Mountains day celebration Saturday
Hikers and nature enthusiasts will on Saturday scale Zomba Mountain to celebrate the International Mountains Day.
Apart from the hike to Nawimbe peak pegged at 1 800 metres above sea level, the day will also feature a big walk in Zomba City. Activities will start with a clean up exercise of Gymkhana Loop on Friday.
Chairman for the hike, Austin Mndolo said the event, to be graced by Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Culture Michael Usi, is the second since 2019. It was not held last year due to Covid-19 restrictions.
“Over 70 hikers have already registered for the trek. For those who can’t hike, there is the big walk on Saturday and those who can’t manage that can join the clean up exercise. The main event will showcase displays and performances on the importance of mountains and tourism,” he said.
According to Mndolo, the annual event will be rotating across regions as mountains and hills are spread all over the country.
Coming under the theme Sustainable Mountain Tourism: A Call for Action Towards the 2030 Agenda for Mountains, the commemoration brings together different clubs that have mushroomed as the number of hiking enthusiasts is growing.
Newly-appointed Malawi Tourism Council executive director Innocent Kaliati said the theme resonates well with Malawi as this is a time more Malawians are embracing hiking as an activity.
Kaliati added that Malawi tourism has seven thematic areas of focus, one of which is Trekking and Hiking.
