By Air
The most practical way to visit Niassa is by air. LAM has flights three times weekly from Maputo to Lichinga via Tete, twice weekly to Nampula and weekly to Beira.
Air... from Malawi, Pemba & Maputo
LAM flies to Lichinga Airport from Maputo three times a week to Cuamba twice a week. You can charter planes from Malawi and Pemba Airport at the coast.
Email to reservas@lam.co.mz for Reservation.
By Road
Road... from Malawi & the coast
Driving from Blantyre/Lilongwe to Lichinga is also an option. The roads from Lichinga to the nearest major towns, Metangula, Cuamba and Cobué are all weather roads, so touring with ease is already possible. Reaching Niassa Reserve by road can be a bit of a rough ride, however, an "all weather road", runs basically from the lake to the coast... from Lichinga to Pemba.
By Boat
Boat... crossing on the famous Ilala from Malawi
Crossing the lake on the Ilala is also a unique experience. Ilala leaves from Monkey Bay and Nkhotakota, Ilala is named after the first steamboat on Lake Niassa that was launched in 1875 and served as the first permanent Anglican mission station, as an answer to Livingston's solemn appeal from the grave for Christianity and Commerce in Africa. The Ilala calls once a week at Metangula and Cobué.
Arrangements for transfers from the landing stations can be made with the individual lodges.
Ilala: Contact malawilake@malawidirect.com or +265-1-587311
By Train... from Nampula or Malawi
Mozambican railways, CFM, offer an excellent experience traveling by rail from Blantyre or Nampula to Cuamba, with a 1st class traveling compartment including a dinning section
CFM: +2580621 2044or + 258 82 45 41 42
By Touring... from Coast to Coast
Planning a "coast-to-coast" tour will be a first class wilderness experience, from the untouched lake beaches with its unique multi-colored fish, to the vast and wild reserve and further to the palm fringed beaches of the Indian Ocean.