By African standards, Malawi is a small country (a bit smaller than England, in fact), but with its diverse landscapes and vast lakes, it can offer a wide variety of experiences in a single safari holiday, says Ben Lerwill in National Geographic Traveller. For a gentle start, head to the Shire Highlands, in the southeast, where forested hills rise above 2,000 metres, and tea plantations have flourished for more than a century.
Among these estates is Satemwa, which was founded in 1923 and later became the first in Malawi to be Fairtrade-certified. Guests stay in a 1930s bungalow, Huntingdon House, with “roaring” log fires, clawed bathtubs, antique furniture and “luxuriant” plants in silver vases. Satemwa’s 3,700 acres are interspersed with swathes of mahogany woods that shelter creatures including antelopes, porcupines and more than 600 avian species, some of them spectacular, making birdwatching trips “a joy”. Coffee is also grown on the estate, but tea tastings are particularly delightful, with black, green, oolong and white varieties to sample, some of which are served at Claridge’s.
Next, you might visit Liwonde National Park, a 212-square-mile expanse of mopane woodland three hours to the north. Poaching once devastated the park, but in the past decade, 40,000 wire snares have been removed, and black rhinos, cheetahs, lions and wild dogs have been reintroduced. I stayed at Mvuu – one of just a few lodges here, with “spacious” tented chalets and “excellent” food – and went on wonderful game drives and walking safaris, spotting lions, elephants, hippos and other species.
The country’s true “marvel”, however, is Lake Malawi – one of the world’s largest and deepest lakes, home to at least 1,000 freshwater fish species (more than Europe and North America combined). I stayed at Pumulani Lodge, which has steps down to a beach. Kayaking along the wooded shore, I spotted fish eagles and hamerkops, and the snorkelling was dazzling.