Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
HIKING & TREKKING ON THE NYIKA PLATEAU
There are a number of long-distance routes available on the Nyika Plateau. For advice contact the excellent Wil-
derness Safaris who can avail you with the
obligatory
guides and porters, who supply their own sleeping bags,
tents, cooking pots and food; you must provide all the equipment and food you need.
Routes to the peaks and viewpoints on the western and northern escarpments are especially popular. The wil-
derness trails are not designed to help you get the best animal close-ups with your camera, but rather to show you
that animals are part of a wider environment and to help you best enjoy the feeling of freedom and space that
Nyika provides.
The only set route on Nyika - and by far the most popular - goes from Chelinda to Livingstonia. It's a hugely
rewarding and spectacular walk, crossing east through high grassland then dropping steeply through the wooded
escarpment and passing through villages and farmland to reach the old mission station at Livingstonia. This route
takes three days. The third night is spent in Livingstonia and on the fourth day you can walk down to Chitimba at
the lakeshore. For further information there's a chapter on Malawi in Lonely Planet's
Trekking in East Africa
.
Wildlife Watching
Daytime wildlife drives start from Wilderness Safaris' Chelinda Lodge or Camp at 8am
every morning. Thanks to their top guides your chances of seeing wildlife are extremely
high (with brazen zebra being very content to pose for photos).
The most exciting wildlife drives, however, are by night. Wilderness Safaris' guides
have a decent hit rate (about 40%) for scoping out leopards in the woods near the camp or
out in the grasslands. The current population sits at a plump 100. Imagine nursing a Carls-
berg Green as you take in the panorama of stars above the open-top Landcrusier, watching
pieces of the nocturnal jigsaw slot together - the back end of one of the park's 200 ele-
phants here, the chatter of a hyena there, an eagle owl executing a kill - unforgettable!
Wildlife viewing is good year round, although in July and August the cold weather
means the animals move to lower areas. Birdwatching is particularly good between Octo-
ber and April when migratory birds are on the move.
Day Hiking
Although you can't enter the park on foot, hiking is allowed once you've checked into Ch-
elinda Camp - but only with a guide, thanks to an increase in leopard and ele- phant popu-
lations. Wilderness Safaris organise different treks, the main highlight of which is the
three-day hike to Livingstonia (guide per day US$90).
