Safari to Liwonde

a beautiful landscape alongside the Shire River

At 548 square kilometres, Liwonde National Park is an important conservation area and the best known location for safari in Malawi.

The reserve lies on the eastern side of the Shire River, where it passes through Lake Malombe on the way north to feed into the southern tip of Lake Malawi.

It is an extremely beautiful place, with a mix of riverine, mopane and grassland habitats, set against the backdrop of Rift Valley escarpments and containing good populations of elephants, hippos and crocodiles in particular, as well as a really superb range of birds.

The main activity is motorboat safari, which really can be excellent, supported by vehicle safari and some modest walking safari.

The shortage of large predators in Liwonde means that visitor numbers remain low, which is unfortunate from a conservation perspective, but a boon to the few travellers who come to enjoy the gorgeous landscapes and more subtle wildlife appeal.

Clearly the place is better suited to more experienced safari travellers, who tend to be less concerned about the lack of predators. It’s also a very attractive option for birders.

We find that it also combines really well with South Luangwa in Zambia, where guests can get their fill of predators before coming down here for a more relaxed experience out on the river.

Liwonde is the best safari area in Malawi, both for wildlife and scenery. It tends to be included in almost every trip.

The usual stay duration is 3-4 nights.

Getting around

The Liwonde area is usually accessed by road transfer from the international airports at Lilongwe in around 4 hours or Blantyre in around 3 hours.

Connections to most other properties around Malawi are also made by road.

There is a local airstrip in Liwonde, should you prefer to charter a plane.

Where to stay

There are less than a handful of quality camps in the Liwonde area. The original facilities of Mvuu Lodge and the slightly simpler Mvuu Camp have arguably been overtaken by the more recent Kuthengo Camp, although that is also very simple.

relatively low chances of serious predator action