As luck would have it we didn’t have to wait long for a pick-up to take us back to Monkey Bay and in fact it picked us up right outside Mgoza Lodge, Cape Maclear. We hadn’t totally decided on the best plan and thought we might spend a night in Monkey Bay and catch a bus the following morning. We walked to the end of town, and to Mufasa’s backpackers, but it was shabby with a neglected air to it – we later found out that his 4 places are either closing down or up for sale. Anyway we felt we wouldn’t be comfortable whiling away an afternoon there and since the bags were packed decided to catch some means of transport out of the area. It turned out to be another 4 vehicle day and one we dubbed a ‘grand-a-go-day’ as that’s what every pick-up, truck and mini-van charged us per head. Travelling by public transport here in Malawi is not cheap, rarely comfortable, often tedious and never fast.
Anyway back in town we were hustled into a truck that was going to some junction or other but we had little idea as to where we’d actually end up. What we did know was, it was leaving Monkey Bay and wasn’t going to Cape Maclear so it had to be taking us somewhere useful! We reckon we actually ended up a Golomoti junction and from there we hopped into a mini-van bound for Salima. On looking at the map later it turned out we hadn’t gone the most direct route but at least we’d ended up in a town with various transport options. So we jumped into our fourth and final vehicle of the day and ended up in Senga Bay; another resort area on the shores of Lake Malawi. The lake is 600km long so there are plenty of places from which to explore it. Once again it had taken us all day to cover barely 200kms and the sun was already beginning its downwards slide.
We only knew the name of one place to stay so asked to be dropped at Cool Runnings who fortunately had a double room available. This was a nice little room and good value at $36 a night but unfortunately it was only free for that night. In fact it transpired the entire place was booked out for the following night so we’d be on the move again. Again this was a place set in nice grounds in the edge of the lake and offered a range of accommodation where campers outnumbered those of us in rooms. The bar and communal areas were good with lots of information available but the restaurant turned out to be disappointing. Our dinner the previous evening hadn’t been the best food we’ve ever tasted and it was rather expensive to boot so we declined their offer of breakfast and went to explore. We hoped to find a tasty, cheaper breakfast and somewhere to stay. In fact what we found was an extremely spread out, scruffy town that we instantly disliked.
We couldn’t even find a local shop so ended up in another Mufasa place, almost next door to Cool Runnings, which is still just about operational. The breakfast they rustled up was pretty good and significantly cheaper than our place but it looked far too shabby for us to ask to see a room. Decision made – Senga Bay was not for us but it was too soon for us to return to Lilongwe. Where on earth could we go for 2 nights that didn’t involve loads of travelling? I’d just that morning read about a wildlife sanctuary that was in-between Senga Bay and Lilongwe and as luck would have it the lady who owns Cool Runnings knew about it. A phone call later and we were booked into an A-frame hut in Kuti Wildlife Reserve. That just left the question of how we were going to get there! On wandering up to the road we found a Salima bound mini-van ready and waiting so we climbed aboard and stuttered our way back to town.
Salima
In actual fact we only did our marketing in Salima (the reserve is self-catering only) before jumping in a taxi to take us to Kuti Wildlife Reserve, 4km down a dirt track from Nkhotakota junction. Even paying the man to take you from A to B doesn’t work out smoothly here – just inside the park’s gate our taxi broke down. To say the vehicle had been round the block several times is a vast understatement and it wasn’t going to be a quick fix. Never mind, we were in the sanctuary so we’d walk to the accommodation. Little did we know this was a further 4km on; being fully laden and trudging along with the sun beating down wasn’t our idea of fun. We eventually made it to the main camp but were now very hot and bothered - it had taken us 3hrs to cover 30kms!
Even though Steve had called them only a matter of hours ago we were still slightly surprised that they were expecting us and did indeed have accommodation available. The A-frame ($20 p.p.p.n.) hut turned out to be huge with an upstairs containing an extra bed. The shared facilities were very good and every evening water was heated for lovely hot showers. The cooking, kitchen and dining area is also very good with loads of pots, pans and utensils for all to use. Unless you’re camping where you’re expected to use your own gear but then the charges go down to $10 p.p.p.n. With this being a private reserve the entry charges are less and we paid Kw1000 each and that covered our entire visit. http://www.kuti-malawi.org/
This reserve is really only just in the throes of establishing itself so its home to a limited number of animals but a surprisingly wide range of species. It’s essentially a place where orphaned and injured animals that have passed through the wildlife reserve in Lilongwe are sent to be released into the wild. If you’re expecting to tick off the big 5 and hope to see vast herds of beasts then you’re going to be disappointed. It’s a place where going on safari is totally different from the standard norm and it costs substantially less. There are no jeeps for hire but you can rent one of their limited number of bicycles to move around the park. These were all spoken for when we were there but we thoroughly enjoyed exploring the grounds on foot – for free.
The reserve is predominantly wooded with some open grassland areas and various watering holes; although most of these were dry. We loved simply stepping out of our hut and setting off independently to see what we could find. That may sound a little dangerous but you have to bear in mind that the park has no big, potentially dangerous game such as elephant, rhino or hippo and isn’t home to any of the big cats. To illustrate how limited animal numbers are, we spotted their wildebeest herd and it only consists of a dozen individuals. The experience is made all the more exciting because the animals are difficult to spot and you have to find them without the help of expert guides. In fact it turned out we were the only people to find the wildebeest that day.
During our 2 day stay we spotted; impala, bushbuck, vervet monkeys, yellow baboons, kudu, wildebeest and zebra. These are all species we’ve seen previously whether here in Malawi or in other African nations. However, there were some new, for us, sightings too namely; sable antelope and duiker (a small antelope species). We didn’t manage to spy all the animals that make the park their home and were particularly disappointed not to find the giraffe or bushbaby. We were a little disappointed in the sparse bird life especially on the edges of the large lake but we did see; grey and purple herons, hamerkop, helmeted guinea fowl, jacanas and a huge highlight for me, carmine bee-eaters. All bee-eaters are attractive birds but these deep crimson and brilliant green birds are simply stunning. We also encountered Evelyn the ostrich – she’s been hand reared so is very used to people and will approach you to satisfy her curiosity. We all know that ostriches have a powerful kick but fortunately they tend not to be aggressive birds. That said; it was a little daunting being investigated by a bird towering above me!
All-in-all not a bad haul of animal and bird sightings especially when you consider that Malawi’s wildlife has all but been hunted to extinction. Within our 3 weeks here we feel like we’ve seen a fair amount of game and have enjoyed the thrill of searching for it. We hope Malawi can attract more visitors to enjoy a different type of safari and plough valuable money into protecting their animals. Kuti Wildlife Reserve is well worth supporting and definitely worth visiting. Look them up on: www.kuti-malawi.org or contact them on: info@kuti-malawi.org or phone 0997 334683.
I have to admit that I’m now looking forward to the next leg of our trip in Zambia where we’ll take jeep safaris in huge, well established national parks.
Lilongwe
This proved to be the smoothest journey of them all; it only cost us Kw1000 each on a bus that didn’t stop every hundred yards or so to change passengers. We reached Lilongwe in a little under 2½ hours and as luck would have it got dropped by the Shoprite shopping centre right near the hotel we hoped to check into. Unfortunately Kiboko Town Hotel only had a vacancy for that night but we needed 2 nights. Still we were in the Old Town area of the city and knew there were plenty of other places nearby to check out. It wasn’t very long before we were checking into Korea Garden Lodge and our most expensive digs in Malawi at $66 a night B&B. It’s probably over-priced but we are in the capital city and accommodation in Africa tends to be on the high side. The room is very spacious and comfortable and following a couple of nights in the camp we’ve enjoyed en-suite facilities, watching the news, plugging in the kettle and being able to switch on the light.
We wouldn’t have bothered returning to Lilongwe but we’re being picked up from our hotel in the morning and whisked away on a tour to Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed our 3 weeks in Malawi and hope to return in the future to explore the northern area. Granted the wildlife is limited but at least by being here we’ve helped to support the positive efforts people are making to improve that situation. Independent travel may not always have been the easiest but we did it proving that you don’t need to go to the expense of car or taxi hire. The low national park entrance fees and trekking costs have made this one of the cheapest countries to visit on the continent. There’s a range of accommodation to choose from and we liked all the places we stayed in. Above all we’ve enjoyed Malawi’s trekking and safari experiences without having to share them with hundreds of other people. Thinking of visiting? Do so now before it becomes popular and expensive!
