There is a range of hotels in the main towns: Lilongwe, Blantyre/Limbe and Mzuzu. The same is true along the lakeshore with a concentration in the south between Monkey Bay, Mangochi and Senga Bay. Zomba Plateau has a luxury hotel.

A programme of privatisation has seen many of the rest houses and forest reserve lodges transformed into luxury or mid-range lodges, the equivalent of established hotels.

There is a scattering of small luxury and mid-market lodges along the western shore of Lake Malawi and on Likoma Island. Most offer the same facilities as the larger hotels with watersports and excellent private beaches. Some accommodation is on islands and lake safaris are catered for.

Recent years have seen a transformation in four of the parks and reserves: Liwonde, Kasungu, Nyika and Vwasa. Single privately-run safari camps/lodges have replaced government camps in all of these parks. New luxury en-suite accommodation is provided in permanent tents, rondavels, log cabins or bamboo huts. There is also good-quality, mid-price accommodation and camping. Full catering is available. Booking ahead is important especially at weekends and in holiday periods. See also National Parks in the Resorts & Excursions section.

There are campsites along the lakeshore, often near the hotels, and elsewhere in the resort and forest areas. Most game parks and reserves have campsites. Sites are usually well equipped and camping is excellent during the dry season which runs from April to November.