Liwonde National Park

Wildlife & Animals

Expert

Philip is the author of the Bradt guidebook to Malawi.

Liwonde offers quality wildlife viewing and is home to the Big Five. Elephant is very common and buffalo is also easy to see. Lions and cheetahs have recently been reintroduced by African Parks, and black rhinos are kept safe in an enclosure. Some of the more interesting antelope species you might encounter are Lichtenstein's hartebeest, roan and sable.

ElephantCommon

GiraffeNone

HippoAbundant

BuffaloOccasional

ZebraOccasional

WildebeestNone

White RhinoNone

Black RhinoRare

LionRare

LeopardRare

CheetahRare

HyenaRare

Wild DogRare

Wildlife Highlights

The highlight of any visit to the park is a boat trip on the Shire River. Aside from the birdlife, hippos are abundant and giant crocodiles can be seen basking on the floodplains. Elephants regularly come to drink on the banks of the river, and waterbuck gather in good numbers on the shore. Burchell's zebra and eland can sometimes be spotted as well.

Best Time for Wildlife Viewing

The Dry season, from May to October, is the best time for wildlife viewing in Liwonde. Wildlife is easier to see as much of the vegetation has died back during these months, and animals gather around the Shire River, a big feature of the park.