Reviews of Liwonde (From 7 Acclaimed Safari Experts)

Expert

Stephen Cunliffe –

ZA

Visited: July and August

Stephen is a travel writer and avid conservationist whose work appears in prestigious magazines such as Africa Geographic and Travel Africa.

2 people found this review helpful.

Malawi’s Flagship Conservation Area

Overall rating

4/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

The reserve, named after Chief Liwonde who championed the area’s protection, was proclaimed a national park in 1973 to protect the extraordinary biodiversity and conservation potential of this attractive area. But decades of mismanagement, poaching and human encroachment followed before the Malawian government finally acknowledged the deteriorating condition of the park and sought assistance to rectify the unsustainable situation.

With assistance from numerous non-profit and non-governmental organisations a 47km² fenced sanctuary was created inside the national park, enabling the reintroduction of black rhino. Further successful relocations of buffalo, eland, roan antelope, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest and plains zebra made Liwonde a crucial reservoir of rare species in Malawi. These positive conservation developments and successful reintroductions culminated in the acclaimed African Parks non-profit taking over the long-term management of the park in 2015. Further successful reintroductions of cheetah, lion and wild dog followed.

Dominated by the spectacular Shire River, the country’s largest perennial waterway, Liwonde is a highly prized safari destination. The river is home to thriving populations of hippo and crocodile, as well as being a birdwatcher’s paradise (over 400 species have been recorded in the national park). The Shire floodplains – fringed by palm savannah, baobabs and thick riverine vegetation – are a magnet for healthy numbers of elephant and waterbuck that thrive in this well-watered environment. Wildlife-watching boat cruises add another exciting element to the Liwonde safari experience.

2 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No

Expert

James Bainbridge –

UK

Visited: September

James is a travel writer and author of many Lonely Planet guides, including senior author of the guide to South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland.

2 people found this review helpful.

Riverside Birdlife and Conservation Stories

Overall rating

4/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

Now home to the full Big Five complement, this African Parks-run reserve is one of Malawi’s best safari destinations, with the country’s largest population of elephant (more than 500) and endangered black rhino. Thanks to the Shire River meandering through the fertile floodplains dotted with baobabs and towering Borassus palms, Liwonde is one of Africa’s best places for river-based wildlife watching, and the lodges offer boat trips into the watery realm of hippos and crocs. The park’s bird life is exceptional – its riverbanks, woodlands and lagoons support over 400 species, including rare lappet-faced and white-backed vultures, Pel’s fishing owls, Böhm’s bee-eaters, Lillian’s lovebirds and Livingstone’s flycatchers. A further reason to visit is the recent reintroduction of cheetah, lion and African wild dog, which has returned these carnivores to Liwonde after a long absence.

2 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No

Expert

Dale R Morris –

ZA

Visited: April

Dale is a multi-award-winning writer and photographer with more than 500 published magazine articles featured in magazines such as National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, Travel Africa, and CNN Travel.

2 people found this review helpful.

A Phoenix Risen

Overall rating

4/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

If you had visited Liwonde National Park in the 1980s or early ’90s, chances are you would not have seen many animals there. Poaching, habitat destruction, and land invasions had made the place a virtual biodiversity wasteland. But that isn’t the case today.

African Parks Network (a conservation NGO) partnered up with the Malawian conservation authorities, assisted with the funding and training of park staff, incentivized the neighboring communities to stop the destruction, developed tourism, and reintroduced hundreds upon hundreds of animals (including elephants).

Now, whenever I visit, I often find myself in awe of what an amazing job has been done to restore the park back into a truly wild and self-sustaining ecosystem.

Liwonde is a fantastic conservation success story.

Boat rides along the Shire River are perhaps my favorite activity, and I always come away with great memories of encounters with wallowing elephants, giant crocodiles, and big pods of hippos.

On game drives, I have seen lions, leopards, and spotted hyenas, as well as the usual game species, such as giraffes and various antelopes.

Recently, a contingent of black rhinos was reintroduced from South Africa, making Liwonde a big five destination.

2 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No

Expert

Sue Watt –

UK

Visited: June

Sue is an award-winning writer who specializes in African travel and conservation. She writes for national newspapers, magazines, Rough Guides and Lonely Planet.

3 people found this review helpful.

Loving Liwonde!

Overall rating

4/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

I was in Liwonde for the first day of conservation NGO African Parks’ historic elephant relocations, when they started a huge operation to move 500 pachyderms to Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve. It was my job to look after a darted elephant by monitoring her breathing while she was under sedation, and it was the most emotional wildlife experience I’ve had the privilege to be part of. For this reason, Liwonde will always be special to me – but even without that, the park would still be one of my favorites. Liwonde has so much character, with dappled miombo woodlands, fever-tree forests, baobab and palm trees, and huge candelabra euphorbia scattered all around, while the Shire River cuts a swath through golden floodplains. And the wildlife is superb – with the recent relocation of lions, it’s now a Big Five destination. Boat safaris are a must – the river is teeming with hippos, the rich birdlife includes African skimmers that seem to dance in formation over the water, and the sunsets are just unbelievable.

3 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No

Expert

Ariadne van Zandbergen –

ZA

Visited: Multiple times

Ariadne is a renowned African wildlife photographer whose work is featured in many well-known guidebooks and magazines.

3 people found this review helpful.

Life and Death at the Mighty Shire River

Overall rating

4/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

The focal point of Liwonde is the Shire River, which is just one of Africa’s magic waterways. Lined with borassus palms and floodplains, the river is a magnet for wildlife and elephants can often be seen drinking or even crossing. Of all the activities, I like the boat trips the most. A good captain knows exactly when to cut the engine so that the current of the river takes the boat exactly where you want it to be – like 50cm from the open mouth of a huge crocodile or next to a little branch supporting a row of cuddled up bee-eaters sleeping at night. This is one of the few places in Africa where there is a good chance of seeing the elusive Pell’s fishing owl and I’ve been lucky to see one sleeping in a tree on the early-morning bush walk. The park is also now home to all the Big Five, but it is still the river that dominates the Liwonde experience.

3 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No