Two of Africa’s greatest conservation comebacks sit side by side in southern Malawi — and together they deliver a safari you simply cannot have anywhere else.
Malawi is known the world over as the “Warm Heart of Africa,” and most visitors arrive picturing the glittering, palm-fringed shores of Lake Malawi. But turn inland, follow the slow green curves of the Shire River, and a wilder story unfolds — one written in elephant tracks, lion roars and the steady drumbeat of conservation triumph.
In the south of the country, two remarkable protected areas have risen from near-ruin to become the beating heart of Malawi’s safari scene: Liwonde National Park and Majete Wildlife Reserve, the latter tucked into the rugged Lower Shire Valley of Chikwawa District. Once emptied by poaching, both have been brought roaring back to life. Today they offer something rare in modern travel — genuinely wild, uncrowded game viewing wrapped in one of the continent’s most inspiring comeback stories.
Liwonde: Safari at the River’s Edge
If you only have time for one image of Malawi to carry home, let it be this: a herd of elephants wading through the reeds of the Shire River at golden hour, while a boat drifts silently alongside and a fish eagle calls overhead. This is the everyday magic of Liwonde National Park.
Liwonde’s great gift is intimacy. At a compact 548 square kilometres, it concentrates its wildlife along the river, so every game drive and boat cruise feels alive with encounters. The signature experience here is the boat safari — an eye-level glide past pods of grunting hippos, enormous Nile crocodiles basking on the banks, and elephants drinking at the water’s edge. Towering borassus palms and ancient baobabs frame the floodplains, giving the park a primeval, almost cinematic beauty.
Since African Parks took over management in partnership with Malawi’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife in 2015, the recovery has been extraordinary. Tens of thousands of wire snares were removed, and the park became a stage for landmark reintroductions — cheetah, lion, wild dog and the critically endangered black rhino now once again call Liwonde home. The park has even become so abundant that it has supplied hundreds of elephants to restock other reserves across the country.
Birders are spoilt too: with well over 400 recorded species, Liwonde is one of Africa’s finest birding destinations, harbouring sought-after specials like the elusive Pel’s fishing owl, Lilian’s lovebird and the ever-present African fish eagle. Whether you explore by 4x4, on foot with an armed guide, or by water, Liwonde rewards you with closeness — to the wildlife, and to the wilderness itself.
Chikwawa’s Majete: The Big Five in the Lower Shire
Drive south from Blantyre, descend the dramatic Chikwawa escarpment into the heat-shimmered Shire Valley, and you arrive at Majete Wildlife Reserve — Malawi’s premier Big Five destination and, arguably, the country’s most powerful conservation success story.
Just two decades ago, Majete was a hollow landscape, its large animals all but wiped out. The turning point came in 2003, when African Parks became the reserve’s manager — the first park it ever took on — and began a painstaking restoration. More than 2,500 animals were reintroduced over the years, lions returned in 2012, and the reserve has since maintained an enviable record of protecting its rhinos and elephants. Across its roughly 700 square kilometres of miombo woodland, rolling hills and savannah, you now stand a genuine chance of seeing all of the Big Five: lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and black rhino.
Majete is wonderfully varied for visitors. Twice-daily game drives in open 4x4s track predators and big herds; boat trips on the Shire River reveal hippos, crocodiles and waterbirds; and guided walking safaris bring the smaller wonders of the bush into sharp focus. For a panoramic reward, the gentle climb up Mabele Hill opens onto sweeping views across the forest and the river below. Best of all, you experience it without the crowds and queues of vehicles that crowd more famous parks — here, a sighting feels like it belongs to you alone.
Know Before You Go
When to go: The dry season, roughly May to October, offers the best game viewing, with July to October the prime months as wildlife gathers at the water.
Getting there: Both parks lie in southern Malawi near Blantyre. Liwonde sits along the Shire River near Lake Malombe; Majete is reached via the Chikwawa escarpment into the Lower Shire Valley.