Malawi Travel Guide

Crossing the Mkulumadzi river on a walking safari – courtesy of Robin Pope Safaris

Only 70 km from Blantyre in south-west Malawi, in the Lower Shire Valley, the Majete Wildlife Reserve is just over three hours away from the closest section of Lake Malawi. The Majete at one time had an abundance of wildlife, but most of the larger game were killed off by the late 1990s.

In 2003, one of the largest relocations of wildlife ever begun. 14 species made up of 2559 animals were reintroduced. The process was concluded in March 2012, which included the reintroduction of black rhinos, lions, leopards, elephants, and Cape buffalos. Other species that were reintroduced included antelope such as sable, waterbuck, eland, hartebeest, nyala, impala, as well as zebra, warthog, and bush pig. As a result, Majete today is one of the only reserves that boast the Big 5.

Majete’s vegetation ranges from the Miombo woodlands in the West, dry savannah in the east, and riverine thickets along the rivers. Activities include game drives, walking safaris, boat trips to view game on the Shire River, and just relaxing. We also recommend that you do some hiking, as the park’s terrain is made for this, and visit the local villagers to experience their culture and tradition, including their tribal dances.

Shire River water way in Liwonde

Liwonde lies at the southern end of Lake Malawi and borders Lake Malombe. Its vegetation includes riverine swamps, deciduous woodlands in the low-lying areas, mopane woodlands on the higher regions, and open grassland. These diverse habitats result in some of the most scenic game viewing in Malawi. Liwonde reputedly has the best bird watching in Southern Africa.

Liwonde National Park was also the home of a massive wildlife translocation. The park was the victim of the highest level of human-wildlife conflict in the whole region. Testament to this were the tens of thousands of snares that needed to be removed. With more snares than animals, poaching in the park led to elephants and crocodiles retaliating by killing a number of people.

In partnership with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), African Parks started to manage Liwonde. The first order of business was to construct an electric fence. A year later, 336 elephants were relocated from Liwonde to the Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve, one of the largest translocations ever. The result was to reduce the effects of overpopulation on the vegetation of Liwonde and to reduce the instances of human-wildlife conflict. During the process of bringing poaching under control, some 36000 snares have been removed since 2015.

Once the security of the park was reinstated, in 2017, Cheetahs were reintroduced into Liwonde, as well as a seed population of ten lions in 2018 both from both the Majete and from South Africa. This whole project has seen these populations thrive.

Oryx on the Nyika Plateau

The Nyika Plateau is found in a section of northern Malawi, and a small portion in north-eastern Zambia. The highest point is Nganda Peak at 2605 m, but the average elevation is between 2100 and 2200 m. It is roughly shaped like a diamond with its north-south axis measuring 90 km, and an east-west axis of 50 km. It towers above Lake Malawi (475 m), Livingstonia, and Chilumba. It is very different to other parts of Malawi, being a combination of rolling hills with streams, broad valleys, and rough grasslands with clumps of pine trees.

It is renowned for its wildlife, which species include Crawshay’s zebras, reed and bushbuck, roan antelope, eland, klipspringers, duikers, and warthogs. Jackals, hyenas, and leopards are also found in the area, but are rarely seen. It is also well-known for its endemic butterfly species, its birdlife, chameleons, frogs, and toads (Nyika dwarf toad), not to mention its splendid orchids. Nyika National Park protects the fauna and flora of the Nyika Plateau.

Zomba Massif

The Zomba Plateau is dominated by the Zomba Massif, which rises up to 2087 m. While the slopes are dotted with forests of cedar, pine, and cypress, the rest of the area is wild with a mixture of types of vegetation. The plateau has many streams, waterfalls, and lakes. If you have a 4×4 vehicle, there are navigable tracks right around the top with views that were described in colonial times as “the best in the British Empire”.

Other activities include walking trails, rock climbing, and hikes into the forest with a local guide. Horse riding and mountain biking round out an already impressive list.

A range of inselbergs, which include Mulanje, rise out of plains below. As a result of their elevation and shape, rainfall on the one side of the mountain is significantly different to the other. Almost four times more rain falls on top than on the south lower levels, and the rivers that start on the top feed in almost all of the southern parts of the country.

Mulanje’s lower levels are characterised by densely forested gorges and open grasslands. Different species of birds can be found in each, depending on their preferred habitat. The Mulanje Mountain Forest Reserve encompasses the whole mountain, and is home to butterflies, dwarf chameleon, a rare skink species and bird species, such as the white-winged apalis, Bertand’s weaver, buzzards, white-tailed crested flycatcher, and white-necked ravens. The endangered Mulanje cypress is found here.

We really recommend that you visit a tea plantation, found on the slopes of these mountains, to learn how they are grown, picked, and cured. The wildlife includes leopard, but sightings are rare; giant butterflies; and, on the lower slopes, baboons. Birdlife is quite prolific and includes the long-crested eagle and augur buzzard.