Kuthengo. Photo / Robin Pope Safaris
When planning an iconic safari trip, you may consider South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania. Few think of Malawi, but given its unspoilt wilderness, affordable luxury and lack of tourist crowds, Ben West suggests you should.
I’m enjoying a cool beer in the al fresco lounge area of luxurious Kuthengo Camp, deep in Liwonde National Park. Suddenly two magnificent elephants cruise up in front of me, busy grazing on the lush greenery below their feet.
The laidback atmosphere quickly turns serious as a staff member, in hushed tones, orders us to stay seated, remain completely still, and keep our voices down.
I gulp down another mouthful of Kuche Kuche, the omnipresent beer of the country and deeply refreshing on a hot day like this.I’m in awe but also rather nervous of the wondrous sight about 25 metres in front of me. For there is absolutely no barrier between us and these elephants, and if they were to charge there’d be no protection at all.
“Elephants can’t see too clearly and if they get confused by movement they can charge,” says our barman. “White clothing, especially, attracts their attention, and they can see white as a threat.”
Of course, I’m the one who decided to be decked out completely in white this day. More photographs are taken of this incredible backdrop by the handful of people around me in the following 20 minutes than would be at an entire Instagram influencer convention, and the elephants, one about 35 years old, the other a bit older that’s missing a tusk, gradually move on.
They’ve attracted a host of birds, including fish eagles, which cheekily hitch a lift on the elephants’ backs. However, the elephants are so fixated by the plant-based feast in front of them that they don’t seem to notice.
Malawi has long been overlooked as a tourist destination, and it is curious how so many travellers visit the same old countries in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2024, South Africa saw 8.92 million tourists, Kenya welcomed 2.39 million and Tanzania had more than two million.
Meanwhile, only around 1.1 million tourists visited Malawi last year, according to Southern and East African Tourism Update. In short, it’s one of Africa’s many countries that, thanks to being off the beaten track, is less crowded and expensive yet well worth visiting.
Malawi is one such country, but is on a mission to build its tourism. In 2024, it waived visa requirements for 79 countries (including New Zealand) and launched a tourism university to raise hospitality standards in the country. It also has a growing number of luxury lodges and hotels.
Kuthengo Camp certainly provides plenty of luxury. Nestled amongst fever trees and baobabs, with an inviting swimming pool tucked in the corner, it is situated by the Shire River, upon a large open plain. The boat ride to the camp illustrates just how undeveloped and unspoilt Malawi is: long stretches of the riverbank have no buildings or other man-made interference to be seen.
There are just five tents, and these are spacious and modern, each en suite with a bathtub and outdoor shower. They even have wifi and air-conditioned beds. Walking safaris, game drives and boat trips are all offered.
It is magical to fall asleep to the exotic sounds of the impressive wildlife - there are more than 400 bird species in the park alone - and I regularly hear hippos a few metres from my tent squelching in the mud and occasionally squealing like excited toddlers.
Yet, despite this beauty, tourists are far and few between. . I’ve been on safari in other destinations where there’s been a seemingly never-ending line of vehicles trundling well-worn tracks.On one previous safari, I found that there were around 70 safari vehicles crowded around some elephants, which is not a particularly pleasant experience for the visitors or the animals. In Malawi, you often feel you have the whole park to yourself, and seldom run into other vehicles.
“Yesterday we had a wonderful sighting, a cheetah chasing an impala, right in front of us,” says our guide, Henry, when we embark on a safari in the park. At that moment five impala appear in the distance and one suddenly stands up like a human and walks on its two hind legs. It’s a peculiar sight, and one Henry says he’s never seen in his 20 years of guiding. We also see wild dogs, baboons, warthogs, kudus, duikers, various birds, and a lioness watching waterbuck grazing. We’re just 10 metres away and she ignores us completely. A huge male wanders nearby, and we track him down lounging by a tree. We go on a night safari too, and find a jackal, a civet, porcupine, baby hippo and white-tailed mongoose.
The rates vary from US$405 to $590 (NZ$667 to NZ$973) per person per night at Kuthengo, which feel expensive (even though it offers complete luxury in remote Africa) but one of my travelling companions, Robert Courtney, who specialises in African tours with his company Briggate Travel, assures me the prices are particularly low compared to many other African countries.
Indeed, it is common to pay around US$1000 per night at luxury tented camps in Kenya, and US$2000 or even $3000 is possible.
Bird enthusiasts will especially appreciate Blue Zebra Island Lodge, located on Nankoma Island in the Marelli Archipelago on Lake Malawi. More than 300 bird species can be found on these islands, including Livingstone’s Flycatcher, the African Paradise Flycatcher, Pied Kingfisher, Southern-Brown Throated Weaver, African Palm swift, Bronze Mannikin, African fish eagle, spotted eagle owl, grey heron, little egret, square-tailed whitejar, African grey hornbill and Cape turtle dove.
I spot a couple of hammerkop nests and these are spectacularly huge: if this was the city the birds, which live in pairs, would have to apply for building consent. It’s a delight taking the 2.4km walk around the island, with just the sound of the waves lapping and the exotic birdsong, with lizards and chameleons scuttling past and colourful birds doing an official fly past every now and then. As there’s only capacity for around 30 guests, you’re likely to have this walk to yourself.
Getting to Blue Zebra is an adventure in itself. After driving along good roads past colourful villages you take a 10-minute motorboat trip from the mainland, passing fishermen in their little wooden boats, and the days I did it we had a bumpy ride.
Of course, Malawi is keen that more people visit and experience its many delights. However, I hope this doesn’t happen too rapidly. In a world where more and more countries look the same and over-developed, it is lovely to arrive at cute little Lilongwe Airport, and within three minutes of driving from it you’re surrounded by lush greenery all around, with cattle grazing and people selling coconuts by the roadside. You spend the rest of your time in the country never feeling at all that it is overrun by tourism.
I’d choose it over Kenya or South Africa anytime.
Kuthengo Camp | robinpopesafaris.net/camps-lodges/kuthengo-camp/
Blue Zebra | bluezebra.mw