Based in Southern Malawi (South of Lake Malawi and Lake Malombe), Liwonde was given National Park status in 1973. It’s a relatively small park at 582 square kilometers, but for its size it has a pretty diverse range of habitats. Unfortunately, and because hunting was only really controlled in the park from the 1960s, many of the bigger species have all but disappeared (including my favourite, the Wild Dogs). However, recent efforts have seen a resurgence in wildlife as well as the reintroduction of Black Rhino. The park is now also home to an impressive density of elephants and hippos; the latter of which can be found basking along the Shire River which runs alongside the Western edge of the Park.
Elephant bath time!
Take Photos Leave Footprints Ratings
Wildlife – 3.5*
I’ll be honest; I found it really hard to give the wildlife rating for Liwonde. It’s some of the best elephant sightings I’ve had anywhere (including seeing a male swim across the Shire River), and I’ve never seen so many hippos in such a small patch of river. On the opposite side of that wildlife bonanza is the fact that Liwonde only has a very small population of black rhino and essentially no leopard or lion (although some lions have apparently recently returned across the border from Mozambique). So if you’re a big cat aficionado then you’re likely out of luck. Given that rhino have only recently been reintroduced, they are fairly small in number, and you shouldn’t bank on seeing them either since they are typically elusive at the best of times. Besides elephant and hippo, you’re likely to see buffalo, impala, kudu and waterbuck on dry land and plenty of crocs in the river (so keep an eye out when you get on any boats!).
Female bushbuck and young posing for the camera
Scenery – 4*
Liwonde has a mixture of flood plains, riverine forests and woodlands. With the Shire River cutting through the park, it all provides for some excellent scenery (even if the forested areas make it more difficult for wildlife spotting). Plus one of our guides said that a certain indigenous trees was used by the locals to cure skin cancer (no medical evidence was offered to support this claim). As with everywhere in Africa, you will certainly see some spectacular sunsets – yet, I would head an hour north of Liwonde to watch the best ones over Lake Malawi. All-in-all, a four-star rating seems pretty reasonable for the habitat diversity alone.
Scenery and wildlife are two massive draws in Malawi
Accommodation – 3*
Malawi has retained its low-key tourist status. In many ways this is a blessing for those of us that take the plunge and visit. However, it also means that accommodation options are not quite as plentiful as other more ‘touristy’ national parks across Southern and Eastern Africa. You also won’t find the same luxury offerings as those countries offer. The most oft-quoted accommodation options are Mvuu Camp, Mvuu Lodge (on the higher end of the budget scale), Bushman’s Baobabs (budget to mid-range) and Liwonde Safari Camp (budget). If you want to stay in the park itself, Mvuu Camp & Lodge are really the only options. Bushman’s and Liwonde Safari are on the fringes of the park, so you get the park experience whilst being closer to Liwonde Town. You could also stay a little further afield if these don’t float your boat (see the ‘Other Guidance’ I’ve included below).
Hippos can be sighted at every turn!
Access – 3.5*
So Liwonde isn’t the most difficult place to get to (and I’ve certainly visited harder to reach national parks), but it’s certainly no cake-walk for a first-timer; particularly if you don’t fancy shelling out the USD 500 I was quoted for a private transfer from Lilongwe airport. So let’s cover the options in ascending price order:
Bus: It’s never going to be all that easy to get the bus, but here goes…From Lilongwe you want to get the bus (from the central bus terminal) headed for Zomba or Blantyre (if the latter it needs to be the bus that goes via Zomba). From Blantyre you’ll jump on a bus from the central bus station headed North via Mangochi. Either way, the bus will drop you in Liwonde Town (not at the actual National Park). From there you’ll want to arrange transfers to your accommodation. Obviously, I’m not going to comment on bus timetables because those are basically non-existent. Just turn up and see when the next one goes and hope you can get on for a hot and sweaty few hours!
Car: Liwonde is about a 5 hour drive from Lilongwe and a 2.5 hour drive from Blantyre on pretty good roads. From Liwonde Town the park gate is about 5km east. There is another gate in Ulongwe (between Liwonde Town and Mangochi). but 15km of that is dirt road that closes in the wet season. In the dry season, I can attest that the road is a bone-rattler. In the wet season you could also get a boat transfer to Mvuu Lodge from Hippo Lodge in Liwonde Town.
Plane: If you’re feeling super fancy then you could fly into Mvuu on Ulendo Airlink (http://www.flyulendo.com). Obviously, it’s pretty pricey but they do have a ‘bid-to-fly’ option so you could always try your luck at bagging a last minute bargain.
Crocs basking in the sun on the Shire riverbank
Safari ‘X’ Factor – 3.5*
Taking everything into consideration, I’ve given Liwonde 3.5-stars for ‘X’ factor. The biggest reason for not rating it any higher is that it lacks the showpiece wildlife that most people go on safari for (and indeed the showpiece accommodation). This is somewhat offset by the elephant sightings, but you still don’t get that feeling of excitement which you get when every corner you turn you have the chance of seeing a leopard, lion or cheetah (or perhaps it’s just me that gets that feeling?). I’m also a fan of sweeping savannah, and unfortunately you don’t get that experience in Liwonde. Having said that, I certainly don’t want to put people off visiting Liwonde. One of the biggest draws was the chance to do river and land-based safaris on the same day. Another huge draw is the lack of other visitors. I’m not sure I’ve been on another safari in recent years where I haven’t seen another vehicle (or boat). That is hugely unique, and something that I hope the ‘Liwonde experience’ won’t completely lose as tourism increases in Malawi. As bittersweet as it is, Malawi has simply too much to offer for tourism not to surge.
This was the first ever time I’ve seen an elephant fully submerged to cross a river.
Other Guidance
Alternative Accommodation Options: If after looking at the accommodation options around Liwonde (somewhat scant compared to larger national parks) you don’t find anything that takes your fancy, then you might want to look at options on the south shores of Lake Malawi. By staying half way between Cape Maclear and Mangochi, you’ll have just over an hour’s drive to the park. Typically, that would mean getting up at an ungodly hour for the morning game drive. However, in Liwonde (where cats aren’t as ever-present) game viewing is fairly good throughout the day. This means you can leave your hotel at 8am and still get great game viewing by the time you arrive in Liwonde. If you get back to your accommodation by late afternoon, you’ll also have the benefit of the great sunsets over Lake Malawi as you sit with a cocktail in hand on the beach! If this sounds like perfection then take a look at Makokola Retreat for inspiration (http://www.clubmak.com/); which is where we most recently stayed. They will arrange day transfers to Mvuu Lodge who will organize land and boat-based safaris for you if you don’t fancy driving yourself.
Wildlife
