Visit Malawi – The Warm Heart of Africa
Malawi is relatively small, landlocked country in East Africa, well-known for its remarkable Lake Malawi and its stunning game reserves.
When people think of Africa, they tend to concentrate on countries like South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Tunisia and other popular tourist spots. However, literally in the heart of Africa is a lesser-known nation with beautiful national parks and landscapes and warm, friendly people. For this reason, Malawi has rightfully been dubbed the “Warm Heart of Africa.”
Lake Malawi National Park
This landlocked country has rolling landscapes, filled with wildlife, as well as scenic highlands, with trickling rivers and waterfalls. The highlands are split by the Great Rift Valley and the huge Lake Malawi.
While Malawi is not a coastal African country, Lake Malawi is a popular spot for swimming, diving and boating. It offers a mixture of sandy and pebble beaches, crystal clear water and beach resorts. Enjoyable boating cruises head out on the lake, allowing visitors to relax on deck as the scenery goes by.
The southern end of the lake falls within Lake Malawi National Park, where diverse wildlife can be seen, including a myriad of around 1,000 species of colorful tropical fish in the lake itself. On the land, baboons, elephants, rhinos and more can be seen. One of the best places to visit on the lake is Cape Maclear, with its popular beach resorts.
Malawi and its game reserves
Besides Lake Malawi National Park, there are a number of game reserves to visit. Here we will cover two of the major and most popular parks to visit for a wildlife, birding and cultural experience.
Nyika National Park
One major visit is Nyika National Park, with its rolling grasslands, home to leopards, bushbuck, zebras and more. This is the largest of Malawi’s parks, with a diverse population of wildlife.
Hyena and jackal are seen here occasionally as well as warthog, bush pig, elephants and buffalo. In some parts of the park, a large number of antelope can be spotted, including roan, eland and duiker. Birdwatchers are spoiled in Nyika, as more than 400 species have been recorded here, including the rare Denham’s bustard, wattled crane and red-winged francolin.
The largest of Malawi’s parks, Nyika includes the great Nyika plateau, a huge dome of “whaleback” hills, interspersed with evergreen forest and pretty streams. The plateau is wonderfully scenic, often shrouded with cloud, and is one of Malawi’s most important water catchment areas. A visit during the rainy season allows beautiful scenes of more than 200 types of orchids growing wild in the park, as well as other pretty wildflowers over the rest of the year.
Nyika is also perfect for adventure sports, like mountain biking, trekking and 4×4 excursions and safaris. Of interest to note, visitors can also see a Neolithic rock shelter, beautiful waterfalls and trout pools for the keen fisherman.
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Liwonde National Park
Liwonde is another national park worthy of mention and is a UNESCO World Heritage List site. While much smaller than Nyika, Liwonde is one of the most popular game parks to visit. The park has a lovely riverside setting, teeming with wildlife.
Located 100 mi (160 km) from the city of Blantyre, wildlife viewing in Liwonde is beautifully enhanced by the River Shire which flows along the western border of the park. This allows for exciting boat safaris, as well as the normal 4×4 and walking safaris.
Wildlife in Liwonde
Here wildlife enthusiast will see large numbers of elephants while in the river, many crocodiles and hippos can be seen. African Park have recently reintroduced lion and cheetah to the park, while leopards, black rhino and hyena are also readily seen. Antelope species include sable, kudu and bushbuck.
Birdwatchers are again spoiled here, as the river attracts the iconic fish eagles, while on land, pretty weaver birds build their hanging nests. At dusk on the river’s edge, Pel’s fishing owl is often seen.
Besides the safaris and beautiful scenery to enjoy, this national park also offers a cultural experience with visits to one of the local villages, just outside the boundary of the park. With the friendly and welcoming nature of Malawi’s people, this is a truly enjoyable experience.
Take time out to visit the Warm Heart of Africa and enjoy everything this friendly country has to offer.
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