Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve

Expert Reviews (4)

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Expert

James Bainbridge –

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.

1 person found this review helpful.

Elephants and More in the Forests

Overall rating

3/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

Nkhotakota is a rising star among Malawi’s major reserves, following African Parks’ historic translocation of over 500 elephants and 1,400 game animals from Majete Wildlife Reserve and Liwonde National Park. Whereas the 1,800km² of dense miombo forests was once poached empty, I heard elephants crashing through the undergrowth during my stay in a safari tent at Bua River Lodge. Further into the reserve, Tongole Wilderness Lodge is one of Malawi’s best, offering luxurious chalets and a beautiful thatched main lodge with aerial viewpoint, while Kachenga Bush Camp opened in 2017. With newly translocated sable, kudu, buffalo, waterbuck, impala and warthog, and over 280 bird species, Nkhotakota is an impressive chunk of wilderness within easy reach of Lake Malawi.

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Expert

Philip Briggs –

Visited: May

Philip is an acclaimed travel writer and author of many guidebooks, including the Bradt guides to Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa.

1 person found this review helpful.

A Little-visited Escarpment Wilderness

Overall rating

3/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

Malawi’s largest and oldest wildlife reserve extends across 1,800km² of the rugged Rift Valley escarpment as it rises to the west of the historic Lake Malawi port of Nkhotakota. In ecological terms, or as a wilderness destination, it’s a fantastic place, notable both for its wild mountain scenery and impressive cover of mature miombo woodland. Unfortunately, though, Nkhotakota is quite challenging as a safari destination, in large part thanks to the same rugged, pristine qualities that make it so appealing in scenic terms.

Managed by the NGO African Parks since 2015, Nkhotakota actually supports a fair amount of wildlife. More than 500 elephants were translocated into the reserve over 2016 to 2017, along with substantial numbers of zebra, buffalo, sable antelope, greater kudu, waterbuck and warthog. However, the reserve’s vast size, combined with the dense vegetation and steep terrain, mean that you’re unlikely to see much large wildlife other than a few baboons and monkeys. The only exception is towards the end of the dry season (June to November), when elephants and buffaloes often come to drink at permanent pools on the Bua River, often right opposite the reserve’s two tourist lodges.

Until recently, a popular attraction at Nkhotakota was canoeing on the Bua River, but this activity has been suspended following the introduction of hippos. Nkhotakota also has tremendous bird-watching potential thanks to its wealth of miombo specials, but because you can only walk with guides (due to the presence of elephant and buffalo), birding is not so easy as it is in miombo-dominated forest reserves such as Dzalanyama, where there are no restrictions on walking.

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