This trip visits the main attractions of Malawi and at each place we will use the services of the best local guides in the country.
Day 1: Luwawa Forest Lodge.
Arrive Lilongwe and meet vehicle and guide and caterer. Drive approximately 4 hours north to overnight at picturesque Luwawa Forest Lodge in the Viphya Mountains-. Comfortable en suite accommodation. Luwawa is set in a pine plantation but with patches of indigenous forest nearby-great walking and also birding.
Local guide: George Wardlow.
Day 2: Lake Kazuni Safari Camp – Vwaza Marsh Game Reserve.
Continue north to Lake Kazuni Safari Camp for 2 nights full board. Situated in Vwaza Marsh Game Reserve this simple camp offers en suite grass chalets and a central dining boma overlooking the Lake -the reserve has healthy buffalo and elephant populations and also puku, kudu, and impala. Water Birds are a speciality.
Local guide: David Foot.
Day 3: Lake Kazuni Safari Camp.
Day 4: Chelinda Lodge – Nyika National Park.
A drive of about 5 hours today to the Nyika. Nyika National Park is scenically Malawi’s most spectacular wild area. It boasts an incredible mixture of scenery and landscapes – pristine brachystegia woodland, mature montane forest patches, crystal clear running streams and miles and miles of open rolling grassland. Being situated at a mean height of over 2,000 metres guarantees a permanently temperate climate which is of particular contrast to the lakeshore areas of Malawi. Days can be spent walking, game driving and relaxing at the lodge.
There are also horse-riding opportunities for keen riders. Game that can be spotted includes Burchell’s Zebra, Roan antelope, Common reedbuck, Eland, Bushbuck, Warthog, leopard, hyena, side-striped jackal and serval. Birdlife is prolific, ‘Specials’ include Churring and Mountain cisticolas, Red-tufted malachite sunbird, Fulleborn’s black bou-bou, Bar-tailed trogon, Mountain nightjar and several species of Bulbul which occur deep in the canopy of the forests.
With panoramic views over the rolling grasslands of the Nyika Plateau, Chelinda Lodge has one of the most magnificent settings in Africa. Sixteen guests can be accommodated in eight individual en-suite log cabins, each with its own log fire.
Local guide: David Foot.
Days 5 and 6: Chelinda Lodge.
Day 7: Chintheche Inn – Northern Lakeshore
Transfer by road to Chintheche Inn. This journey takes 7 hours. Chintheche Inn is spectacularly situated on the northern shores of Lake Malawi. The Inn offers en suite rooms for a maximum of 20 persons. Each room overlooks a white sandy beach and the Inn offers excellent swimming and interesting beach walks. The Inn has an excellent reputation for fine cuisine and offers a full bar. Snorkelling, swimming, boating opportunities exist at available at the Inn and local excursions can easily be arranged - diving, points of local interest and cultural safaris.
Local guide: George Chirwa.
Days 8 and 9: Chintheche Inn.
Day 10: Mvuu Wilderness Lodge - Liwonde National Park.
A long drive today heading south along the lakeshore to Mvuu. The Lodge is situated in the heart of Liwonde National Park on the banks of a quiet lagoon flowing off the Shire River. It offers comfortable tented accommodation in spacious ‘Hemingway’-styled safari tents, with own en suite facilities for a maximum of 10 guests.
Each tent has its own private viewing platform and is discreetly hidden between the thick undergrowth bordering the lagoon. The lodge has a swimming pool, sun deck and al fresco-dining platform overlooking the river and lagoon.
Game activities centre around game drives by day and by night in open vehicles, walks and boat safaris, a unique activity at Mvuu. We explore the Shire River and lagoons - an excellent opportunity for sightings of elephants, hippo, crocodile and bird life. Birding is rewarding - specialties include Lillian’s lovebird, brown breasted barbet, osprey, palmnut vulture, Pels fishing owl and Livingstone’s flycatcher.
Local guide: Jim Katengu.
Days 11 and 12: Mvuu Lodge
While at Mvuu we will also visit the local school we sponsor at Kafulafula and the surrounding villages.
Days 13 and 14: Ku Chawe Inn - Zomba Plateau
A short drive south to Zomba . Ku Chawe Inn has one of the most spectacular settings in Africa. It is perched 2000 metres up on the steep edges of Zomba Mountain. The hotel has recently been completely refurbished and boasts spacious en suite rooms with cosy fireplaces. Being so high, the weather is pleasantly cool in the hot months and can be chilly at night in the winter.
In fact, Zombas development as the old British Capital is entirely due to the temperate climate on the plateau. The mountain was settled by the British in the late 19th century as a respite from the heat of the low lying plains, in a similar fashion to the hill stations of India.
Zomba Mountain is in fact a large massif and offers fantastic scenery, forests of both plantation pine and indigenous woodland, clear running streams and excellent walking and bird watching. Within easy walking of the hotel are the newly constructed Mulunguzi Dam, and the Trout Farm and for those with a 4 wheel drive vehicle, or for very fit hikers we suggest visits to Chingwes Hole, Epmperors View and Queens View.
Local guide: Everlasting Nyirenda.
Day 15: Departure
A 4-hour drive to Lilongwe today and your flight out.
