Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve

Wildlife & Animals

Expert

Philip is the author of the Bradt guidebook to Malawi.

After years of neglect, wildlife numbers are still low in Nkhotakota, but this is changing rapidly with the efforts of African Parks. Elephants are often found drinking in the Bua river, and other species can also be encountered including yellow baboon, vervet monkey, buffalo, zebra and warthog. Lion, leopard and hyena are present, but rarely seen.

ElephantCommon

GiraffeNone

HippoCommon

BuffaloOccasional

ZebraOccasional

WildebeestNone

White RhinoNone

Black RhinoNone

LionRare

LeopardRare

CheetahNone

HyenaRare

Wild DogNone

Wildlife Highlights

Nkhotakota was the stage for the biggest translocation of elephants ever undertaken. A total of 520 elephants have been moved to the park from Majete and Liwonde, where their numbers had become more than these smaller parks could manage. Hopefully, Nkhotakota will once again soon be an important conservation area in Malawi.

Best Time for Wildlife Viewing

The Dry season from May to October is the best time for spotting animals in Nkhotakota. Wildlife is easier to find because vegetation is thinner, and animals gather around the rivers and other water sources.