The Lake Malawi Museum sits on the lakeshore in nearby Monkey Bay, the small port town a short minibus or shared-taxi ride south of Cape Maclear. It is a modest two-room museum but punches above its weight on the geology and ecology of the lake — particularly the cichlid evolution story that earned the area its World Heritage listing.
Displays cover the lake's formation, the surrounding national park, the traditional fishing communities and the long-running operations of the MV Ilala, the passenger steamer that has worked the lake since 1951. An hour's diversion if you have transport going through Monkey Bay anyway.