Liwonde National Park

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 western boundary. It is, like Malawi (the country and the lake), an elongated park. You can go out on the river in a boat and see crocodiles, hippos, and even elephants in the wide, easily flowing river. And the flat plains bordering the river are excellent for spotting game, either from the boat or a landie.

All the lodges in Liwonde are to be found on the river. There is a group in the south near the main gate, a handful in the center of the park, and one lone camp near where Lake Malombe drains, feeding the Shire River. I had the pleasure of staying at Mvuu Wilderness Lodge in the center of Liwonde National Park, before making my way upriver for a visit at Kuthengo Camp.
Mvuu is a collection of a lodge, a camp, and a campsite. I found it full of game—so much, in fact, that I was not allowed to walk to or from my tent. I invariably get assigned the tent farthest from the main lodge building. I don’t mind, as I enjoy the hike. At night (or any darkness), you must have a trained guide for safety. At Mvuu, I was told I would be driven to and from the tent. Why? A pride of lions had recently set up shop in the area, and they were rumored to have cubs hidden away. I know better than to mess with a mama (lion or otherwise) and rode in the vehicle.

Our early morning game drive out of Mvuu proved to be quite eventful. We found the pride of lions we had seen lazying about the evening before from the boat on the river. And more importantly, our guide excitedly (but subtly) pointed to a trio of cubs emerging from behind a fallen tree. These were the cubs thought to exist in the area and the reason for shuttle service to the tents. And no one, guide or guest, had seen them until the group in our vehicle did. It was truly a treat.

And our game viewing luck held up when we went inland, as well. Liwonde has an over abundance of elephants, and we saw plenty of them. We were also lucky enough to spot a very young elephant, still a little shaky on his feet. Our guide thought he was less than three days old.

We were able to track down a cheetah mother and her two teenaged daughters, as well as spotting a big male that evening with a spotlight on our night drive.

We transferred from Mvuu to Kuthengo Camp by river, taking a boat up to the new camp. After we settled in, the heat of the day was bearing down on us so we slipped into the camp’s pool with an icy beverage. Not too long after, a rather large and cumbersome hippo came grazing by. Hippos are dangerous, so we stayed in our pool until he decided to head back to the river. The big game in Liwonde does not mind walking right through the camps! Despite not spotting the elusive rhino, Liwonde was an impressive game-viewing safari!