Though I’ve visited both Monkey Bay and Harare prior to this trip, which took place in December 2025, this is the first time I am posting photos in these locations, so I have not made them a “revisited” post. My other Malawi and Zimbabwe posts are of Lilongwe, Malawi, and Victoria Falls and Nyanga, Zimbabwe. My last visit to Monkey Bay was December 2023 and to Harare was December 2020. Because trips to Malawi and Zimbabwe are always trips to visit family, the photos are usually more personal and focus on family rather than landscapes and sites like the rest of my travel photos, but the photos I did capture of the landscapes were worth the post!
Monkey Bay, Malawi
During this trip to Monkey Bay, we went to the same vacation rental home that we did in 2023, because we enjoyed it that much! It is perfectly situated near the lake with limited access, spacious enough for everyone, and stunningly gorgeous. The drive there from Lilongwe is not for the faint at heart (or toddlers, or parents of toddlers), but it is worth the trek, and there are usually no regrets once we’ve made it back home to Lilongwe. We spent our days lounging by the lake, eating fresh fish caught that day, and relaxing with no plans or obligations to be anywhere. Absolute perfection.
Mozambique
From Lilongwe, we (really just my brother-in-law) drove about 19 hours (a 13-hour trip extended out by potholes, customs, food breaks, road checkpoints, stretching legs, bathroom breaks) through Mozambique to Marondera, where more family lives. I wouldn’t usually count transiting as a country-visited, but because driving across the country is a unique experience, we had to procure an on-arrival transit visa, and I have wonderful photos, I’ve counted it. It’s not like a simple transit stop in an airport where you don’t see anything or have any immersed experiences; quite the opposite. We ventured across from east to west, and went to one of the family’s favorite places to stop when they make this trip to eat roadrunner chicken and chips. It was tough but so fresh and delicious. I am proud to say that my American stomach handled it with no problem, and my fear of public bathrooms allowed me to make it about 18 of the 19 hours without needing to stop.
Harare, Zimbabwe
We spent Christmas in Marondera where the family had a braai, and the kids and I tried some foods we’d never had: African chewing gum (I was told – incorrectly – to keep chewing it, and the texture turned snot-like, so that was not my favorite), dried fruit (not unlike other dried fruit I’ve had before), and fermented drink (my favorite). The next day, we drove to the beautiful villa we rented in Harare to take the children to see animals and see more of the city. We headed to the Wildlife Society of Zimbabwe to see animals, we went out to The Jam Tree bar to have a night for the adults, and we spent our last night with the travel-crew family at La Parada, which was an aesthetically pleasing restaurant on a beautiful day with delicious food and drinks. Nothing was more beautiful than the love and connection of the family.
I will be visiting Malawi and Zimbabwe for the rest of our lives, so I am sure there will be even more beauty and experiences to capture in the future!
All photos taken with Nikon D5600.
