Arrive at Blantyre Airport where you are met by your local driver-guide or you collect the rental car we have pre-booked for you.
The Protea Hotels Ryalls is situated not too far from the airport. Here, you enjoy your first evening in Malawi.
This morning you can spend some time in Blantyre and explore the market before you drive to the Majete Wildlife Reserve and the Lower Shire Valley.
Transfer time: 2 hours.
Activities at Mkulumadzi are very flexible, led by experienced, top-class guides who have been trained to Robin Pope's high standards. Walking safaris are a particular feature, especially in the valley of the shallow Mkulumadzi River, and there are also two hides on the concession, overlooking a waterhole.
Morning and afternoon boat trips on the Shire River are a relaxing way to view game from Mkulumadzi. The river opens out into a lake just above the Kapichira Falls – the edges of which are a lovely place to explore in the lodge's shaded motorboat.
There is also a good network of all-weather game-drive roads, too, with night drives permitted. You can expect to see elephant, buffalo, sable and nyala, and with a bit of luck Majete’s resident lion pride, or the elusive black rhino.
Today you make your way to Thyolo with a driving time of approximately 3 hours. This area is where tea has been grown since 1908. Scenically beautiful, the estates are overlooked by the impressive Mount Mulanje to the east and itself overlooks the Lower Shire Valley, which descends to the west. The Satemwa Tea Estate, where your accommodation is based offers walks and hikes around the scenic estate, as well as offering tea tasting sessions where guests can visit the factory to learn how the tea is grown, dried and prepared.
A visit to the local Thyolo market is a sensory delight, filled with colorful stalls offering a variety of goods, including fresh fruits, vegetables, spices, and handmade crafts.
You next destination is Zomba, which you reach after about 2 1/2 hours.
We recommend to visit the bustling market, where you can buy anything from fruit to fish and even bicycles.
Then you head up the Plateau, which is situated 2000 metres above sea level. Here you can visit one of the many viewpoints or take a short hike on the signposted trails.
Transfer to Liwonde National Park, which takes approx. 2 hours.
You are taken to the Camp by boat and already during the transfer, elephants, hippos and crocodiles can be admired.
Activities at Mvuu Lodge centre on the Shire River. The lodge has a great covered boat, perfect for drifting down the river, where sightings of hippos and crocodiles are virtually guaranteed, as well as elephant coming to the water to drink.
Back on land, there are guided walks with an armed scout, as well as day and night game drives. Elephant, impala, warthog and baboons are often seen, along with large herds of waterbuck grazing on the riverbank, and the birdlife is plentiful. Less common are sable, kudu and bushbuck. Liwonde is not known for its cats, although lion are very occasionally seen at the far eastern end of the park.
The morning guided walks offered by the Lodge are highly recommended.
It's also possible to visit a local village, either by bike or on foot, with a guide from the lodge.
After your morning activity and breakfast, you are transferred back to the vehicle by boat. The drive to Cape McLear takes approx. 4 hours. From here you can take a boat across to your Robinson Crusoe Island or alternatively paddle across in a canoe.
Mumbo Island is a perfect place for those who like a wide variety of activities. On the main beach there is a watersports “gazebo" stocked with snorkelling equipment. There is also some diving kit here, including wet-suits, however it may be necessary to prebook diving in order for the necessary equipment to be brought over to Mumbo from the mainland.
Massive underwater boulders, lots of colourful cichlid fish and beautifully clear water make Mumbo Island one of the best freshwater snorkelling spots in the world – and the diving is good here as well.
Kayaking is also popular on Mumbo Island, and they have a selection of colourful double and single kayaks lying on the beach for guests to use, either to venture out exploring on their own, or accompanied by a guide. There are also marked walking trails around the island for those who wish to explore on foot. These can be taken unguided and maps are provided. There is a good variety of birdlife on the island – most noticeably the African fish-eagle, trumpeter hornbill, African paradise-flycatcher, white-breasted cormorant, water thick-knee (water dikkop) and many others.
However Mumbo is also a lovely place to completely relax and unwind – either on the beach in a hammock or on one of the sun loungers there, or on your private deck overlooking the lake.
On the way to your last overnight stop on the lakeshore, we recommend visiting the Mua Mission.
The afternoon is at leisure at the lake. Enjoy a last snorkeling excursion or savour the magnificent sunset on the lakeshore with a sundowner drink in hand.
