From Nkhata Bay to Usisya by boat

If adventures on a sunny Saturday morning were to be considered then a trip to Usisya from Nkhata Bay by boat should be sitting somewhere on top of everything one would think about.

For starters, Usisya is located slightly on the north-eastern side of Mzuzu. It is the largest flatland along the lake between Mlowe in Rumphi and Nkhata bay boma.

UT (Usisya Town), as fondly called by those from the area, is bordered by the lake on the east, an escarpment on the west and hilly terrains on the north and south.

One can get there by road from Mzuzu, by helicopter as the aerodrome is almost nonexistent or by lake. The journey by road is one of the most hair-raising encounters one would fathom.

But it is the journey to there from Nkhata Bay that is the most captivating and adventurous in nature. Its fun will be magnified if the lake pities you and remains peaceful.

Everything starts with you wading for a few steps before you get onto a boat which usually waits a few metres from land. Operators say the way boats are designed makes them hard to pull over to land.

Boats are heavier and go a little deeper into the water. As such, they hit the base of the shallow side of the lake even when water is knee high.

So once you are on board, you really have to hold your nerve because the engine will not roll right away. The boat is paddled a little deeper into the lake to ensure that once lowered, the propeller does not run on the base.

During paddling the boat usually sways from one end to another. That is what should leave you holding onto the leg of someone next to you or virtually lying on the floor of the boat.

But you should walk from one spot to another once the engine is on. You may only fail to do so if you are riding a boat for the first time. And that should really be a bad experience and you should be lucky if you aren’t vomiting.

We started our journey as early as 6.30am and we were to be on the lake for the next four hours.

It was one of the many times I have travelled by lake but the first to sail on this stretch. Earlier experiences were either by Ilala or Mtendere and were often between Chilumba and Usisya.

If you are roaring here for the first time you should be stunned by a village near Thoto. Being watched from the lake, this village occurs like a nucleus comprising houses roofed with iron sheets.

Those familiar with the place say most of the sons of this village are either in Tanzania or South Africa and they show the benefits of being there by building such houses for their parents.

This village is possibly better than towns. While you are likely to see some houses without satellite dishes in towns and cities, each house in this village has a minimum of two dishes.

Apparently, hoping from one house to another to watch television is viewed as a sign of lacking here.

As the journey matures, by which time you should have slept and woken up, memories of this village fade too easily. It’s not that the village is less memorable. It’s because of the grandeur of what you see next.

The hills on your west are so intertwined that it will require from you a reasonable degree of patience to see which hill is which. And in a few cases, gaps extend between hills, starting from the lake and disappearing into a range of hills.

And instead of just meeting the waters of the lake, these hills draw themselves in the water with captivating unison that you start wondering whether you are sailing on the lake or on the other side of the hills.

The picturesque is just too magnificent. You would forgive one who exposes their shock and start asking whether they are treading on territory outside the warm heart of Africa.

Unfortunately, by the time you are able to take a breath after the end of this episode, you are handed over to another. This latest is Mphande Hill. It is uncharacteristically positioned in the middle of the flatland and the lake.

It is such a marvellous sight even if viewed from any direction. And it is not an orphan. There are tiny rocky islands just nearby. Building a resort on any of these would be an idea seen as one hatched in a heavenly slumber.

By this time you should be docking. Unfortunately, this will not be before you are caught up in on-the-lake trade that is fish business.

You can just beckon and they will come in large numbers. Unfortunately, assured of ready customers ashore they don’t sell cheaply. But you can easily beat them if you let one to bargain and buy for the rest of you.

Welcome to Usisya Town!