WILDLIFE
Upclose with the animals
Compared to more established safari destinations, wildlife-spotting in Malawi can cost as little as a third of the price, and its 11 National Parks and Game reserves are far less crowded.
Nyika National park
It is home to large herds of zebra, eland, roan antelope, sable antelope, lichtenstein's hartebeest, kudu reedbuck, bushbuck, duiker, and warthog.
It is easier to spot animals and the grassland aspect
Kasungu National Park
Situated in the central region of Malawi and covers about 2,000 square km and is at an altitude of 1,000m above sea level. It is home to large herds of elephants, buffalo and zebra. Predators in the Park include lion, hyena, wild dog and serval. The park has also a number of archaeological sites.
Liwonde National Park
Bordered by the Shire River, Liwonde National Park is Malawi's most popular park, and lodges reachable only by boat give the chance of getting up close to frolicking hippos and elephants. The park also has cheaper accommodation and camping facilities available so you can tailor your trip to your budget.
This park is in southern Malawi and is situated in the upper Shire river valley. The park also has a dazzling variety of birds (about 450 species recorded) including the only population of Lillian’s lovebird in Malawi.
Liwonde National Park is home to large herds of elephants, waterbuck and reedbuck. The Shire river has also large herds of hippos (one of the densest concentration in Africa) which can be seen, on boat safaris. Black Rhino, Zebra, Buffalo and Wildebeest, were recently reintroduced in the Park.
Lengwe National Park
Lengwe National Park lies within the lower Shire Valley about 50kms south of Blantyre and bordering to the west with Mozambique. The natural vegetation of the area is mixed woodland and grassy dambo although much of the surrounding area has been turned into a sugarcane plantation. It is probably most famed for the nyala antelope, not found in the other northern parks of Malawi. Other antelope, such as bushbuck, impala, duiker and kudu are found here as well as warthogs, monkeys and baboons.
Lake Malawi National Park
– declared a world Heritage site by UNESCO in 1984, and is the world’s first fresh water marine park and is the largest fresh water reserve in Africa.