The promotion of local tourism catchphrase has always been: Tiziyamba ndi ife Amalawi. In 10 years, Team Adventure have lived that locution of making local tourism a reality.
That comes to more light as the group, seeking to escape the ordinary, will from August 21 to 23 celebrate 10 years of enjoying nature, embracing culture and experiencing adventure. The celebration takes place at the Nkhudzi Bay in Monkey Bay, Mangochi.
Talk about scaling up to the highest point in southern central Africa, Sapitwa on Mulanje Mountain, they have done it. A lake experience from Monkey Bay to Likoma Island, they have gone through it.
If you mention travelling through the rocky trek from Thekerani in Thyolo to the Zoa Falls, they will just look at you, and smile. What about the spiritual experience at the Mbona Shrine at Khuluvi in Nsanje, the breathtaking Malape Pillars in Machinga or the grandeur of Queen’s View, Emperor’s View, Chingwe’s Hole, Chagwa Dam and William’s Falls on Zomba Mountain? They will nod.
For team leader Kondwani Chamwala, who ignited the idea for the group in 2016 when he was working with the Mulanje Mountain Conversation Trust, they have even gone international, with a visit to the Victoria Falls in Zambia. In 2022, he joined forces with Hikers Alliance’s Austin Mndolo and Colby Mughogho’s Aventures with Colby to lead a team of 18 hikers to the rooftop of Africa, Uhuru Peak, on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
“It has been a very exciting and adventurous journey since I proposed the idea to 11 volunteers who came for the Mount Mulanje Porters’ Race that year. Travel is expensive, but going together as a group is cheaper. I am happy that a lot of young people have now come to realise that it is not only foreigners who have to visit our local areas of interest,” says Chamwala.
To underscore the need to mentor young ones on local tourism, the team has this past week been having talks with students at the Malawi Institute of Journalism, Blantyre and Lilongwe campuses and the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences.
While observing that a decade ago they were just following pathways set by others and that today they are setting the trek to uncharted routes, Jessica Chidambe said a visit to the Khulubvi Shrine stands out that travel is the best teacher.
Chidambe, who joined the team in 2016, says: “It was my dream to travel a lot but the trip I remember most is the one to Nsanje. I learned a lot about culture and many things beyond my religious beliefs. I have also learned that small steps can climb to Sapitwa.”
Another pioneer, Ethel Msusa, observed that in the past 10 years, she has learned to mentor others on adventure. “I have worked with confidence with people I never dreamed of,” she quips.
Stephano Nguluwe joined the group, inspired by a passion for nature and the environment, knowing the group to bring together nature, culture and tourism in a meaningful way. He believes nature carries a deep heritage that connects people to history and cultural identity.
“For me, one adventure that stands out most was the annual general meeting last year in Mangochi. The experience, which included a clean-up exercise of the beach, reminded me that we all have the responsibility to protect the environment,” he added.
Team Adventure projects coordinator Kelvin Munthali Mwale says the helped him explore Malawi and connect with a lot of people along the way.
“My favourite experience was the Chisi Island Festival. This was all encompassing in that it included a boat ride, hiking, camping, swimming and the festival itself,” he said.
On the other hand, Tiwonge Faith Jere who joined the team after a friend introduced her to it, says every trip is unique in its own right but she hailed the one to Majete Game Reserve, where the Big Five are found.
Chamwala says the group has also partnered with the Malawi Gaming and Lotteries Association (Magla) in some excursions, as well as tree-planting exercises at the Providence Industrial Mission in Chiradzulu and the Malawi University of Science and Technology in Thyolo.
“We, have a lot of partners. Magla, for instance, have been with us to Sapitwa and they have assisted us to donate desks at the school on Chisi Island. It has been a decade worth living,” he says.
