Malawi safari, tailor made
| country: | Malawi |
| departures: | This trip can be arranged at any time to suit you and adapted to your requirements. We'll be happy to send you a brochure containing more information |
| price: | From £2761 (17 days) including flights from UK, transfers, meals, activities and park fees. This trip can also be booked without flights |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
To experience a country with a great big smile, you have to experience Malawian hospitality. Malawi lies at the southern end of Africa's Great Rift Valley. It's a densely populated country, with lots of small traditional farms, and famously friendly people. Just watch local children playing around the lake to understand why Malawi is called the 'Warm Heart of Africa'.
The heart of the country is Lake Malawi, with clear mineral-rich waters which stretch for over 300 miles. These teem with a myriad of cichlid fish, most of which are endemic and brightly coloured. Around its shores are palm-fringed golden beaches, rocky islands and several good hotels in secluded coves.
This is an example of the itinerary we can put together for you which can be arranged at any time to suit you and adapted to your requirements.
The heart of the country is Lake Malawi, with clear mineral-rich waters which stretch for over 300 miles. These teem with a myriad of cichlid fish, most of which are endemic and brightly coloured. Around its shores are palm-fringed golden beaches, rocky islands and several good hotels in secluded coves.
This is an example of the itinerary we can put together for you which can be arranged at any time to suit you and adapted to your requirements.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Leave London Gatwick via a scheduled flight bound for Lilongwe. |
| Day 2-5: | You arrive in Lilongwe and fly to Chelinda Camp in the depths of Nyika Plateau. For years we’ve worked closely with the small, simple Chelinda Camp on Nyika. It’s in a lovely location beside a small dam and is well run by the local Nyika Safari Company. The camp and the lodge organise 4WD drives, mountain biking and fly-fishing activities. But to get the best from Nyika, you can spend time walking or horse riding. Walking can be done on your own or with guides. For riding you can rely on Chelinda’s stables, which has over 20 horses catering to riders of all ages and abilities. |
| Day 6-8: | A scenic drive takes you to Kazuni Camp where you will spend three nights in the stunning Vwaza Marsh. Effectively an extension of the Luangwa Valley, the game moves between Zambia and Malawi, so you'll usually find migrant herds of elephant and buffalo here. Kazuni Camp is a small reed-and-thatch bushcamp with just 4 en suite chalets overlooking the picturesque Lake Kazuni. It’s a lovely spot, and the bird-watching is superb; walks through woodlands and along the river are fascinating, and there is also a network of drives. |
| Day 9-12: | Much of this day will be driving from Kazuni via Lilongwe to the Livingstonia Beach Hotel – a long but very scenic drive down to the lake. As you would expect the hotel is right on the beach. It has 27 colonial-style rooms set amongst beautifully kept gardens beside the lake. These are spacious and well appointed, with en suite facilities and fans. The Livingstonia’s cuisine is elaborate and enjoyable and its service very attentive. Despite its quiet atmosphere, there is lots to do here if you wish - including water skiing, snorkelling, scuba diving, sailing, canoeing, fishing, tennis, walks or perhaps a trip to Stewart Grant’s fascinating tropical fish farm. The emphasis here is to soak up the peace and tranquility of the lake. |
| Day 13-15: | Drive south along the lake shore to Mvuu Wilderness Lodge for the last three nights of your trip. Here you’ll find plenty of hippos and crocodiles, plus elephant, waterbuck, bushbuck, impala and beautiful sable. Mvuu provides the perfect base from which to explore Liwonde National Park, by 4WD game drives (day and night), guided walks and wonderful river trips by motor boat. The rich birdlife includes species from East and Southern Africa – Boehm’s bee-eater, the palmnut vulture, Pel’s fishing owl and Livingstone’s flycatcher. While Liwonde isn’t the biggest game park in Africa, it has a very tropical, winning atmosphere and first-class bird-watching. |
| Day 16: | After a last morning's activities, you’ll drive back to Lilongwe for your return flight home. |
| Day 17: | Arrive back into the UK’s Gatwick airport in the early morning. |
travellers' tales
The most memorable part of the holiday was the church service we attended on the small island of Likoma in Malawi where the children processed singing, dancing and playing the drums and we were individually warmly welcomed during the service. (more)
Ligwangwa Village in the Machinga District of Southern Malawi
Adventurous travellers may want to talk to us about extending their trip to visit the cultural village on the western side of Liwonde National Park. In collaboration with this vigorous community a new and exciting project has been created for 2001.A committee formed from all the villages west of Liwonde National Park got together this year and identified a site where 3 traditional mud huts have been constructed. Now we are able offer our guests the experience of a night in a typical rural Malawian village. Local food, usually ground nuts, maize, cassava and occasionally fish is eaten, and guests sleep in the mud hut. The only concession to comfort is a decent mattress and mosquito net. For each bednight provided to Ligwangwa we charge you $50 and all of this less a small administration fee is given to the village who collectively decide how to spend it.how this holiday makes a difference
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The focus of this trip is to support and promote small Malawian companies such as the Nyika Safari Company and Central African Wilderness Safaris. These organisations protect important wilderness areas within this densely populated country, enabling the conservation of uncommon and endemic species such as the roan and eland antelope, butterflies, chameleons and orchids in Nyika – as well as generating a direct income for Malawi and the people who work for them.
Three nights of this tour are spent at Kazuni Camp in Vwaza Marsh National Park. The lodge has been expertly designed to minimise contamination of the local environment. Like most of Malawi's lodges that we use, it believes in supporting the local people wherever possible - the vast majority of its staff being employed from the local community, and almost all of its produce is bought locally. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |