Incredible Malawi

Malawi is a small landlocked country in southeast Africa. It is dominated by Lake Malawi which covers about a third of the country. It is known as the ‘warm heart of Africa’ for its friendly people. Malawi does not have many safari destinations and is less visited than neighbouring Tanzania. Most of life is centred on the Lake which teems with many species of fish including brightly coloured cichlids. Most of Malawi is covered by rolling farmlands and smallholdings.

Off the eastern shore of the Lake is Likoma Island: a little piece of Malawian territory in Mozambican waters. Its history – the setting up here of the headquarters of the University Mission to Central Africa (Livingstone’s mission) in the 1880s – caused it to be retained by Malawi when the Lake was divided politically after World War II. Likoma’s claim to fame is its cathedral (the size of Winchester’s) on which work began in 1903. This vast building has some most interesting features including stained glass and carved soapstone.

Liwonde is perhaps the most popular of all the game parks. Game viewing is enhanced because the River Shire flows along its western border, allowing boat safaris as well as the usual ones on foot or in 4x4s. Wildlife includes quite large numbers of elephants and the river attracts countless hippos and crocodiles. Antelope include kudu, sable and bushbuck. There are leopards and hyena and the occasional visiting lion. Black rhino has been re-introduced.

Between Blantyre and Mount Mulanje are the Thyolo (pronounced “Cho’lo”) tea estates. Tea has been grown here since 1908 and the primly trimmed bushes (strictly trees) give the whole area the appearance of a neatly kept but vast garden. By arrangement it is possible to tour some of the estates and see something of the work of these plantations.

Nyika is Malawi’s largest park with an area of no less than 1250 sq miles (3200 sq km). It extends across the great plateau which is essentially a granitic dome and its environment is like none other in the whole of Africa. The rolling scenery is at its best in the rainy season when over 200 types of orchid are in flower. The grasslands of Nyika are rich in wildflowers in other seasons.

Nkhata Bay is at the most northerly point on the Lake reached by David Livingstone. Its small sheltered harbour is a focus for the Lake’s fishing industry but it is also becoming increasingly important as a tourist centre. As a vibrant port town in the North of Malawi, it is often referred to as the gateway to the islands. It has a wonderful carving market and a bustling (almost Caribbean) feel to it