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.
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, the single supplement surcharge will
apply. No triple rooms are accepted
DAY 1; (1 Night)
GUEST HOUSE LILONGWE, Lilongwe
On arrival into Lilongwe
Airport we meet our vehicle and guide and are driven to Guest House
Lilongwe for the night
2009: DAYS 2 - 3; (2
Nights)
ZOMBA FOREST LODGE or KU CHAWE INN, Zomba Plateau
In the morning, after
breakfast, we depart the guest house for the spectacular drive south
along the western spine of the Great African Rift to Zomba. This drive
takes about 4 hours and offers many wonderful views down to the lake
and over to Mozambique to the west.
Zomba Forest Lodge is a
cosy, unpretentious colonial forester’s house with en-suite rooms
and a separate lounge, dining area, set in beautiful gardens and
surrounded by a mixture of montane forest and pine plantation.
Ku Chawe Inn has one of
the most spectacular settings in Africa. It is perched 2000 meters up
on the steep edges of Zomba Mountain. The hotel has recently been
completely refurbished and boasts spacious en-suite rooms with cosy
fireplaces. Being so high, the weather is pleasantly cool in the hot
months and can be chilly at night in the winter.
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 25 kms 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.
A trip to Zomba
(Malawi's former capital)
A trip around the market offers wonderful photographic opportunities,
this market, being one of the busiest and most colourful in Malawi.
Witchdoctors, tin smiths and second hand clothes stalls literally
wedged in between the piles of freshly picked fruit and vegetables.
Zomba's development as the old British Capital is entirely due to the
temperate climate on the plateau. 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.
Zomba Mountain is in fact a large massif and offers spectacular
scenery, forests of both, plantation pine and indigenous woodland,
clear running streams and excellent walking and bird watching. Within
easy walking of the hotel are the newly constructed Mulunguzi Dam, and
the Trout Farm and for fit walkers we recommend visits to Chingwe's
Hole , Emperor's View and Queen's View.
DAYS 4 - 5; (2 Nights)
LUJERI LODGE, Mulanje Mountains
After breakfast we board
the vehicle for the scenic drive east to Mulanje Mountain. The journey
takes us through the rolling tea fields of the Thyolo district where
the early colonial settlers first planted tea in the 1880’s. The
drive usually takes about 4 hours.
Lujeri Lodge is near to
the base of Mt Mulanje on one of the oldest colonial tea estates in
the country and the guest house has a swimming pool as well as
fantastic walks on offer around the estate.
The lodge is an old tea
estate manager’s house and has the old world charm of a bygone era.
Your exact programme for 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.
DAYS 6 - 8; (3 Nights)
MVUU WILDERNESS LODGE, Liwonde National Park
After breakfast we
depart for Liwonde though the village strewn Phalombe Plain and soon
climb down into the Great African Rift Valley to Liwonde Town where we
will meet a boat which will take us up the Shire River to Mvuu Lodge.
Driving time is about 3 hours and the boat journey is one hour.
The
Park is considered to be the finest in Malawi and one of the best
birding locations in Africa and offers some of the most scenic game
viewing, beautiful riverine surroundings and varied bird watching and
game viewing 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, with own en-suite facilities for
a maximum of 10 guests. The dining room, which is high above the
lagoon on stilts, is a breezy and relaxing place to spend time
in-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 us to experience a wide range of game, including large
numbers of sable antelope, hippo, impala, and waterbuck. Huge
crocodiles and serval are also fairly common.
DAYS 9 - 10; (2 Nights)
MUMBO ISLAND, Lake Malawi
Today we will depart
from Mvuu after breakfast and initially drive through picturesque
villages to the main road and then head 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
1840’s 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
coloured 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
whole lake for viewing these fish, most of whom live near the surface
and can easily be spotted by snorkeling.
DAY 11
Depart to Lilongwe Airport where safari ends
The drive to the airport
in Lilongwe normally takes about 4 hours so often involves a very
early boat off the island before heading west and north, up the edge
of the rift again to Lilongwe International Airport where we bid
farewell to the safari
SAFARI NOTES:
• Each departure is guaranteed for a minimum of 4 confirmed guests
and operates with a maximum of 8 guests per safari.
• Children from the age of 12 are welcome on all scheduled
departures. For guests with children under 12, we can create a private
tailor-made safari which is subject to an extra cost. On any safari
with guests under the age of 12, it is a prerequisite that a related
adult sleeps in the same tent as the child, as a safety precaution. A
registered medical practitioner must provide a certified medical
certificate of full health for guests over the age of 75.
• As laundry services will be available for the most part of your
safari – either free or at a minimal charge – and as you have no
need to bring any formal wear, we recommend you keep your luggage down
to the basics. For those connecting with light aircraft transfers
either within Malawi or elsewhere in Africa please note that a 44lbs
limit (excluding camera gear) is strictly enforced and you will find
that this is ample for the amount of luggage you will need. For ease
of packing soft carry-all bags are recommended. For those on extended
itineraries, extra luggage can be safely stored at our airport office
and returned to you for your departure flight. Samsonite or other hard
suitcases cannot be accepted.
• Due to situations beyond our control, a substitute a lodge or
location of comparable quality may be used on the safari. This will be
advised timeously.
• We gladly arrange competitively priced flexible tailor-made
departures, subject to availability of space.
• 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, the single supplement
surcharge will apply. No triple rooms are accepted.
• Please note that all scheduled Exploration safaris operate with a
minimum of two guests. Should all other bookings on an Exploration
cancel or that there is only a single guest booked, we will convert
the booking to an FIT package, which is in all likelihood subject to a
higher price.
WHAT IS INCLUDED
• All soft drinks, beer, fruit juice, mineral water and house wine.
A selection of local liquors is also provided.
• All meals (2 course dinners).
• All accommodation as specified in the detailed itinerary.
• Activities and transfers as specified in the detailed itinerary.
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED
• Visas
• All relevant entry and departure government stipulated fees/ taxes
and unexpected increases thereto. Please note that at present there is
a US$30 departure tax payable in cash on departure.
• All personal purchases, including curios, premium brand liquors,
telephone calls etc.
• Pre and post tours before arrival at the starting point of the
safari
• Optional extra activities/ services not included in the detailed
itinerary
• All flights (other than specified)
• Gratuities
• Laundry is available at an extra cost.
• Please ensure you have a sufficient amount of US Dollars/Euro in
cash of small denominations, as it is difficult to get any US$ or
Euros locally within southern Africa. We suggest that you allow US$25
per day to cover the cost of decent basic souvenirs (within reason).
For expensive souvenirs allow extra.
Experience
a nostalgic, turn-of-the-century camping / lodge safari that recreates
the sense of a game-viewing adventure reminiscent of the times of the
great African explorers. 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.