Malawi: The best safari destination that nobody visits

Words by Ella Kiddell

When you think of the safari greats, which destinations spring to mind? South Africa, Tanzania, Botswana? Of course. But Malawi? Probably not.

Malawi probably isn’t at the top of your hitlist but thanks to a number of high profile conservation efforts, the wildlife experience it offers is on the brink of greatness.  Team this with idyllic beaches, low visitor numbers and a ‘slowly slowly’ pace of local life, and you have an exclusive and wonderfully diverse yet surprisingly affordable safari destination.

Here we outline just a few of the many reasons that Malawi stands shoulder to shoulder with the safari greats and why you might like to consider it for your next African adventure.

Exclusivity realised through low visitor numbers

In 2017, Malawi received around 800,000 visitors and that is a tiny figure compared with South Africa’s 10 million or even Botswana’s 1.6 million – a nation which thrives on ‘low volume, high value’ tourism.

Historically, suppressed visitor numbers were the result of unreliable wildlife sightings and a lack of good quality accommodation. In the past decade however, the success of African Parks’ careful management has seen wildlife areas flourish, and the emergence of a handful of top-notch lodges and camps is testament to growing international confidence. But the world is slow to catch on and while the mainstream travel agents slumber on, pedalling ever-more visitors into Africa’s tourist hotspots, we know better. There are wildlife rich pockets of Malawi you can have all to yourself.

The benefits of a tourism industry in its infancy

Tourism in Malawi is in its infancy. While good quality accommodation now exists, you won’t have to jostle for a reservation and the pricing is incredibly attractive. Malawi is a destination that still offers some serious bang for your buck.

Likewise, the staff are not service-weary. The standards may not be flawless but what staff lack in efficiency, they more than make up for in their palpable desire to welcome visitors. Those smiles are genuine.

The cultural authenticity of walking among local people

Malawi is one of the smallest and most densely populated countries in Africa. This means that you will inevitably travel through villages and fishing settlements en route to your lodge or hotel. Often when travellers fly in and out of safari destinations, their interaction with locals is limited to a conversation with a waiter or a guide. In Malawi, tiny villages spring up every few miles and the fishing settlements that dot the shores of Lake Malawi are within easy walking distance of most of the noteworthy lodges. Strolling through them at leisure is absolutely safe and while you will inevitably be met with friendly curiosity, tourism is novel enough that there are no pushy salesmen or tourist-exploiting tactics. If you’re the type of safari-goer who enjoys a little cultural integration, but worries about the authenticity of organised experiences, Malawi could be for you. This isn’t canned culture, its real, everyday life played out all around you.

The Lake

Lake Malawi is the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system and at almost 600km long, it is virtually a freshwater ocean. A collection of boutique beach resorts make it very easy to while away several days soaking up the sun on soft white sand beaches, swimming, dinghy sailing and paddle boarding. Robinson Crusoe types will relish the desert island getaways just visible on the watery horizon and photographers will find capturing the reflections on the ‘lake of stars’ an irresistible challenge.

The fresh waters teem with brightly coloured fish and jumping in is like diving into an aquarium. Lake Malawi is noted for its staggering taxonomic diversity in fish and all but 4 of the 700 cichlid species present are endemic. Some are so specialised they can only be found on a single rocky outcrop. Needless to say, the lake is a paradise for snorkellers and divers.

Wildlife conservation

Under careful management by African Parks, and with firm governmental commitment, Malawi’s national parks have been transformed by a series of regeneration programmes.

In the past decade more than 2,500 animals have been reintroduced to Majete Wildlife Reserve including black rhino, elephant, lion, leopard, sable antelope, impala and buffalo, and they have been so successful that key species are now being translocated out to populate other parks. In 2017 seven cheetahs, the first in Malawi for twenty years, were reintroduced to Liwonde. In the same year, the park hit the headlines as part of Prince Harry’s ‘500 Elephants’ initiative, and again when the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation reintroduced ten lions in 2018.

Concentrations are still not high enough that sightings can be guaranteed but the animals are multiplying naturally and the experience is improving with every season.

Conservation experiences

The relatively recent and tireless commitment to conservation means that many of the programmes are still underway, and new projects are continually being announced. This presents the opportunity for conservation-minded guests to get involved.

Perhaps you might like to join the International Waterbird Count in Liwonde National Park, spend time on foot patrol with game scouts in Majete, visit the African Parks operations room or even assist with the darting, collaring and relocation of key species. Of course these experiences are available only on an ‘as and when’ basis, often at short notice, since they are actioned only when dictated by conservation initiatives. Yet the fact remains that these opportunities present themselves in Malawi with exciting regularity.

To conclude, if you’re a ‘Big Five’ box ticker looking for guaranteed wildlife sightings then Malawi is not for you. It simply cannot compete with its formidable south and east African neighbours on that front.  If however, you are the type of traveller that likes to slow down, escape the hordes and sink into a destination via the stories of the land and its people, then it will not disappoint. The takeaway point? Go now. Before everyone else does.