'Best kept safari secret' is cheaper than major hotspots with heaps of animals
An East African country with bountiful wildlife and a vast freshwater lake is an often overlooked, slightly cheaper destination for safaris.
Malawi is often overshadowed by its more prominent neighbours Zambia and Tanzania when it comes to spots most people flock to to witness the Big Five. However, operators Yellowwood who have just set up in the country, argue that it has just as much if not more to offer.
Running up the spine of the long and thin country are several reserves including Majete Wildlife Reserve, Nyika National Park, Liwonde National Park and Lake Malawi.
Yellowwood describes them as a "conservation success story" that are "flourishing once more with the help of non-profit conservation organisation African Parks and bodies like the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation".
The Mulanje Massif rises out of the southern plains (Getty Images/Gallo Images)One particularly large and successful conservation effort has seen 263 elephants moved from one of the country's smallest parks to Kasungu National Park, which had seen its population of 2,000 of the mammals reduced to just 50 after years of rampant poaching. The elephants are thriving there once more thanks to an almighty effort from the Malawi government and the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
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In recent years big cats, black rhinos and pangolins have been reintroduced into certain protected areas. Among them is the Majete Wildlife Reserve in the southwestern part of the country, where the roar of lions can be heard along with the rapids of the Shire River. The waters are packed with pods of hippos while crocodiles laze on sandy banks.
More than 100km north along the waterway, cheetahs prowl the floodplains of Liwonde National Park. It is possible to embark on safari either by road or boat. If going by water, you'll be able to listen to the squeals of fish eagles and watch as malachite kingfishers flit past.
Although swimming in the Shire is forbidden and unwise given the large-toothed-mammals which enjoy bathing in it, there are chances to cool off in Lake Malawi. The huge body of waters runs up the east side of the country and is the fifth largest freshwater lake in the world.
It is home to more species of fish than any other lake on the planet. Tourists can snorkel with 700 types of cichlids and relax in hammocks on Crusoe-style islands.
The best time of the year to visit Malawi is the dry season, from May to October. The temperature in the country hovers around the 30C mark for much of the year, but is far more comfortable when the humidity is low.
Nkhata Bay sits on the shores of Lake Malawi (Getty Images/iStockphoto)"Swollen baobabs rise from fiery soils that burn the colour of cayenne pepper and hills ripple like waves into the horizon. Sliced by the Great Rift Valley, ‘the warm heart of Africa’ is a geological wonder of raw and astounding scenery. Often overshadowed by its brash neighbours Zambia and Tanzania, Africa’s best kept safari secret has none of the crowds but every bit of the wild energy that pulses through this continent," Yellowwood tempts.
Nine days safari in the country costs from £2,699, which is not cheap compared to a holiday in Spain, but is decent value next to other similar wildlife packages.
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