Madonna is expected to arrive in Malawi amid opposition to her plan to adopt another child from the country.
Officials at the airport in the capital Lilongwe said that they were expecting her to arrive later.
The luxury lodge where Madonna has stayed in the past has been fully booked and casual visitors have been turned away.
Children's charity Save the Children has urged the singer to think again although the family of the toddler she is seeking to remove is now said to be supporting the adoption.
The 50-year-old star has filed papers in Malawi setting out her intention to adopt a four-year-old orphan called Mercy James, who she hopes to take back to the US if a Malawi court approves the plan.
Madonna already has an adopted son from Malawi.
Mercy's grandmother Lucy Chekechiwa, 61, initially hit out at the star, telling the Sun: "It is stealing. I won't let her go."
Mrs Chekechiwa claimed it had been agreed the child would go to her when she turned six.
Mercy's father is believed to be alive but no other details were available from a welfare official and people close to the case said the girl's relatives have now consented to the adoption.
Madonna and the girl's uncle are expected to appear in court to sign adoption papers later.
Meanwhile, Save the Children said orphans should be cared for by extended family in their home country and suggested international adoption can make matters worse.
Spokesman Dominic Nutt said: "The best place for a child is in his or her family in their home community.
"Most children in orphanages have one parent still living, or have an extended family that can care for them in the absence of their parents."
According to Save the Children, international adoption should only be considered if the child is a genuine orphan, and if all other alternatives in their own country have been genuinely exhausted.
Madonna's spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg, who has not commented on the adoption reports, said the star would not respond to Save the Children.
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