What immediately captures you about this vivid country is its geographical diversity.

Slithering through the landscape in a channel formed by the Great Rift Valley is Africa’s third largest lake – Lake Malawi; a shimmering mass of glittering fresh water, swarming with colourful fish including the luminescent cichlids species. Whether it's diving, snorkeling, kayaking or some rest and relaxation on one of its islands, a visit to the lake is a must.

Rising up to the clouds in Malawi’s south are the dramatic peaks of Mt Mulanje and the mysterious Zomba Plateau; both are a trekker's dream, with mist-covered forests and weird and wonderful, exotic wildlife. Head further north to witness the eerie beauty of the Nyika Plateau and its rolling grasslands. This is truly an African destination for the intrepid traveller and those among us who love to head to off-the-beaten-track places.

Lake Malawi offers one of the world’s best examples of the evolutionary process. Rising and falling water levels over millennia created the perfect conditions for the endemic fish to adapt to their changing environment until we’ve reached the level where there are so many different species in the lake, we still have no idea how many there are actually are. Experts reckon on between 600 and 1000 species. To put this in perspective,that’s more types of freshwater fish than Europe and North America combined. Not for nothing have the WWF named Lake Malawi the most important lake in the world in terms of biodiversity.