MALAWI
Malawi is both quintessentially African and yet unique. Whether you have been to Africa many times before or it is your first time south of the Sahara, this is an ideal destination. Malawi is one of the friendliest countries in Africa and is renowned for its warm welcome and open smile. It is also quite a small country with good roads, which makes a big difference when it comes to internal travel. It is sufficiently north of South Africa and Namibia and sufficiently south of Kenya to make the flora and fauna surprisingly different from these destinations. It has a huge bird list of more than eight hundred species; four hundred were seen on our first visit. We notched up an impressive mammal list too. The lack of lions allows us to do a lot of birding on foot. Mammals we hope to see include Elephant, Hippopotamus, Buffalo, Spotted Hyaena, Warthog, Burchell’s Zebra, Leopard and many more.
Lilongwe may be the political capital of Malawi but it is the smallest, sleepiest capital we have ever visited. As such it makes a great base for the first couple of nights. Even large mammals like Spotted Hyaena can be found well inside the city. Lilongwe Nature Sanctuary holds an impressive array of birds such as White-backed Night-heron, Hildebrandt’s Francolin, Schalow’s Turaco, Half-collared Kingfisher, Green-winged Pytilia and Peter’s Twinspot.
Our lodge is brand new and actually within the sanctuary. Wildlife is all around us from day one.
After two nights at Lilongwe we will head north to Vwaza Marsh Game Reserve. Just an hour outside Lilongwe we will stop at Bua River where we should see many waders, herons, hirundines and weavers. Other birds expected during the day include Yellow-billed Duck, Red-billed Duck, Southern Pochard, African Marsh Harrier, African Hawk-eagle, Black Crake, Red-knobbed Coot, Lesser Jacana, Greater Painted Snipe, Three-banded Plover, Marsh Owl, Chestnut-backed Sparrow-lark and Fischer’s Sparrow-lark.
We will spend three nights within the reserve at Kazuni Lake Camp. This is a superbly situated camp. All the chalets look out on to the lake where Elephants, Buffalo and several species of antelope come to drink. Hippos wallow in the shallows and Spotted Hyaenas and Verreaux’s Eagle Owl can be heard from your bed. We will do some optional night drives and stand a good chance of mammals such as Leopard, Spotted Hyaena, Porcupine, Civet, Genet and Thick-tailed Mongoose.
During the day it is possible to do both walking and jeep safaris in the immediate environs of the camp. Yellow-billed Stork, Sacred Ibis, Hadada Ibis, African Spoonbill, ducks, geese and waders fringe the water’s edge. Red-necked Francolin and Helmeted Guineafowl scuttle through the open woodland which is home to many smaller birds such as White Helmetshrike, Pale Batis and White-starred Robin.
There is only about 50km distance between Vwaza Reserve and the Nyika National Park, the most northerly park in Malawi. However we will spend the whole day leisurely birding the two parks, before arriving at Chelinda Lodge for a two night stay. Nyika has a different feel to the rest of Malawi, being situated on a high plateau and having a much more open nature. It gets cold at night and all the rooms have blazing log fires. At Nyika we should see large herds of the huge Eland Antelope along with smaller numbers of Burchell’s Zebra, Reedbuck and the beautiful Roan Antelope.
Birds of prey include Pallid Harrier, Dark Chanting Goshawk, Rufous-chested Sparrowhawk, Augur Buzzard, Wahlberg’s Eagle and Verreaux’s Eagle. A small population of Wattled Crane are still hanging on here and we had superb views of this extraordinary bird on our last visit. Other specialities of the area include Red-winged Francolin, Denham’s Bustard, Pennant-winged Nightjar, Bar-tailed Trogon, Moustached Tinkerbird, Angola Swallow, Blue Swallow, Bar-throated Apalis, Cinnamon Bracken-warbler, Mountain Yellow Warbler and Malawi Batis…to name but a few!
Malawi is famous for the huge lake that takes up almost a third of the surface area of the country. Our base for two nights is Makuzi Beach, which lies approximately half way down the western edge of the lake. It is a pleasant drive down to the shore from our high starting point and there will be plenty of opportunities to stop on the way. The lake itself has a huge range of fish but is not renowned for its wetland birds. However, the hinterland behind the lake offers a range of excellent habitats from the delightful Miombo forests with their open nature to much thicker evergreen forests as well as ricefields and pasture lands. Birds include Hammerkop, Palm-nut Vulture, Brown Snake-eagle, Tambourine Dove, African Barred Owlet, Pennant-winged Nightjar and Black-collared Barbet.
We will then have four nights at the superb Mvuu Camp in Liwonde National Park. The Shire River is the only outlet from Lake Malawi and the Liwonde Reserve encompasses the huge wetlands that surround it just to the south of the lake. We take a boat across to the camp where the gardens run down to the river. This area has the highest density of Hippos anywhere in the world, and we will get amazingly close views. They even come on to the hotel lawns during the night. Many birds can be seen around the grounds. Pel’s Fishing Owl is regularly seen from the restaurant and we have also seen them fishing during an evening boat trip. We will take trips both upstream and downstream of the lodge as well as an evening trip. Besides abundant Nile Crocodiles and Hippos, birds should include many species of heron, ibis and stork, including the amazing Saddle-billed Stork. Water Thick-knees and Long-toed Lapwings can be seen along the banks. In the trees are Lilian’s Lovebird and the rather secretive Brown-headed Parrot. Half a dozen species of kingfisher and several species of bee-eater can also be seen. A speciality is the rare Boehm’s Bee-eater which is actually both common and confiding around the grounds. They nest in burrows dug directly into the ground, sometimes in the middle of the dirt tracks used by the safari jeeps!
Elephants are very common here and though we are allowed to wander around on foot we are always accompanied by an experienced tracker. A large area of the park has also been protected by a security fence where Black Rhino breed. Sable Antelope are regularly sighted and Lions occasionally cross over the border from Mozambique.
After four nights here we will spend a leisurely day driving through the park to spend our last night back in Lilongwe. The following morning we will head to the airport in good time for our flight home.
We are also arranging an extension at the end of the trip for an extra four nights, visiting South Luanga National Park, just over the border in Zambia. This area is superb for mammals and the accommodation is of a high standard. Please phone our office for details.
Breakfast will mostly be taken early (7:30am or earlier). On other days it may be taken later to give us time to do pre-breakfast walks. Due to the fairly high mid-day temperatures we plan to do morning and evening excursions, with time off in between to siesta. Except on travelling days, lunch will normally be taken at the lodges or at a restaurant. Travelling is made a pleasure due to the high standard of roads and small size of the country. Basic fitness is all that is required. There will be a little optional, uphill walking at Nyika. Otherwise the terrain is fairly flat.
Full-board accommodation is provided, with two nights at Lilongwe Sanctuary Lodge, three nights at Kazuni Lake Camp at Vwaza Marsh, two nights at Chelinda Lodge, Nyika, two nights at Makuzi Beach Lodge on the shore of Lake Malawi, four nights at Mvuu Camp in Liwonde National Park and one night back at Kumbali Lodge, Lilongwe. All rooms have en suite facilities. The standard of food is good and Malawians like the full English breakfast rather than the continental style.
PRICE INCLUDES …..
All birdwatching excursions with expert leader and local guides, full-board accommodation, soft drinks at meal times, local transport by mini-bus and safari Land Cruisers, all boat trips, site entrance fees, international flights and airport taxes.
Our optional travel insurance, payable at the time of booking. Items of a personal nature, alcoholic drinks, laundry.
Flights are from London Heathrow to Lilongwe (via Nairobi), using the scheduled services of Kenya Airways. Outbound flight departs mid-evening, return flight arrives back early morning. Shuttle flights are available on this tour for £70 return (due at time of booking), from Manchester and other regional airports.
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16 nights including two overnight flights:
4 night optional Zambia extension to:
Principal leader:
Local guide:
Maximum group size:
Cost with discount (if you book before 20th June 2007):
Full Cost:
Single supplement:
Extension cost:
Deposit:
Insurance premium:
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3rd to 19th October 2008
23rd October 2008
Andrew Woodall
Ben Mwapeyah
10 clients with one leader and a local guide
£2990 per person sharing
£3140 per person sharing
£340
£490 per person sharing £75 single supplement
£300
£59 due at time of booking (£89 for age 65 to 69) (£118 for age 70 and over)
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African Skimmer
For photos of our 2007 tour click here.