Safari to Majete and Lengwe

a densely wooded landscape with pretty riverine areas

At 700 square kilometres, Majete Wildlife Reserve is a substantial conservation area located in the southwest of Malawi.

The reserve consists largely of gently undulating rocky hills, largely covered in dense bush, with occasional grassy openings, especially along the banks of the Shire and Mkulumadzi rivers.

The area is dominated by low and slightly scrubby miombo woodland, but there are also large stands of more impressive terminalias and combretums, as well as sections of marula, especially along the rivers. There are plenty of impressive baobab trees, as well as stately African star chestnuts.

The Shire River is wide, deep and flows powerfully southward towards the Zambezi.

By contrast the Mkulumadzi is a pretty stream that flows through patches of scenic boulders and small open floodplains. It’s a particularly attractive wildlife corridor that is best explored on foot.

Majete is a relatively niche safari area that tends to only feature in a small proportion of trips, mainly for guests who are interested in the impressive rehabilitation project.

The usual stay duration is 3-4 nights.

Getting around

Visiting and travelling around Malawi is relatively straightforward.

The top locations are connected by light aircraft services, which is certainly the most convenient, but also the most expensive way to get around.

Most connections can also be made by means of private road transfers, which are rarely more than 2-3 hours duration in this relatively small country.

There are two main hubs. In the north the airport at Lilongwe is used to connect to Johannesburg, Dar es Salaam and the safari areas of South Luangwa in Zambia. In the south the airport at Blantyre is mainly used to connect to Johannesburg.

The Majete area is usually accessed by road, but there is a local airstrip should you want to charter a plane.

We usually include all connecting transport as part of your trip unless you specifically ask us not to.

Where to stay

At the moment there is only one high quality lodge in the Majete area, the elegant Mkulumadzi Lodge.

one particularly high quality safari lodge