Southern Malawi Highlights

The next two days are at leisure to explore Satemwa Estate and surrounding tea plantations from your base at Huntingdon House.

Huntingdon House
Situated in the Shire Highlands, about one hours' drive from Blantyre and within easy reach of Lake Malawi's southern shore, Huntingdon House is a charming colonial-era country home dating back to 1928.

Huntingdon House, and the Satemwa Estate to which it belongs, has been in the Cathcart Kay family for generations, with the family’s fourth-generation descendants still managing the tea and coffee production of the estate to this day.

The house was substantially refurbished in 2009 and converted into a 5-room guesthouse (accommodating up to 12), but it still retains much of its original charm and style, with its wrap-around verandah, silver service dining room, and grand lounge with wooden fireplace redolent of an earlier era.

Huntingdon House is a wonderful place to relax, surrounded by verdant gardens with quiet patios and terraces just waiting to be explored. It's perfect for cooling off at the end of your holiday, the cool climate and beautiful highland scenery particularly refreshing after a hot and dusty safari!

There are lovely walks to be had around the estate and the surrounding highlands, and guests at Huntingdon have free use of mountain bikes to explore. Guided tours of the tea and coffee estate can be arranged, including tastings.

Other activities available locally include mountain biking and guided walks. Alternatively, feel free to relax and explore the extent estate grounds at your own leisure.

Mkulumadzi Lodge
Mkulumadzi Lodge is situated within a private concession of the Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi's sole big five game park. Opened in 2011, it is one of only two properties within the park.

Managed by the well-established luxury safari operator, Robin Pope Safaris, Mkulumadzi offers a standard of accommodation not previously available in Majete. Guests are accommodated in fabulous chalets, with king-size beds, spacious lounge areas and private viewing decks overlooking the Shire River. Facilities include a swimming pool with sun loungers, indoor and outdoor dining, and a bar and lounge.

Mkulumadzi's location, at the confluence of the Shire and Mkulumadzi Rivers, allows for access to the core game-viewing territories at the heart of Majete Reserve, as well as its own 17,000 acre private concession, ensuring excellent game-viewing opportunities.

Mkulumadzi Lodge has just eight guest chalets, of which two are family units, meaning the lodge accommodates no more than 20 guests at a time.

The tented chalets open fully at the front in order to allow in lots of natural light. Inside they are furnished with king-size beds - positioned facing the open front of the tents - and a separate seating area with low table and chairs. Each chalet opens onto a shaded viewing deck overlooking the Shire River.

Activities at Mkulumadzi include 4x4 game drives, walking safaris and boat safaris on the Shire river (dependent on water levels).

After lunch at the lodge, embark on an afternoon game drive in Majete Game Reserve.

Majete Game Reserve
For a long time neglected and crippled by poaching, Majete Wildlife Reserve came under new management in 2003 and has since undergone a real rebirth. Over 2,000 animals have been reintroduced to the Reserve, including elephant, black rhino, buffalo, zebra, sable antelope, eland, waterbuck, nyala, hartebeest, kudu and many more, making this one of the most densely populated safari reserves in all of Malawi.

Visitors to Majete have the option to explore the reserve by vehicle – game drives in open vehicles – or on foot. Guided bushwalks are a special highlight. You will be led by experienced scouts, who themselves cover the Reserve every day on patrols and are thus best equipped to tell you all about Majete. For the more adventurous there is the option to track elephant on foot – a once in a lifetime experience! Together with two scouts, you will search for elephants using a radio transmitter. Once there is a signal you will go on foot into the bush. It is important to be downwind and very quiet – the elephants are wild animals and can be dangerous, but it is a truly impressive experience to be standing just a few metres away from these majestic animals.

Kuthengo Camp
Located in the north of Liwonde National Park, Kuthengo means “in the bush” in the local language - a most fitting name! This is very much a classic safari camp. It's small, intimate and eco-friendly, with the main energy source being solar power (and a back-up generator if necessary).

This camp is the latest addition to long-established Robin Pope portfolio of safari camps and lodges, so guests can expect immaculate service, highly qualified guides and fabulous food.

Days are spent on game drives in open-top 4x4s. Walking and boat safaris are also on offer, allowing for river-based game-viewing, with common sightings including hippo and crocodile, and the frequent spectacle of fish eagles and kingfishers swooping to the water. Also commonly sighted on the river’s edge are Liwonde's large elephant herds.

Kuthengo Camp offers just 4 cosy safari tents. The canvas tents are generously-sized, featuring either twin or double beds draped in mosquito nets, and en suite bathrooms with outdoor showers. There is also a larger family tent available. All tents feature inside seating areas and open onto a verandah with lounge chairs overlooking the river.

The tents are airy with a large opening facing the riverfront; however, should you need it there is an eco-friendly air-conditioning system that cools only within the mosquito net, rather than the whole tent.

Liwonde National Park
Liwonde is located in the southern half of Malawi on the Shire River, allowing for both game drives on the plains and river boat safaris. The park landscape is very diverse, incorporating picturesque lagoons and marshland, swamps, and forests dominated by mopane woodland, acacia and handsome baobabs.

Liwonde is the most popular and wildlife-rich of Malawi’s safari parks. It doesn’t offer a big game-viewing experience to rival that of the Serengeti or Masai Mara, but the park has a wonderfully relaxed feel and some stunning landscapes. The birdlife is the great attraction here, as in most parks in Malawi, and among the species to be found are African fish eagle, weavers, bee-eaters and Pel’s fishing owl to name but a few. Botanists will also find the park very interesting, with over 1,000 species of plants, including beautiful seasonal wild flowers.

As for big game, the Shire River is home to large pods of noisy hippo (around 2,000 of them!) and crocodile – the night time sounds here are amazing (you can also add frogs to the chorus!) The park’s numerous other residents include waterbuck, bushbuck, plentiful elephant, impala, warthog, greater kudu, vervet monkey, baboon, monitor lizards, sable antelope, zebra, hyena and the endangered black rhino. African Parks have been successful in reintroducing cheetah to the park and increasing the number of elephants.  They have big plans to continue their conservation work within the park. 

Mvuu Lodge
Mvuu Lodge has a lovely location on the banks of the Shire River in Liwonde National Park. With just 8 chalets, it offers a relaxed setting for a safari in one of Africa's less-visited wildernesses.

Activities at Mvuu revolve around boating trips on the Shire River and 4x4 game drives, with a special focus on black rhino tracking. Nature walks are also possible. Birding enthusiasts will be able to participate in non-stop birding around Mvuu, the birdlife being as varied as it is prolific – the Shire River is a favourite haunt for the African fish eagle, Pel’s fishing owl, Böhm’s bee-eater and white-backed night heron.

Mvuu’s airy thatched lounge and bar looks out onto the Shire River. There is also a boma where you can enjoy an evening drink, and a small swimming pool with deck chairs in which to relax between safari activities.

Mvuu Lodge offers eight safari chalets. Positioned on raised decks, the canvas and thatch chalets are rustic in design, but with spacious interiors. They have hammocks and wicker seating on the verandah overlooking the lagoon. Each tent has an en suite bathroom.

Makokola Retreat
Makokola Retreat is an upmarket beach resort situated on the southern shore of Lake Malawi, within the boundaries of the national park. A substantial resort, it boasts a wealth of facilities, including a nine-hole golf course, fabulous 44-metre swimming pool, and fully-equipped spa, all situated within private gardens and overlooking a long stretch of white sand beach.

Makokola Retreat offers 48 rooms and suites, set within private villas situated a few steps from the beach. The standard beach rooms feature king-size beds furnished with Malawian cottons, en-suite bathrooms with separate bath and shower, and private verandahs overlooking the lake.

The restaurant at Makokola serves a mix of Malawian favourites and more familiar international fare, prepared with ingredients grown in the hotel gardens or sourced locally.

There’s also a lively bar, which wraps around the pool and overlooks the lake and beach.

The next three days are free for you to enjoy the beach and the facilities at Makokola Retreat. Various lake activities, including water sports and diving, can be arranged locally.

Mumbo Island Camp
Mumbo is a beautiful eco-camp situated on an uninhabited island within Lake Malawi National Park.

Mumbo is decidedly rustic; the island is a tiny 1km wide and has no electricity – lighting is instead by paraffin lamps, and the water is solar heated. Accommodation is in simple reed-and-thatch chalets, each with its own porch and hammock with lake views.

This is a wonderful camp at which to unwind and relax. Those who enjoy a more active beach break will also find plenty of ways to keep themselves occupied at Mumbo. The lake is crystal clear, and shoals of colourful fish can be found offshore – the lack of motor boats make this region perfect for snorkelling and kayaking. Birding is varied here, and the island has some marked trails for walkers.

During your stay on Mumbo you are free to do as much or as little as you wish. Mumbo Island Camp offers several activities, including snorkelling and kayaking on the lake to see Malawian cichlids, sundowner cruises, and walking on the island. Scuba diving can also be arranged locally.