Discover the warm heart of Africa
Malawi
You hardly find any tourist in the poorest country of Africa, which is wedged between Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia, but that only means you got the country all to yourself… only sharing it with 18 million inhabitants, all smiles. Malawi is yearning to be discovered.
The afternoon is well on its way when we leave the airport of Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. After passing the presidential palace, the road soon changes into an unpaved mud road, and just when I think our driver is lost, we enter the gates of the Kumbali Lodge. Kumbali is situated on a dairy farm of two emigrated South Africans, and it’s an oasis of tranquillity. The stylish, thatched roof cabins border on a green lawn, with a swimming pool in its centre. “Welcome to Malawi, Sir”, says a friendly waiter with teeth as white as his shirt, while he offers me a golden Kuche Kuche with a rich white head.
In bed with Madonna
We won’t see the editor of the women’s magazine for a while. She was offered the suite Madonna always takes when she is back in Malawi to adopt a child. By now, the ‘Queen of Pop’ has two daughters from Malawi. Like a true queen, the editor takes in all the luxury of her Madonna suite, and I have another beer until the crickets announce the evening.
The Malari archipelago is a tropical jewel in the Lake Malawi National Park. Protected by UNESCO, the third deepest lake on earth is a source of biodiversity. You find no less than 875 different cichlids, a type of bright-coloured Percidae. Not strange that the Blue Zebra Island Lodge on Nankoma Island has been named after one of those fishes. The green, forested island is so small, you can walk around in one hour. To reach my bungalow, I have to go through part of the bush. In Blue Zebra, you truly are alone in the world should you wish. Hanging in the hammock on the balcony beneath the trees, only spied upon by the hornbills.
“The Lake of Stars” is what explorer David Livingstone called Lake Malawi when he ‘discovered’ it 150 years ago
Unique to this lodge is the ‘sundowner cruise’. Together with the general manager, we sail towards the sunset in a small speedboat. Armed with G&T’s we float between the islands. A lonely fisherman paddles home in his dugout canoe, while the sun sets slowly in the lake, firing up the skies. Life is good, let’s bring out the stars.
On safari in Liwonde National Park
Liwonde National Park runs along the Shire River and mainly exists out of bushland inhabited by zebras, rhinos, elephants, kudus and thousands of antelopes. The river shore is the territory of ospreys, crocodiles, white storks, leopards and hippos. From the land rover, we see many animals, only missing them during our sunset beer, when one of the guests almost steps on a sleeping crocodile. I don’t now who was startled more, but from that point forward, this guest didn’t stray more than a meter from the vehicle.
Hunting elephants with Prince Harry
What Dutch prince Bernhard had with rhinos, Harry has with elephants. Together with a team of experts, he has helped move 500 elephants for African Parks in the past three weeks. Things are going very well for elephants in Liwonde National Park. Too well, making the park a little overcrowded. For that reason, complete herds are moved to the Majete and Nkhotakota game reserves, with a lot of space to spare.
The forest on the shore starts cracking, the trees are shaking
Rumour has it, Prince Harry is also in the Myuu Lodge. The glossy editor gets quite excited at the idea of the next celebrity in Malawi, and I too wouldn’t mind a pint with Harry. Mvuu means rhino in Chichewa language. When I walk to my luxury tent lodge, a sign warns me about loose hippos. I have read that hippos are vegetarians. Meaning I would have nothing to fear, they’re a bit like cows that live in water. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth: Firstly, hippos are extremely territorial and secondly, they are incredibly near-sighted. A deadly combination, making them the biggest killers of humans in Africa. With their fat body, they can reach incredible speed and when you look at their teeth you know: Keep your distance!
From the safety of a boat, we get really close to the hippos. Complete herds lie in the water, grumbling and bubbling happily. The only things you see are their eyes and nostrils. The forest on the shore starts cracking, the trees are shaking. “Elephants” whispers our guide. First, an old male comes out to drink at the river. We are extremely close with our boat, but he doesn’t seem to care one bit. The rest of the family follows. The adults loot the trees, while the teenagers play with each other, trumpeting loudly. A wee one walks between his mother’s legs. We watch this scene breathlessly, forgetting all about Harry, who had just left at our arrival.
We literally raise a lot of dust when we drive our van straight through a football match, but neither the fans nor the players seem to notice. They are playing in front of the school, in the village square made from compacted sand. The village is surrounded by the mountains of the Zomba Plateau in the Shire Highlands. Like most places in Malawi, daily life mostly takes place in the open air. Women get water at the central well, often under a large baobab tree. You get your clothes on the market, the tailor sits just outside his house.
“Bottol! Mister boto! Hello botel! Please bottel.” The open air theatre that is called Malawi
In school too, most children are outside. We hand out pens and notebooks, stuff that is really scarce around here. “We have 2100 children in this school,” explains the headmaster, “we can put only half of them in the classrooms.” I ask him what they do when it starts to rain. “When it rains, half of the students go to class in the morning, the other half in the afternoon,” he says. However poor, it’s striking how much the people around here smile. Even the children of the poorest families, having made a game out of collecting water bottles from tourists, run along with our van, laughing broadly. “Bottol! Mister boto! Hello botel! Please, bottle!”, they shout. They need our plastic disposable bottles to sell oil.
MTB Malawi style… scrambling up the mountain
East of the city of Blantyre, we find the 3000-metre high Mulanje. At the foot the mountain, guide David of Trek Mulanje is ready to go. Next to him, we find 4 mountain bikes, seemingly from the same time period the Walkman was first invented. I start the climb, but it’s soon clear the gears are stuck and I lose my momentum. Pity… I leave the bike for the broom wagon and walk up… the company is called Trek Mulanje for a reason. I am not the only one, because a little later I find Leo, the newspaper journalist, next to his bike, cursing. I pat him on the shoulder and see misses Glossy get out of the van at the end of the road. From here on, we walk up the mountain together. Goal: The Likhubula Falls. Every now and then, the forest offers a view of the high rocks of the Mulanje. Sweat dripping down our backs, we finally find ourselves at the top at a magical waterfall. Ask yourself, what would you do?
Majete Wildlife Reserve
In the most southern tip lies Majete, one of the five national parks in Malawi. Dave Westbrook, general manager of the Mkulumadzi Lodge, sits around the fire with us. Below us, the branches at the river crack. “Elephants”, he says, seeing our worried looks. Once, Dave was a park ranger, and he tells us elephants reproduce like rabbits. “Back in the days, they had a lot of space in Africa, but nowadays, their habitat is slinking due to the human need for more space. When you have too many elephants in one area, the food runs out and the start to fell trees to survive. Before you know it, the whole nature reserve has been ravaged.” I tell him about Prince Harry in Liwonde. “Yeah, the relocation of elephants started because public opinion is against killing them. The problem is that they are highly intelligent herd animals. When you move one, you have to move the whole herd, otherwise, they won’t make it. In short, a very expensive operation.”
“Back in the days, elephants had a lot of space in Africa, but nowadays, their habitat is slinking due to the human need for more space”
Mkulumadzi Lodge is located in a wilderness of 70.000 acres of bushland savannah, a mix of pasture and dense forestry, at an incredible place overlooking the Shire river. This location is the most impressing one up till now. Wildlife is all around us, from crocodiles in the river to rhinos in the forest. There are no fences around the lodge, so tonight I will be escorted to my bed by an armed waiter.
Mkulumadzi Lodge is located in a wilderness of 70.000 acres of bushland savannah, a mix of pasture and dense forestry, at an incredible place overlooking the Shire river. This location is the most impressing one up till now. Wildlife is all around us, from crocodiles in the river to rhinos in the forest. There are no fences around the lodge, so tonight I will be escorted to my bed by an armed waiter.
Very early next morning, I am in the land cruiser on safari with guides Eric and Chris. Nature slowly comes to life when the sun rises. “Not so long ago, the first lions were released here. We might see them,” says Eric. The view of the river covered with shreds of mist, the rising sun and a good cup of coffee, make this early morning a success already. Chris hits the breaks and looks happily at the ground: “Fresh lion poop! They can’t be far.” We stare towards the impenetrable forest ahead of us, but don’t see a thing. Yes, Malawi can also brag about the Big Five being visible here – the collective name for the big game: elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo – but to be absolutely sure you see them, you have to visit Tanzania, Kenia or South-Africa. Are you looking for atmosphere, the unknown and safety, Malawi is the place to be.
Satemwa Tea Estate
Stretched out below the mountains, we find the green hills of the Thyolo district. The area is the perfect habitat for tea plantations. In 1874, Huntingdon house was one of the first colonial land claims in British Central Africa, the name before Malawi’s independence in 1964.
Robert Kay, Chip for friends, has lived through it all. His father bought the plantation in 1920 and well in his eighties, Chip still rules over it all. Proudly, he takes us on a tour of his estate. Full of passion, he talks about the tea and his respect for the people working on the plantation. The tea branch isn’t doing very well, and Chip talks about his fiery wish his son can continue the plantation.
Stenen bogen, open haarden, hemelbedden, leren chesterfields en Engels theeservies wachten hier op je komst.
Huntingdon House, the colonial family home of the stubborn Scots, consists of 5 spacious rooms and is surrounded by well-maintained gardens. Stone arches, open fireplaces, four-poster beds, leather chesterfields and English tea sets await your arrival. ‘The warm heart of Africa’ is only just coming into view for tourists, make sure you go there now it’s still unspoilt.
Getting there:
Ehiopian Airlines has multiple flights a week from Brussel Zaventem to the capital Lilongwe and to Blantyre.
4 luxury lodges
Kumbali Lodge | www.kumbalilodge.com
Blue Zebra Lodge | www.bluezebra.mw
Mkulumadzi Lodge | Majete Wildlife Reserve
Satemwa Tea Estate | www.huntingdon-malawi.com
