Arrival in Lilongwe - You are met at Kamuzu International Airport by Mike and transferred the short distance to Kumbali Country Lodge, set on a working farm on the edge of the capital. A remnant of riparian forest fringes the property — the first birding of the trip begins the moment you arrive.
The afternoon is yours, with an optional walk on the grounds before a welcome dinner and trip briefing with your guides.
Look out for Schalow’s Turaco · Half-collared Kingfisher · Black-throated Wattle-eye · Red-throated Twinspot · Yellow-throated Longclaw
Briggate Travel, as a fully bonded and ATOL-licensed tour operator, can organise all international and/or regional flying. We are very familiar with the best routes and options for arrival and departure in Malawi.
Into the Miombo - A two-hour drive south-west brings you to Dzalanyama, protecting one of the largest unbroken tracts of brachystegia (miombo) woodland in south-central Africa — arguably the finest miombo birding anywhere.
Two full days on foot and by vehicle are built around the mixed feeding flocks that drift through the woodland: long, quiet stretches broken by sudden bursts of fifteen species at once.
Our own chef travels with the group to cater throughout the stay.
Miombo Specials - Stierling’s Woodpecker · Pale-billed Hornbill · Whyte’s Barbet · Souza’s Shrike · Olive-headed Weaver · Boulder Chat · Miombo Rock Thrush · Spotted Creeper · Anchieta’s & Shelley’s Sunbirds · Lesser Seedcracker
The Viphya Highlands - A longer drive north lifts you onto the Viphya Plateau — a patchwork of pine, indigenous forest and montane grassland gathered around a quiet dam. A productive stop at the Lilongwe wetlands en route adds waterbirds and the chance of Madagascar Pond Heron.
The afternoon is spent birding around the lodge and dam. Nights are cool up here — a fleece is welcome.
Look out for - Bronze & Coppery Sunbirds · Red-collared Widowbird · Chestnut-mantled Sparrow-weaver · Denham’s Bustard · Fülleborn’s Longclaw · African Hill Babbler · Olive-flanked Robin-Chat
The Roof of Malawi - The road climbs onto the Nyika Plateau — Malawi’s largest national park and, at 2,600 metres, its highest and most singular landscape. Rolling montane grassland gives way to pockets of evergreen forest, the air cool and clean year-round, the scenery unlike anywhere else in the country.
Three nights allow you to work each habitat in turn: the open grasslands around Chelinda, the forest patches at Chowo and Manyenjere, and the miombo on the lower slopes. The birding is exceptional, and the game — zebra, eland, roan and reedbuck, with leopard at large — is a constant companion.
Highland Specials - Blue Swallow · Wattled Crane · Red-winged Francolin · Scarlet-tufted Sunbird · Bar-tailed Trogon · Mountain Marsh Widowbird · Fülleborn’s Boubou · Churring Cisticola · Sharpe’s Akalat · Cinnamon Bracken Warbler
Down to the Lake - A long, scenic descent off the plateau brings you to the lakeshore, where Makuzi sits on a secluded bay near Chintheche — a handful of thatched chalets on the sand. The birding draw lies in the remnant patches of lowland evergreen forest nearby, holding species found nowhere else on the route.
One full day is given to the coastal forest specials, with time on the lodge grounds and the chance of a half-day to swim or snorkel in the clear waters of the bay.
Lakeshore & Coastal Forest - East Coast Akalat · Gunning’s Akalat · Red-capped Robin-Chat · Eastern Saw-wing · Yellow-spotted Nicator · Eastern Olive Sunbird · Blue-spotted Wood Dove · African Moustached Warbler · Pennant-winged Nightjar (in season)
An Island for the Pitta - a drive south along the lakeshore and a twenty-minute boat transfer carry you to Nankoma Island, in the Marelli Archipelago — the only lodge within Lake Malawi National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From late November to March, the island hosts a resident pair of African Pitta, one of the most coveted birds on the continent and the very reason Blue Zebra holds its place on this itinerary.
Two nights give a full day to search for the Pitta — patience rewarded — with the island’s forest trails and shoreline besides. The snorkelling here is remarkable.
Island Specials - African Pitta · Böhm’s Bee-eater · African Fish Eagle · Trumpeter Hornbill · Black-throated Wattle-eye · White-backed Night Heron · Spotted Eagle-Owl
The Shire River - South again to Liwonde, where Mvuu Lodge stands on the bank of the Shire River inside the park — stone-and-canvas suites overlooking the water. Liwonde is one of Africa’s great conservation stories: cheetah, lion, black rhino, wild dog and elephant have all returned over the past decade. For the birder, it is simply the finest place in Malawi for several of the country’s most-wanted species.
Three full days mix morning boat safaris on the Shire — the best birding format here — with vehicle drives through mopane and riverine country and walks along the floodplain.
Liwonde Specials - Pel’s Fishing Owl · Lilian’s Lovebird · Brown-breasted Barbet · Böhm’s Bee-eater · Livingstone’s Flycatcher · African Skimmer · Bat Hawk · Dickinson’s Kestrel · Palmnut Vulture · Southern Ground Hornbill · Racket-tailed Roller · Collared Palm Thrush
And alongside the birds — elephant, hippo, sable, kudu and waterbuck, with black rhino, lion, and the reintroduced cheetah and wild dog are at large in the park.
The Zomba Plateau - A drive south brings you to Zomba, Malawi’s former colonial capital, beneath its forested plateau. Ku Chawe Inn sits high on the plateau itself, with sweeping views across the valley and direct access to the forest trails and Williams Falls.
Two nights allow time for the area’s two prizes, both needing local knowledge: the Yellow-throated Apalis — Malawi’s only endemic — most reliable at Williams Falls, and the globally rare White-winged Apalis, of which perhaps a hundred pairs remain.
Plateau Specials - Yellow-throated Apalis (Malawi endemic) · White-winged Apalis · Green-headed Oriole · Bertram’s Weaver · Livingstone’s Turaco · White-tailed Crested Flycatcher · Forest Double-collared Sunbird · Starred Robin · Scarce Swift
Farewell to Malawi
A final morning on the plateau and an unhurried breakfast before the drive down to Chileka International Airport (Blantyre) — about ninety minutes — in good time for early-afternoon international departures.
Sangalalani ndi ulendo wanu (enjoy your journey!)
