African Safari Adventure Time!
Frances Hoffman
It was an early morning departure from Annie’s Lodge for a two and a half hour drive—the last half hour of which we were on roads passable only with 4 wheel land rovers, unlike any roads you would see in Canada. We arrived at the landing area to board boats, which would then take us to the Mvuu Camp in Liwonde National Park (Mvuu being the Chichengan word for Hippopotamus). This, in the opinion of your humble blogger and that of the Malawi Travel Tourism book, is the most picturesque and popular of all Malawi’s game parks. It is also the most prolific wildlife area in Malawi, especially known for its birds and stargazing.
We were on a two-hour boat safari on the Shire River (pronounced She-ree). We saw OVER 50 HIPPOS, several crocodiles, and a couple elephants. The African sun beat down on us; it is much hotter here only 200 feet above sea level than in Zomba. The local guides are well trained in flora, fauna, birds and in handling the boat. The excellent safari guides were generous in time, and were full value for their allotted time levels.
Lunch was delicious!
Then we had free time to get settled in our huts, and explore the grounds—but not too far because of the wildlife around. We were constantly reminded that we were visitors in the animals’ habitat, and so needed to stay within defined areas.
4:00 we left on a game drive, on which we saw a variety of the antelope family (impalas, water bucks, kudus, elands), baboons, warthogs, and mongoose. Birdlife was abundant, as we saw a wide variety from Kingfishers to African Fish Eagles. As the sun was setting, we parked at the rivers edge for “happy hour”. This was followed by a continuation of the game drive in the dark, searching for nocturnal life. We used powerful searchlights, scanning the surroundings for wildlife. The hippos had come inland; we saw a strikingly regal spotted owl; we found porcupines, garrets, otter, and more eagles. We also had an interesting astronomy lesson of the southern hemisphere skies. These do not resemble the constellations we are familiar with at home. Being in the southern hemisphere, the big dipper is upside down here and the Milky Way was vivid.
We returned to the lodge and were escorted to our huts for safety reasons. Subsequently, we were escorted from the lodges to the outdoor dinner area. We enjoyed a performance of dancing and drums around a crackling fire. At the conclusion of the dinner, we were escorted back to our rooms.
We were lulled to sleep with the sounds of nature—crickets and snorting hippos to name a few. The following morning was early, and we woke up at 5:30 for a 6:00 safari walk, which really was a “scat tour”, along with a variety of birds and insects. A second guide with a rifle accompanied the group.
We returned for breakfast. Soon after, we went on our fourth and final safari, another river tour. Rhonda’s excellent photography skills came into action, and she got the hippo “money shot”. We also were afforded the opportunity to see another set of elephants grazing on the waters edge.
I’m really enjoying your blog. The photos are beautiful. It’s the next best thing to being there!