/from-chisepo-hut-to-chambe-hut-mulanje-mountains-malawi/

More about Mulanje cedar and the spirit of the mountain | also from the perspective of forestry workers | advice on whether or not to shout when you're up there
http://kondwanikamiyala.blogspot.com/2007/02/memories-from-other-side-of-mulanje.html

A description of a group-hike up Sapitwa, ending with "If heaven exists, I hope it looks like Mulanje Mountain"
http://alecinmalawi.blogspot.com/2013/04/climbing-legendary-mulanje-mountain.html

Lichenya hut