Malawi | Liwonde National Park
The south of Malawi has various places of interest for fans of game and nature. Liwonde National Park is arguably the best park in Malawi, boasting the Big Five and other game, in addition to hundreds of birds. At an altitude of 2000 metres, Zomba Plateau is a wonderfully cool destination, with breathtaking views. Why not also visit the market at the former capital, Zomba, on your way to the plateau? Or you could brave the elements at Mount Mulanje and climb Sapitwa Peak.
Liwonde National Park's attractions not only include the huge Shire River, lagoons and swamps, but also open grass fields and hills. It is the only park in Malawi where you will encounter all of the Big Five. The reserve is an eldorado for birdwatchers: the record of sightings currently stands at 266 different species in the space of two days!
The enormous variety of bird species is due to the mix of habitats in: riverbanks, mopane woodlands and grass plains. Large numbers of hippos and crocodiles thrive in and along the river, and many animals come to drink at the river including zebra, impala and many types of antelope. It's a known fact that the elephants come and swim in the river now and then, even - in the rainy season - when there is enough water elsewhere in the park. Two black rhinos have also recently been reintroduced in Liwonde National Park. Although the Big Five are not as abundant here as in other parts of Africa, with a bit of luck you will come across all five of them.
You can take boat trips or walks through this incredible landscape and night safaris are also an option. Since it's easy to overlook the small game among the larger game, exceptionally well-trained guides are at hand to point these out the abundance of small game and reptiles, such as dwarf chameleons. In the rainy season you will be taken to the park by boat; all you need to do when you're on the jetty at the opposite side of the river is raise a red flag, and someone will come and collect you fairly quickly.
You can travel by steamboat from the park across the Shire River to the north. The Shire flows southwards, eventually merging into the Zambezi River.
If you need to cool off, the Zomba Plateau is a great destination - similar to the Nyika Plateau in the north of Malawi. On your journey to the Zomba Plateau, you might like to visit the market in Zomba, which is a large village at the foot of the plateau that was once the capital of Malawi. The Zomba Plateau is 2000 metres above sea level and it is a beautiful walking area inhabited by many birds. Fortunately, there is still plenty of endemic woodland in between the pine forests: cypress and cedar trees, variegated with mixed vegetation. The plateau is fed by rivers and streams, in which you can fish for trout during the fishing season; there are also waterfalls and small lakes.
A newly laid road takes you up to the plateau, where you can explore and savour the views across Lake Malawi in the fabulously cool environment. There are also other places that offer spectacular views, such as Emperor's View, which looks out over Lake Chilwa to Mozambique, or Queen's View, which looks out over Phalombe Plain. With a little luck, you'll also see one or two leopards; however, giant butterflies are far more abundant. You may also encounter eagles and buzzards or some of the baboons that live further down the slopes.
Malawi has many free-standing rocks. Mount Mulanje is a solid piece of granite, which has a length of 1000 metres and separate climate as a result of its great altitude. Here you will find the highest peak (3000 metres) in southeast Africa: the so-called ‘'Sapitwa'', which means ‘do not go there'. This warning about climbing the mountain relates to the sudden mist that can fall and the fact that you can get terribly lost on your way. This doesn't prevent mountain climbers from climbing to the top, however. Mount Mulanje is also perfect for great hiking trips; you can traverse the entire massif in three to four days.
On your journey to Mulanje you will be inundated by green tea fields and in Blantyre you will have the opportunity to go on an extremely worthwhile excursion through one of the tea plantations.
