Philip is a renowned Africa expert and author of many guidebooks to African destinations, including the Bradt guide to Malawi.
Malawi used not to be a prime safari destination, but this is changing rapidly and wildlife numbers are increasing. An ambitious program of reintroductions means that two of its parks, Liwonde National Park and Majete Wildlife Reserve, are now Big Five destinations where elephant, buffalo and lion are quite easily seen, but you might also encounter cheetah and African wild dog. Nyika National Park has the country’s highest concentration of leopards, and giraffes were recently introduced to Majete.
Wildlife Highlights
Malawi has a great variety of antelope, and some species considered quite rare in other countries are remarkably easy to spot here. Roan antelope is the most common large antelope on Nyika Plateau. The graceful sable antelope is quite common in Liwonde, Majete and Kasungu National Park. Other interesting antelope species include klipspringer, nyala, eland, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest and puku. Following a series of translocations between parks, Malawi is now home to more than 2,000 elephants, up from a few hundred at the turn of the millennium.
Best Time for Wildlife Viewing
The best wildlife viewing time coincides with the Dry season (May to October) when water is scarce and animals congregate around waterholes and rivers. The bush is less dense at this time, and animals are easier to spot. From October until the rains, it can be very hot. Some roads might become impassable during the Wet season (November to April).
Wildlife Rating per Major Park
- Liwonde NP 3.8/5 11 Wildlife Ratings
- Majete WR 3.4/5 7 Wildlife Ratings
- Nyika NP 3.4/5 7 Wildlife Ratings
