Most travellers arrive from Mzuzu, an hour west by minibus on a tarmacked road. Buses run several times an hour during daylight; a single seat is cheap and the journey through low forested hills is straightforward. Coming from the south, the lakeshore road from Chintheche takes about an hour and is one of the more attractive stretches of road in Malawi.
The Ilala ferry calls weekly on its circuit of Lake Malawi, linking Nkhata Bay with Likoma Island, Monkey Bay in the south, and Chilumba in the north. Schedules slip routinely; ask at the port for current departure times. There is no airport in Nkhata Bay itself; the nearest is at Mzuzu, with sporadic flights to Lilongwe.