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Lake Malawi Holidays Packages Likoma Island and Safari Liwonde Majete

Lake Malawi Safari Holidays - Private Tour, Guide: Tea + Zomba + Liwonde Park

Malawi: Thyolo + Liwonde + Lake - Private Guide
Lake Malawi Safari Holidays Private Tour Guide Tea Zomba Liwonde Park
10 NIGHTS FROM:
$5,466
Per person sharing
Scheduled flights quoted separately
VPM10B
• Lake Malawi Safari Holidays
• Private Tour Guide
• Blantyre
• Thyolo Forest Reserve
• Tea Plantations
• Zomba Plateau
• Liwonde Park
• Game Drives
• Lake Malawi
• Snorkelling & Swimming

Our Lake Malawi safari holidays allow you to explore at your own pace, enjoying a private tour with your own guide to the tea plantations of Thyolo, before driving to the magnificent Zomba Plateau. Continue to Liwonde Park on the Shire River, with game viewing & birding by boat & on land, before relaxing on the shores of spectacular Lake Malawi. All transfers & game drives included.

Day 1
You will be met at Blantyre Airport by your driver/guide who will introduce you to the beauty of Malawi on your 1.5-hours drive southwards to the tea region of Thyolo (pronounced "Cho’lo").
 
Situated in the foothills of Mount Mulanje, these tea estates have been cultivated for over 100 years. Check in and relax at your hotel, where the trimmed tea bushes give the appearance of a neatly kept but vast garden.
Day 2
This morning you can enjoy Tea Tasting at a tea factory, followed by a guided walk around the estate. Here you can gain insight into the colonial lifestyle, with balance of day at leisure,
 
Alternatively take an optional day trip to Mount Mulanje.
 
Note: There are no tea tastings on weekends.
Day 3
This morning we leave Thyolo and drive 2.5-hours to the magnificent Zomba Plateau.
 
Rising over 6,000 ft (1,800 m) this huge plateau is covered by wild vegetation as well as cedar, pine and cypress trees. The top of the plateau is criss-crossed by mountain streams, with tumbling waterfalls and lakes.
 
There are driveable tracks right round the top of the plateau, from which the views were described in colonial times as "the best in the British Empire".
Day 4
Today we leave Zomba and travel 2.5-hours to Liwonde National Park situated on the plains of the Upper Shire River.
 
We drive through Liwonde town and along the lakeshore road to Ulongwe, continuing along a dirt road to the park. On arrival we sign in with a ranger, who will radio for a boat to collect us for the 15-minute ride up the Shire River, where we should see hippo, crocodile, elephant and buffalo. We arrive at our lodge in time for a late lunch and in the afternoon you can relax and enjoy the wonderful birdlife.
Days 5 To 6
Wildlife viewing in Liwonde National Park centres around the Shire River, with game viewing by boat and on land.
 
There is a wide variety of game in this park and you should get good sightings of elephant, sable antelope, warthog, impala, kudu, waterbuck, buffalo and many other species. As there are no lions in Liwonde you can substitute a walking safari, bike ride or canoeing down the river for one of your game activities. For an extra fee there is the option of rhino tracking - a 3-hour guided walk into rhino territory with armed scouts and guides to see the valuable work they are doing to combat poaching, ending with a delicious bush meal.
 
Bird watching is also outstanding, with over 400 recorded species. Specials include the Green coucal, Bat hawk, Palm-nut vulture, Pel's fishing owl, Brown-breasted barbet, Livingstone's flycatcher, White-backed night heron, Lilian’s lovebird, and Böhm's bee-eater. You can also hope to see Pied kingfisher, Black heron and other waterbirds during boat rides on the river, as well as Red-necked falcon and Rufous-bellied heron. In the woodlands you can see some localised species such as the African openbill and Long-toed lapwing. Liwonde is also great for birds of prey such as the Bateleur, Martial eagle and Snake eagle.
Day 7
Today you will be collected from your Lilongwe hotel and transferred 2.5 to 4-hours (depending on the location of your lodge) to the shore of beautiful Lake Malawi. From here take a boat ride to your lodge situated on an island in the lake.
 
Originally named Lake Nyasa when discovered by David Livingstone (who called it the "Lake of Stars" due to the many lanterns of fisherman at night), this is the third largest lake in Africa and the southernmost lake in the Great Rift Vally system, bordering both Mozambique to the east and Tanzania to the north.
 
Check into your hotel overlooking this magnificent freshwater lake.
Days 8 To 10
At leisure to relax on the shores of beautiful Lake Malawi, an enormous inland sea with a surface area of over 11,000 square miles (30,000 square km).
 
Enjoy lazy days snorkelling, canoeing and sailing in crystal clear waters, which hold more species of freshwater aquarium fish than any other body of water on earth. Bird watching is also outstanding, so keep an eye out for the African fish eagle - Malawi's national bird.
 
Note: Water shoes are recommended for wading into the lake.
Day 11
Transfer by boat to the mainland, where you will be met and transferred 2.5 to 4-hours (depending on the location of your lodge) to Lilongwe Airport for your flight home.