Natural Migrations AFRICAN SAFARI Malawi

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GREAT MALAWI JOURNEY
10 nights/11 days
US$4430 per person sharing ($450 single supplement) Rates valid for 2010

The Great Malawi Journey provides a wonderful perspective of southern Malawi, from its evocative lake to its mighty inselbergs, woodlands and forests. Add to this the fascinating friendly Malawian culture and history to create a well-rounded, seamless experience. Along with these outstanding attractions, this Exploration is enhanced by local guides with tremendous local knowledge. An exceptional aspect of a Malawi safari is the "journey between" - along the road, guests gain an authentic insight into the land: the friendly people, superb scenery, and there is always something of interest to stop off and see.
Please note that if your plane arrives into Blantyre then we reserve the right to visit Lujeri before Zomba. It is also possible to end the trip in Bantyre with a road transfer from Mumbo on the last day.

Day 1: Zomba Forest Lodge, Zomba Mountain, Southern Malawi
On arrival at Lilongwe Airport, you will be met by your guide for the spectacular 4 hour drive south along the western spine of the Great African Rift to Zomba. Leaving town you head up to Zomba Mountain on a spectacular mountain road to Zomba Forest Lodge. The lodge is a cozy, unpretentious colonial forester's house with en-suite rooms and a separate lounge and dining area, all set in beautiful gardens. Zomba was the original capital city of the old British Central African Protectorate and its development as such is entirely due to the temperate climate on the nearby Zomba Mountain, a massive granite massif which dominates the western edge of the town. The mountain was settled by the British in the late 19th century as a respite from the heat of the low-lying plains, in a similar fashion to the hill stations of India. The trip around Zomba will take in the sights and depending on the time of arrival you will probably do a tour of the town before driving up to the mountain. A mountain tour will take place tomorrow morning. In town there are many turn-of-the-20th-century colonial buildings and a trip around the market offers wonderful photographic opportunities - this being one of the busiest and most colorful in Malawi. Witchdoctors, tin smiths and second-hand clothes stalls literally wedged in between the piles of freshly picked fruit and vegetables.

Day 2: Around Zomba
There are many options available today including walking around the plateau, birding and visiting some of the viewpoints which fringe the edge of the plateau. A round trip along the top of the mountain is about 25km and can easily take the best part of a day with constant stopping at points of interest. In the hotter months there are some great swimming spots.

Day 3: Lujeri Lodge, Mulanje Mountain
After breakfast we board the vehicle for the scenic 4 hour drive east to Mulanje Mountain. The journey takes you through the rolling tea fields of the Thyolo district where the early colonial settlers first planted tea in the 1880s. Mulanje Mountain is located about 100km south-east of Blantyre. This Massif is South Central Africa's highest mountain and is a huge block of granite rising 2380m above a largely flat and featureless plain. Hiking is unrivalled up the numerous peaks and along marginal plateaux, which are intersected by deep-forested ravines, in which the most conspicuous tree - Mulanje cedar - attains heights of 150ft. Lujeri Lodge is near to the base of Mount Mulanje on one of the oldest colonial tea estates in the country. The lodge is an old tea estate manager's house and has the old world charm of a bygone era, with a swimming pool as well as fantastic walks around the estate.

Day 4: Lujeri Lodge
Your program today will be decided in discussion with your guide who will have given you the options over last night's dinner. Among these will be some gentle walking along the foothills of the mountain and a tour of the nearby tea factory.

Day 5: Mvuu Wilderness Lodge, Liwonde National Park
After breakfast depart for Liwonde though the village-strewn Phalombe Plain and descend into the Great African Rift Valley to Liwonde Town where you will meet a boat to take you up the Shire River to Mvuu Lodge. Driving time is about 3 hours and the boat journey is 1 hour. Liwonde National Park is considered the finest in Malawi and one of the best birding locations in Africa. It offers some of the most scenic game viewing and beautiful riverine surroundings in the region. A great deal of the terrain is Shire River floodplains, much loved by the healthy population of elephants in this park. Mvuu Wilderness Lodge is situated along the banks of a quiet lagoon flowing off the Shire River. The lodge offers comfortable tented accommodation in 5 spacious 'Hemingway'-styled safari tents for a maximum of 10 guests, each with its own en-suite facilities. The dining room, high above the lagoon on stilts, is a breezy and relaxing place to spend time between activities. There is a pool which is especially welcome during the summer months set amongst shady trees within earshot of hippos in the river. As well as boat safaris, game drives and nature walks enable you to experience a wide range of game, including large numbers of sable antelope, hippo, impala, and waterbuck. Crocodiles and serval are also fairly common.

Days 6 and 7: Mvuu Wilderness Lodge, Liwonde National Park
With 3 nights here you will have plenty of time to explore all the options on offer and there will be a daily routine to suit everyone's interests, including cultural options. The park is surrounded by a large rural community. On the western boundary this begins only a couple of kilometers from the river and there are some great opportunities for interaction. Possibilities include a bicycle ride to Nanthomba and Kafulafula Schools, a visit to the local Women's Handicraft group or a tour of the various agricultural projects in the area.

Day 8: Mumbo Island: Cape Maclear Peninsula
Today you will depart from Mvuu after breakfast and initially drive through picturesque villages to the main road before heading north to the lake, stopping en route at the bustling town of Mangochi for a look at the museum. The driving time is around 3 hours. The Peninsula is an exquisite rocky promontory full of towering forest-clad hills and was named by Dr David Livingstone after Sir Thomas Maclear who had in the 1840s taught Livingstone the rudiments of map making. The early Scottish Missionaries chose it as one of their earliest stations owing to the safe shelter from the often stormy lake and now it is a proclaimed protected area - Lake Malawi National Park, the first national park in the world set aside for the preservation of freshwater fish. The lake is home to over 2000 species of brightly colored algae-feeding fish from the cichlid family. Many are endemic to the lake and species are still being discovered and catalogued. The areas around the Kayak Africa Camps are among the best spots on the lake for viewing these fish, most of which live near the surface and can easily be spotted while snorkeling.

Day 9: Mumbo Island
Today can be as active or as relaxed as you wish with options to swim, snorkel, kayak, go birding or just stroll. There are short easy walks from the camp which take you to several points of interest on the island.

Day 10: Depart to Lilongwe Airport
The drive to the airport in Lilongwe normally takes about 4 hours so often involves an early boat trip off the island before heading west and north, up the edge of the rift again to Lilongwe International Airport.

Discoverer Safari: minimum of 2 guests, maximum of 8. Included is accommodation on a sharing basis, all meals, national park fees, laundry and activities as specified in the detailed itinerary. Excluded are flights (other than specified in the detailed safari itinerary), visas, compulsory insurance, all relevant entry and departure government taxes, all personal purchases (including curios, spirit liquors, telephone calls etc.), gratuities, optional extra activities, pre and post safari tours and meals or accommodation before or after the safari. Age Limit: 12. For groups with children under 12, we will create a private tailor-made safari. For guests over the age of 75, a certified medical certificate of full health must be provided. Natural Migrations reserves the right, due to situations beyond our control, to substitute a lodge or location with another of comparable quality. If a guest is willing to share and we can match with another guest of the same gender, the single supplement will not be charged. However, if there is no suitable match, a single supplement surcharge will apply. No triple accommodations are accepted. A safari is deemed to be part of a rate year based on the starting date. Tailor-made departures can be arranged, subject to availability. Itineraries and rates are subject to change without notice.