Wildlife Tours to Malawi MALAWI & ZAMBIA
Carmine Bee-eaters, South Luangwa 2009 © Papyrus Tours
| Tour Ref. | Days | Dates | Party Size |
Cost |
Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLZ1/12 | 16 | Tuesday 2nd to Wednesday 17th October 2012 | 8 plus leader | £4775 (£485)* | TBA |
*Single room supplement.
Tour Destinations :
- Lilongwe
- Lake Malawi
- Liwonde National Park
- Majete Wildlife Reserve
- South Luangwa National Park
Tour Summary
Malawi & Zambia
Our journey begins in Lilongwe where we have an afternoon to relax bird watching in the grounds of Kumbali Lodge after our overnight flight from the UK. The following morning we transfer to the shores of Lake Malawi for a two night stay, beginning our stay with an afternoon boat trip which will give us chance to see some of the hundreds of mainly endemic cichlid fish in the lake. Day 4 of the tour combines bird watching in the wetlands backing the lake side with a visit to the Kuti Community Wildlife Park which is host to a variety of mammals including Giraffe, Zebra, Nyala, Duiker and Bushbuck along with numerous bird species.
Hippo with Red-billed Oxpeckers, Liwonde NP 2009 © Papyrus Tours
Our next stop is the Liwonde National Park where our lodge is wonderfully located on the banks of the Shire River. Our time here will be divided between jeep and boat safaris on the Shire and we are sure to enjoy some superb bird and mammal watching.
The boat safaris are particularly good for providing excellent sightings of Elephant, Crocodile and Hippos. Animals such as Impala, Bushbuck, Waterbuck, Kudu, Sable Antelope and Hyaena are also encountered. Bird watching is excellent with numerous interesting species, including Bohms Bee eater, Palmnut Vulture and Pels Fishing Owl. The park has a wide range of habitats within a relatively small area including marshes, floodplain, mature riverine thickets and mopane woodlands
After a final game drive in Liwonde, we make the road transfer to Majete Wildlife Reserve which is host to a growing number of mammal species and an excellent variety of birds. Drives and walks in the woodland areas should see a steady increase in our species count before we make the short transfer to Blantyre in order to catch a flight from there to Mfuwe, the gate way to Zambia’s South Luangwa, arguably one of the greatest wildlife sanctuaries in the world.
Our time in South Luangwa will be devoted to morning and afternoon game drives amongst the rich vegetation which supports a large variety of mammals and birds. The dominant antelope are Impala and Puku but we should also find Bushbuck, Eland and Greater Kudu in good numbers. There are large herds of Elephant, Buffalo, Wildebeest and Zebra along with the local giraffe species, Thornicroft Giraffe. When we add to this Lion and Leopard, some excellent bird watching, including the promise of a Carmine Bee Eater colony on the river bank, and the opportunity to conduct night game drives it is clear that South Luangwa has a great deal to offer.
Thornicroft Giraffes, Puku and Yellow Baboon, South Luangwa 2009 © Papyrus Tours
Itinerary
Itinerary
Day 1 : Depart from London for Lilongwe via Nairobi, flying overnight.
Day 2 : Arrive at Lilongwe International Airport and transfer to Kumbali Country Lodge located on a 650ha working farm on the outskirts of the city. Afternoon bird watching walk on the farm. Overnight Kumbali Country Lodge.
Day 3 : After an early morning walk at the lodge, depart for Lake Malawi where we will arrive in time for an afternoon boat trip on the lake. Overnight Livingstonia Beach Hotel.
Day 4 : A full day trip to the Kuti Community Wildlife Park, calling for bird watching in the wetlands en route. Overnight Livingstonia Beach Hotel.
Day 5 : Transfer to Liwonde National Park, the country’s premier wildlife park boasting most of the mammal species found in Malawi. Game activities centre around drives in open vehicles and the very popular boat safaris. The birdlife is prolific and although the mammal list may be smaller than, for instance, those in the Kenyan reserves the boat safaris give a wonderful additional dimension to our stay allowing us to enjoy excellent views of the park’s big populations of Elephant, Hippos and Crocodiles from the river. Overnight accommodation is in Mvuu Camp, situated on the bank of the Shire River.
Days 6 & 7 : Two full days to explore Liwonde National Park by boat, vehicles or on foot. Overnight Mvuu Camp.
Day 8 : Drive via Zomba and Blantyre to Majete Wildlife Reserve where there will be an evening game drive before the first of two nights at Thawale Camp.
Pied Kingfisher, Shire River, Mvuu 2009 © Papyrus Tours
Day 9 : Morning and afternoon drives and/or walks in the reserve. Overnight Thawale Camp.
Day 10 : After a final walk in Majete, depart after breakfast for Blantyre to board our aircraft for the 2 hour flight to Mfuwe, Zambia. A short road transfer tales us to Thornicroft Lodge by the late afternoon but there will be time for an evening game drive before the first of four nights there.
Days 11–13 : Three full days to explore this superb wildlife location on morning, afternoon and night game drives. Overnight Thornicroft Lodge.
Nile Crocodile, Mvuu 2009 © Papyrus Tours
Day 14 : After a final drive in South Luangwa, depending on flight times, depart from Mfuwe for Lilongwe, transferring on arrival to Kumbali Lodge for overnight. If the flight is a morning departure, a walk in Kumbali will replace the final drive in South Luangwa.
Day 15 : Transfer to Lilongwe International Airport late in the morning to catch your flight to Nairobi where you will arrive in the late afternoon. A Kenyan transit visa will allow us to visit a city centre hotel for evening dinner before you retrace your steps to the airport for your late evening departure to London.
Day 16 : Arrive in London in the early morning.
Bohm's Bee-eater, Mvuu Lodge 2009 © Papyrus Tours