Day 1 Arrive in Lilongwe and we collect you from the airport and transfer you to a lodge in town. Overnight Bed and Breakfast Basis.
Day 2 Depart Lilongwe after breakfast and head Northwards along the M1 via Kasungu, Viphya Plateau, Mzuzu to Vwaza Marsh. On arrival check into rustic chalets and the afternoon is spent on a short walk along lake Kazuni’s shoreline. Excellent bird life and hippo sightings are guaranteed. Overnight Kazuni Camp on an all inclusive meals Basis.
Day 3 After a light snack we go on a 3 hr game walk, returning for a superb early lunch. Following this we pack up and continue to Nyika National Park. From the entrance of Nyika, we drive for 3 hrs through the reserve to Chelinda Camp. Game sightings are frequent along this route especially as you reach the higher plateau. Overnight Chelinda Camp in chalets overlooking the dam All camp meals
Day 4 Morning game drive and walk is offered returning to the chalets for lunch. In the afternoon there is an option to go horse riding [$ 25 per hour] or a night safari is offered [$ 20]. Return to the Chalet for dinner. Overnight Chelinda Camp chalets All meals provided.
Day 5 A leisurely breakfast, then depart back to Mzuzu and continue down into the rift valley to Chintheche. Drive through the rubber plantations and arrival time at Makuzi Beach is early afternoon. The rest of the day is spent exploring this beautiful part of the coast – walking, meeting villages or simply relaxing on the pure white sands. Overnight Makuzi Beach Lodge on a Bed and Breakfast basis.
Day 6 A day at leisure on the beach and surrounding area. Optional boat trip to a nearby Island [$10]. Of interest nearby is Old Bandawe which was the temporary home of the Livingstonia mission as the early missionaries were searching for a suitable site. Overnight Makuzi Beach Lodge on a Bed and Breakfast basis.
Day 7 Continue along the lakeshore southwards and drive to Liwonde National Park. Once entering the park we have a 1hr game drive to the camp. Overnight Mvuu Camp on a Full Board Basis.
Day 8 Morning game drive then after lunch depart and continue to Zomba. After visiting Zomba market, we drive up the plateau to Ku Chawe Inn ETA mid afternoon.. After checking in, we do a forest walk, returning for evening dinner and overnight in the comfortable Ku Chawe Inn on Dinner, bed and breakfast basis.
Day 9 Early morning walk up to the peak [3hrs] from where the vehicle collects you and continue with a tour of the plateau visiting various viewpoints and areas of interest. Return to the hotel for lunch. Afternoon at leisure or another walk. Overnight Ku Chawe Inn on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis
Day 10 Morning at leisure then depart to Lilongwe. Our route takes us to Dedza Pottery shop, after visiting here, we continue to Lilongwe to arrive late afternoon. Overnight Lodge on Bed and breakfast basis
Day 11 Breakfast then transfer to a scheduled standard Luangwa Valley safari, which departs Lilongwe at 09H00. Continue to Mchinji. [1&1/2 hr drive] Here we complete immigration formalities and continue to Mwami - [the Zambian border]. From the border it is a short drive to Chipata - Zambia's capital of the Eastern Province. Proceed on a dirt road to Luangwa Valley – Mfuwe sector. A picnic lunch is enjoyed en route and ETA at Wildlife Camp [upgrade to Thornicroft Lodge is possible] is mid afternoon. On arrival we check into our chalets followed by tea and coffee. A gentle walk along the Luangwa River is available for those that wish. Full Board Basis.
Day 12 & 13: - Tea, coffee and a light snack follow an early morning wake up call. Our aim is to be on our first game drive by 6.15 am. All game drives are undertaken in specially modified safari vehicles, to optimise your pleasure and experience. Drinks and snacks are taken along for your enjoyment whilst in the park. Depending on game sightings, we return to the lodge at 11 for a scrumptious "brunch". An afternoon rest then we again head out for our afternoon / night drive at around 1600 - returning to the lodge at 2000. Full Board Basis.
Day 14: After a more leisurely start to the morning and a full breakfast, we pack up and depart back to Lilongwe. Departure time is 0900. A picnic lunch is eaten en route and ETA in the city is 1500. Your last evening is spent at the Sanctuary Lodge on a bed and Breakfast basis.
Day 15: After breakfast transfer you to the airport and end of service.
Included: All transport Lilongwe return, all indicated accommodation, meals as indicated, game drives, game walks, park entrance fees in Malawi only, services of guide.
Excluded: International flights, Drinks, visa fees [if applicable], meals as indicated, Luangwa game park fees [$ 50 p/p].
Vwaza Marsh Game Reserve – Malawi’s best-kept game viewing secret. Aside from the wetlands, the flat terrain supporting mixed Brachystegia and mopane woodland is a haven for elephants, antelope and birds.
Nyika National Park – is Malawi’s largest NP and is vast range of rolling hills with the heart being gently undulating. averaging over 2000m asl. covered in montane grassland and fern heather communities. The range of flora attracts varied selections of wildlife and a major feature of a visit to Nyika is the number of birds you are likely to see [More than 400 species].
Chintheche’s beaches are picture postcard with perfect white sand, jiggered rocky outcrops and remnant rainforests fringing the coastline.
Makuzi Lodge is a little piece of paradise, situated near the temporary site of the Livingstonia mission station, set in a secluded and private bay. Friendly and attentive service ensures your stay is comfortable and restful.
Liwonde Park is one of the most atmospheric reserves in Africa, dominated by the palm fringed, crocodile and hippo infested waters of the Shire River. An estimated 900 elephants, some 4000 hippos, 600 sable antelope and recently introduced breeding groups of Zebra, Hartebeest and rhino are resident in the park.
Zomba is a relatively low-lying plateau interrupted by a number of large mountains. Zomba Mountain, the largest is a hikers paradise with plentiful birds, small mammals and offering wonderful views across to Mulanje Mountain and Mozambique. Zomba was the capital of Malawi till 1975 and was the seat of parliament until 1994. Livingstone and John Kirk climbed Zomba peak in 1859 during their Zambezi Expedition.
Luangwa Valley 9050 sq km of pristine woodland and riverine vegetation plays host to over 40 mammal and 650 bird species. The South Luangwa has been described as the premier park in Africa foremost for the variety of species seen when visiting. A visit to Malawi and Zambia would be totally incomplete without experiencing the sheer magnitude and delight of this unique area.
Thornicroft lodge, is set in spacious grounds, overlooking the Luangwa River, is comfortably furnished en suite chalets with ceiling fans and mosquito nets.
There is absolutely no problem traveling as a single woman. You are always part of a group and looked after by a qualified Guide throughout the entire trip.
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We did indeed have a terrific safari. To sum it up:
They provided excellent service for the three of us- myself, my husband Jim, and our niece Renee. When our luggage did not show up in time for the trip, they offered to pick it up at the Malawi airport and transport it all the way to our camp in South Luangwa, no problem!
Our guide Henry was talented, funny, and very genuine, reveling not only his knowledge of Africa, but a thoughtful interest in our views as well. Raphael really impressed us with his cooking skills, we weren't expecting such creative fare every day. They book a bush camp in North Luangwa at Chifunda and I would highly recommend this to everyone.
We visited the village aligned with the camp and met the chief, had a typical native lunch (after helping grind the peanuts!) and had a chance to talk to many local people. The bush camp itself is welcoming after a long drive getting there, with very friendly folk and comfortable accommodation in their bandas - open air showers and a view of the river right outside the windows. Our guided walks there were spectacular, especially seeing the leopard in our path!
I would use the Africa Guide again when researching our next trip, and would tell my traveling friends to peruse the site, it has so much information.
We loved the Safari. They were able to offer the same safari as other operators at a substantial reduction.
The Lodge couldn't have been better. The drive to and from Lilongwe to the gamepark was seamless and easy. The driver was willing to make any stops that we wanted.
Our 4-day trek on Mulanje Massif, was excellent from start to finish. We were warmly welcomed and well briefed.
Our guide was first class, very knowledgeable and sensitive to our individual needs. Arrangements for porterage and cooking were good too and the meals were excellent (and copious).
Weather conditions, in July, were perfect for walking. We will go again and stay longer!!
Briefly I arranged everything from South Africa and it was wonderful having such easy access to the internet and instant e-mail responses from the Lilongwe office.
My son, his girlfriend and I had traveled all the way up from Johannesburg to Vic Falls in my Renault. On the 28th December we arrived at the pick-up point in Chipata.
Henry drove like a Dakar rally driver and apart from splashing a few hapless bystanders with muddy rain water, took us safely into Luangwa Valley.
From then on, he was busy organizing a cook which seemed a problem only because, like lions, cooks are hard to find! But we always had good food and watched the different men struggling with the height of the cooker, standing on the boxes to reach - and struggling to wash the dishes squeezed in between the ladder to the upstairs floor, and the kitchen sink - clearly a design flaw in the architecture. But it didn't bother us.
We ate and slept in the beautiful lodge and wondered in our sleep what the funny growling and other weird noises were that we heard in the night.
Fred our guide was very keen to look after all our animal-sighting needs. We saw buffalo, a giraffe with two heads or so it seemed at first! - and hippos a-plenty - ugly beasts really!
Luckily I had seen lions in the Serengeti game parks so I wouldn't have been too unhappy if we'd left Luangwa Valley without seeing any. But my son and his girlfriend were longing for a glimpse of the Kings of the Jungle. Two night drives brought sightings of hyena and the smaller cats, but because of the rain, the lions stayed away.
We had just about given up when on the last hour of the last day we saw a lioness AND -the cream on the cake for me too,- the leopard. Fred's determination to pursue every tip and trail had paid off! We were so elated!
Thank You for a great experience and please share the photos and thanks with Henry and Fred! Love also to Patience.
I must say that normally I would make all the arrangements myself once I arrive at a destination so I was reluctant at first to use your services; with that said, your team did a fantastic job making our trip fun and trouble free.
We had the best time at the Safari Lodge in South Luangwa. The people there were terrific and it wasnt crowded.
Please tell everyone that Janelle and I had the best time! I would recommend you to anyone planning a trip to Africa.
I actually spent the time with the Lodge staff and guides I stayed at. The operator did a very good job of arranging my stay there and ensuring all the details such as airport transfers were covered. The Lodge is an excellent place with well-trained professionals, a superb chef, and very comfortable accomodations.
I would recommend this tour operator without qualification to anyone travelling in that area who wants to see South Luangua National Park.
Mme and my friend were picked up on time by the operator before the safari. They took us to their office, where we were offered tea and biscuits whilst filling some forms. We then set out on a 5 hour drive to our safari destination.
Our driver was very friendly, we had sufficient time for lunch and we could stop for toilet or photos when we wanted. At the end of the safari, the operator kindly agreed to leave 1 hour later than planned so that I could enjoy a last morning drive. I should also mention that they had arranged for a visa waiver for entry into Zambia and that border crossings were dealt with quickly and efficiently. All in all, I would say that they were excellent agents for the organisers of the safari.
As for the safari itself, it was also a very positive experience. All the staff was extremely friendly and helpful. The accommodation was very comfortable: the main lodge has very nice chalets with en suite bathroom, a great dining area and a swimming pool; the bush camp, whilst less luxurious, is also very comfortable and even has flushing toilets. We really felt all the staff were trying to make our stay as good as possible. Oh, and the food was excellent and served with panache every night.
