Malawi

Malawi has a wonderfully varied topography, from the great rift valley and its high mountainous plateaus to the gently rolling Shire Highlands that lie to the south of Lake Malawi.

Despite being landlocked, this large crystal-clear lake on Malawi’s eastern border is dotted with secluded islands and untouched beaches on its western shore, adding to the natural beauty of Malawi.

Malawi is a small and friendly country bordered by Tanzania to the north, Zambia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east and south. The national parks in Malawi offer varied species and beautiful scenery, in which Malawi has two sites listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List; Lake Malawi National Park and the Chongoni Rock Art Area.

Scott Dunn’s highlights for Malawi:

Take a private boat trip out into Lake Malawi and spend the day in pure isolation, snorkelling off the boat in Lake Malawi’s clear and warm waters, home to an incredible number of fish.
Stay on the remote Likoma, a tiny and secluded island in the middle of Lake Malawi.
Explore the Liwonde National Park, for a chance to spot hippos and crocodiles, bathing in the Shire River.

Lake Malawi, the third largest lake in Africa, covers one fifth of the country and was declared a World Heritage Site on account of its incredible diversity of fish. As a holiday destination it is beautiful and unique - crystal clear waters offer fantastic diving and snorkeling, while the lovely sandy beaches are the perfect place to laze away the day on a comfortable hammock.

In the south of Malawi, where Lake meets Land, is Liwonde National Park. Bisected by the Shire River, the park is home to a large number of elephant, hippo, plains game including the beautiful sable antelope and the shy serval. The park is very lush, almost tropical, and one of the highlights is to take a boat trip on the river, drifting close to elephant as they feed at the water’s edge.

Malawi is dotted with rolling plateaus, the most famous and largest of which is the Nyika Plateau, found in the far north of Malawi. The Nyika National Park, at an altitude of around 2,500m, is a beautiful vista of rolling hills, dotted with over 250 species of orchid, many other wild flowers and punctuated with vast granite outcrops, small streams and waterfalls.

Scott Dunn: ANYTHING ELSE IS JUST A HOLIDAY

Malawi

Lake Malawi

Blantyre and southern Malawi

Nyika Plateau and northern Malawi