When I told a South African colleague that I was heading to Malawi, they exclaimed, “Wow! Heading into deepest, darkest Africa, huh?” It was an indication that not even hardened travel veterans put Malawi on their radar. Yes, many folks know Lake Malawi—it is the dominant geographical landmark of the country. In fact, you would …

Long neglected, this reserve was mainly visited by poachers for most of the second half of the twentieth century. But starting in 2003, an organization called African Parks was granted a long-term management contract of Majete. To say it has been transformed doesn’t do it justice.

The reserve is now fenced to protect it from poaching. …

Malawi is more than just game-viewing safaris, and yes, more than the lake. Two magnificent areas in Southern Malawi are the Zomba Plateau and Mount Mulanje. We drove through this area going from Majete to Liwonde, staying over at the Huntington House on the Satemwa Tea Estate. We toured the tea factory and had a lovely sundowner cocktail on a …

So let’s be upfront about mastering the names: Lilongwe is the capital of Malawi. Liwonde is a national park that is a must for game viewing in Malawi. But rest assured, I’ve been known to mix them up from time to time, too.

Liwonde National Park is not large, sitting just south of Lake Malombe with the Shire River serving as its …

So there is a country called Malawi, and there is a very large body of water called Lake Malawi, but there is also Lake Malawi National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lake Malawi itself is the southernmost of the great lakes of the Rift Valley (Lake Tanganyika and Lake Victoria are two other notable ones). The park is centered around Cape …