Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve
Overview
Malawi Parks
Philip is a renowned Africa expert and author of many guidebooks to African destinations, including the Bradt guide to Malawi.
Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve is an underrated and accessible reserve bordering Zambia’s well-known Luangwa Valley. Wildlife numbers are relatively low due to poaching, but elephant, buffalo and leopard are resident, while lions occasionally wander across from Zambia. Situated at the park entrance, on the way to Nyika National Park, Lake Kazuni is home to 300-odd hippos and visited daily by elephants.
Pros & Cons
Wildlife
Vwaza Marsh’s varied wildlife includes four of the Big Five (no rhino). Hippos and waterbirds are abundant in Lake Kazuni. Herds of buffalo and elephant come to drink at the lake several times a day, most numerously in the Dry season (May to October). The most common antelope is the puku, but greater kudu, bushbuck, roan, sable, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest and impala are also present. Spotted hyena sometimes call at night, but leopards and lions are seldom heard or seen.
Scenery
Most of the reserve comprises dense miombo woodland and mopane woodland. Scenic Lake Kazuni, a magnet for animals, stands alongside the main park entrance and is the site of the only formal campsite. The lake is surrounded by low hills and woodland. The vast area of marshland for which the reserve is named lies in a relatively inaccessible part of the northeast.
Activities
The main focal point for activities is Lake Kazuni. Here you can watch wildlife come down to drink from the campsite, enjoy the prolific birdlife, or arrange a walking safari with a ranger. Game drives are currently limited to a short road circuit that becomes largely inaccessible in the rainy season. However, there are plans to expand this network significantly under the co-management of Peace Parks.
Weather & Climate
Vwaza Marsh has a warm climate with a Dry season (May to October) and a Wet season (November to April). The Dry season months of May to August are cooler, and early mornings can be nippy. Temperatures rise in September and peak in October before the Wet season starts in November. December to March are the wettest months, and spectacular thunderstorms are not uncommon.
Best Time To Visit
The best time to visit Vwaza Marsh is from July to October, during the middle and end of the Dry season. This is when animals tend to stay near the lake in front of the camp, which is accessible to visitors on foot and by car. The Wet season (November to April) is great for birding, and the landscape becomes lush after the rains. However, roads tend to become impassable from December onward.
