Likoma Island is one of Lake Malawi's oddities: a Malawian island lying inside Mozambican waters, paired with smaller Chizumulu nearby. It is remote, slow, and more interesting than its size suggests, with sandy coves, baobabs, fishing villages, and a cathedral so large it seems to have arrived from another country.
The island's identity is split between lake life and missionary history. St Peter's Cathedral rises near the ferry landing, built from local stone in the early twentieth century. From there you can cross the island on foot in a couple of hours, climb small rocky viewpoints, or work around the shore by boat.
Likoma is not a polished resort island. The journey is part of the point: the old MV Ilala ferry still gives the trip its most romantic and least predictable entrance. Come if you want a lake island with real village life and a sense of distance, not if you need everything to run on a tight schedule.