Malawi

Great For Camping

Malawi is known as the “Warm Heart of Africa” and as people, the Malawians live up to this name. They are extremely friendly and welcoming.
Malawi is one of Africa’s smallest countries but when it comes to exploration and adventure, it has tremendous amounts to offer; from grasslands and forests, mountaintops, unspoilt wildlife parks to Africa’s third largest and most beautiful Lake!

Malawi is a landlocked country, running down the end of the Great Rift Valley. Dominated by Lake Malawi, the third largest lake in Africa, the surrounding country is exceptionally beautiful with dramatic scenery that includes rocky outcrops, high mountains and plateaus.

Situated on the Great Rift Valley, Malawi is dominated by Lake Malawi, a magnificent body of water, 365 miles long and 52 miles wide (hence sometimes referred to as the calendar lake!). It’s teaming with life including over 400 species of cichlid, a lot of which are endemic to it. The wildlife parks in Malawi are picturesque as well as diverse in game. Also, unlike other African parks these have a very exclusive feel to them with only a few lodges operating in each. Areas such as Majete Wildlife Reserve & Liwonde National Park are virtually undiscovered by tourists thus visiting feels more like an expedition, making for unique and exciting safaris.

We currently offer three wonderful camps in Malawi which are all unique and special.  (Mkulumadzi Bush Chalets, Kuthengo Safari Camp and the beautiful Pumulani Villas on Lake Malawi.)  There are also various safari packages including Malawi on offer.   

For the conservation enthusiasts, the Conservation Malawi Safari Package is a must!  (An exploration of African Parks’ journey to rehabilitate Malawi’s wildlife.)

Starting in Majete Wildlife Reserve which was the very first park to enter their portfolio and now home to all the Big 5. In 2016 African Parks (Majete and Liwonde National Park) were able to restock Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve with not only 500 elephants but also several other herbivores. This was the largest and most significant elephant translocation ever seen; bringing much hope to the African elephants whose existence has been heavily threatened by poaching, habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict.

Mkulumadzi Lodge, in Majete Wildlife Reserve enjoys a stunning location on the confluence of two rivers. Majete Wildlife Reserve is one of the outstanding success stories of African conservation – including the reintroduction of endangered species. It has turned into a model of sustainable development and biodiversity. Today, therefore, you will find several beautiful animals. For example, elephants, leopards, rhinos, zebras, antelopes, buffaloes, lions and giraffe are found here. Majete is home to over 300 different species of birds, including four species of vultures and many bateleur eagles. Other bird highlights include the boulder chatterer, Livingstone flycatcher, Boehm’s bee-eater, cuckoo hawk, pel’s fishing owl and rock pratincole.

Home of Tongole Wilderness Lodge, is one of the imaging parks in Malawi, with increased animal populations over the years, especially after African Parks took over its management in 2015. The reserve is home to a variety of wildlife, including elephants, buffalo, and lots of plains game. Visitors can enjoy walking safaris, trekking, or fishing in the reserve. Nkhotakota is also home to some of Malawi’s most important rivers, including the Bua River, which flows through the park and forms streams and waterfalls. For bird lovers, Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve is a true paradise. More than 280 different bird species have been recorded in the reserve, making it an Important Bird Area (IBA) according to Birdlife International. Some of the birds you can spot include giant kingfishers, black storks, fish eagles and palm-nut vultures.

Explore the conservation stories of Malawi–successful collaborations in 3 of the country’s impressive reserves and parks. African Parks has taken on Majete Wildlife Reserve, Liwonde National Park and Nkhotakota and aims to reduce conflict, protect habitat and create premiere wildlife sanctuaries.  Decades of lawlessness and poaching had eradicated the majority of Malawi is wildlife so much so that by the early 1990s, species such as black rhino and cheetah had disappeared and all hope was lost for these species to ever be seen in the wild again.  The tireless efforts of African Parks in conjunction with the National Parks Authority as well as organizations such as Robin Pope Safaris has transformed wastelands such as Majete Wildlife Reserve and the heavily poached Liwonde National Park into wildlife sanctuaries where black rhino, cheetah, lion and many more roam free again.

In 2016 and 2017,African Parks made history in what was the largest and most significant elephant translocation ever seen, up to 500 elephants were moved from Majete National Park and Liwonde National Park across to Nkhotakota. This has brought much hope to the African elephants whose existence has been heavily threatened by poaching, habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict.  Conservation Malawi explores African Parks journey to rehabilitate Malawi’s wildlife and starts off in Majete Wildlife Reserve which was the very first park to enter their portfolio and 15 years on it is the countries only official Big 5 game park and together with Liwonde National Park, was able to restock Nkhotakota National Park with not only 500 elephants but also several other herbivores which is a huge achievement considering Majete Wildlife Reserve had just a handful of small antelope prior to African Parks taking over.