Cape Maclear is a place where the headline activity is doing nothing — the beach itself, the lake water, the sunsets behind the granite hills. The structured things to do are mostly variations on getting into or onto Lake Malawi: snorkelling among the cichlids straight off the beach, a dhow or kayak day-trip to Thumbi Island, a PADI dive course, or a hike up to one of the rocky viewpoints behind the village. Chembe village at the northern end of the beach is worth a walk through for the contrast with the backpacker strip.