It is 5AM and we wish our morning coffee cold on the beach while watching the rising sun paint the sky purple over the lake of a million stars, as David Livingstone once called it. Nearby the sound of playing children mixes with chickens as bypassing strangers smile hello. One thing that you quickly learn about Malawi is that there is no such thing as lazy late mornings. The stifling humidity and heat sees to that. Everyone is up well before sunrise so that by the time the sun peeks over the lake’s horizon, the day’s chores and tasks are already underway.
We had entered Malawi at its northernmost border where we had an encounter of the Murphian kind when we could not track down a single border-lurking tout to exchange our Tanzanian shillings – something we usually try avoid. Fortunately, a friendly Tanzanian farmer enroute to Malawi helped us out, knowing a desperate couple when he saw one. He also happened to know meat-deprived South Africans when he saw them, and promptly proposed a braai that evening at our campsite with boerewors fresh from the farm. Needless to say, it was a feast to remember!
Our first few nights were spent on the lake’s edge, simply taking in the beautiful landscape around us. Lake Malawi is imposing – it is Africa’s third largest and also known as the calendar lake owing to it being 365 miles long and 52 miles wide. With the waves gently breaking and swaying palm trees often fringing white beaches you would be forgiven imagining you landed on some exotic island. But no, you are right here in the heart of Africa, complete with Fish Eagle calls, fish drying racks on beaches, and more smiles than you could imagine on any island.
We made our way up a winding mountain pass to Livingstonia, the fascinating town founded by missionaries more than a century ago and where an influential university and hospital is located. Camping on the very edge of the escarpment at the nearby Mushroom Farm, we tried and loved their delicious food made from homegrown fresh produce. We also stopped by the Yewo workshop next door, an inspirational small jewellery company employing local artisans who not only help design new pieces, but craft them with the amazing artisan skills which Malawian are famous for.
Winding through the mountains of the Nyika Plateau, we headed to the Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve. The reserve protects a wide range of habitats including low-lying wetlands and is located in an isolated region on the Zambian border. It is therefore a place with great potential and high biodiversity, but also with poaching challenges. We camped under a lakeside sausage tree where we discovered practically that grass-loving hippos are also fond of fallen sausage fruits at night. Not a safe place to answer nature’s calls at midnight!
The road took us further down the country, passing countless drought-stricken villages where the locals always waved and smiled at us despite their obviously difficult circumstances. We overnighted on the outskirts of Mzuzu where an Italian expat makes authentically delicious pizza and the nearby army training base’s shooting range gunshots terrifies the yard turkeys – only in Africa. Upon reaching the lakeshore again we slowly worked our way along it, in a sort of beach camp-crawl. We snorkelled in the crystal waters of Makuzi, lazed around the sandy beach of Ngala, and enjoyed the fascinating stories of the owners at Norman Carr Cottages.
We stopped at the Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve along the way. This was once a very game-rich area, as written by ex-game warden Guy Muldoon in his memoir Leopards in the Night. Sadly, the park suffered great setbacks over the years, until recently when African Parks took over. Nkhotakota saw Africa’s greatest elephant translocation project over the last few years and is getting stronger by the day – a true beacon of hope in conservation.
Liwonde National Park was our southernmost destination in Malawi, and we set up camp in the delightful and unfenced Liwonde Safari Camp where elephants strolled through camp every night. One bull even surprised us in the footpath one morning on the way to one of the camp hides – luckily he was equally surprised and headed for the mopanis.
Liwonde is a truly beautiful reserve. Driving through mopani veld we saw majestic sables, herds of buffalo and resting lions. But the floodplains and palm-studded banks of the Shire river is the crown in the landscape jewels of Liwonde. Large herds of elephant browse along the water’s edge, hundreds of waterbuck dot the floodplains, hippos work the waterways and countless birds forage in the branches overhead. We even chanced upon another pride of lions close by and spent an afternoon with the great cats having an ice-cold Carlsberg (incidentally, Malawi is the only country outside Denmark with a Carlsberg brewery). The lions of Liwonde seem to specialise in the abundant waterbuck judging by the various carcasses we saw – all hollowed out to cleverly avoid their bitter-tasting skin glands. This unique and inspirational reserve will hopefully see us again one day!
Back on the beach we take a last sip of coffee before getting up. Rising early makes the road short – so says the Malawians and today we will try it. Malawi has shown us many wonders during our time here. It has shown us lakeshores, landscapes and sunrises to cherish. It has shown us that friendliness and the human spirit can transcend poverty. It has shown us how conservation is not a lost cause. The warm heart of Africa beats steadily as we point Baloo westwards and smile, just as everyone around us do.
Trip tips:
- Make sure your fuel tanks and jerry cans are full before entering Malawi. There are often shortages and fuel is generally much more expensive than the surrounding countries.
- Stock up on food before entering Malawi – local produce is often limited, and supermarkets expensive.
- You will get a better exchange rate for your dollars at border-post money changers than at ATMs – that is, if you can track one down. Just make sure to count your money carefully to make sure you are not done in!
- Liwonde National Park: you cannot camp inside the park anymore, but the Liwonde Safari Camp is unfenced just inside the park’s borders, even though it is access from outside so park fees don’t apply – a great camping hack if you ask us!
- Visit the Yewo Collective’s workshop for a great local artisan experience: https://www.yewocollective.com/
- Some campsites we really enjoyed in Malawi:
Makuzi Beach: https://www.makuzibeachlodge.com/
King’s Highway: https://www.kingshighwaymalawi.co.za/
Mushroom Farm: http://www.themushroomfarmmalawi.com/
Rafiki Safari Camp: https://rafikicamp.com/