Malawi Safaris

Malawi’s people are so friendly that the country has earned the name “The Warm Heart of Africa”.  Like Namibia and Uganda, it tends to be a country that people choose for their second or third visit to Africa.  So Malawi is a country for people who know that they love Africa, and when they do visit, the warm welcome and spectacular scenery will only make that love grow deeper.

Malawi is at the Southern tip of the Great Rift Valley, and Lake Malawi is a long “inland sea”, the last of a series of African lakes that runs from Lake Turkana, the “Jade Sea” just south of Sudan, through Kenya and Tanzania.  From the Northern shore of the Lake the green Nyika mountains rise to 8000 feet and further south, great rocky outcrops like the Zomba Plateau are superb bird watching and walking locations with a pleasant mountain climate.  The Ku Chawe Inn on Zomba is a delightful mountain hideaway surrounded by walking trails, while a little lower down are the tea plantations with their old colonial houses.

Lake Malawi is 356 miles long and so wide you can hardly see Mozambique on the far shore.  It is a perfect alternative beach location, and combines very well with a Zambian safari. From the lovely Kaya  Mawa Lodge on Likoma Island you can enjoy snorkelling and diving among the freshwater coral and iridescent fish.  This location is perfect for a safari honeymoon as you will be sharing the island with just a few smiling fishermen and islanders, whose claim to fame is the enormous cathedral built by nineteenth century missionaries.  Other Lakeland hideaways are Nkhata Bay and Karonga where you can enjoy canoeing and a visit to Likoma and Chizumulau Islands on the Mozambican shoreline.

At the southern tip of Lake Malawi in the Liwonde National Park is Mvuu Camp, the country’s main safari lodge.  The abundant water, fabulous birdlife and boating safaris makes Mvuu Camp reminiscent of the Okavango Delta, and you can enjoy sightings of elephant lion, antelope and rhinoceros by open vehicle and on walking safaris.  Like everywhere else in Malawi, the pace is gentle; the people warm hearted and the climate pleasant, so give us a call if you would like to find out more about the Warm Heart of Africa.