Mvuu and Pumulani
7 night itinerary combining
- Mvuu Lodge 3 nights and
- Pumulani 4 nights
Malawi is a landlocked country, running down the end of the Great Rift Valley. Dominated by Lake Malawi, the third largest lake in Africa, the surrounding country is exceptionally beautiful with dramatic scenery that includes rocky outcrops, high mountains, plateaus and views across what is considered to be Africa’s most beautiful lake. Malawi is known as the “Friendly Heart of Africa” and as a people the Malawians live up to this name. They are extremely friendly and welcoming. There are many market scenes, road side stalls, cottage industries that a visitor can comfortably visit. With both the scenery and the culture Malawi is a great country to drive in.
Day 1-3 Your adventure starts with a road transfer from Lilongwe Airport to Mvuu. It is possible to fly to Mvuu but this gives you the opportunity to drive through this wonderful country – with its dramatic scenery and colourful towns. The journey takes between four and four and a half hours through various Malawian scenery. At the beginning the countryside is largely flat with huge granite outcrops and some impressive mountains rising from the surrounding plains. A brief stop at Dedza to see the local pottery and sample Malawi’s finest cheese cake before driving along the western edge of the Great Rift Valley with fantastic views across Lake Malawi. At Ntcheu the road descends to the valley floor before turning off towards Liwonde National Park through vibrant villages.
During part of the year (November to April) the road to Mvuu is impassable so the last hour of the journey is by boat – wonderful way to enter the park.
Liwonde National Park is considered to be the finest park in the whole of Malawi for game and accommodation. It is also said to be one of the top birding locations in Southern Africa. The park well deserves these accolades as it offers some of the most scenic game viewing, beautiful riverine surroundings and varied bird watching you could wish to find. A great deal of the terrain is Shire River floodplains, much loved by the healthy population of elephants in this park. They are best viewed during your boat safari on the Shire River, one of the many highlights of a stay at Mvuu Lodge.
Mvuu Wilderness Lodge offers comfortable tented accommodation in spacious ‘Hemingway’-styled safari tents, with own en suite facilities for a maximum of 10 guests. Each tent has its own private viewing platform and is discreetly hidden between the thick undergrowth bordering the lagoon.
The lodge has a swimming pool, sun deck and al fresco dining platform overlooking the river and lagoon. Your stay on is on a full board basis, including the game activities which centre around game drives by day and by night in open vehicles, walks and boat safaris, a unique activity at Mvuu. We explore the Shire River and lagoons - an excellent opportunity for sightings of elephants, hippo, crocodile and bird life. Birding is rewarding - specialities include Lillian’s lovebird, brown breasted barbet, osprey, palm-nut vulture, Pel's fishing owl and Livingstone’s flycatcher.
Also available is a viewing hide on a tributary of the Shire River and also some interesting visits by bicycle to the local school and surrounding rural communities.
MVUU LODGE
Day 4-7 – Transfer to Pumulani after breakfast, by either driving all the way, or if necessary (if the roads are wet), boating to Liwonde to pick up the vehicle. The direct drive is around 2.5 hours (around 100km), first skirting the shores of Lake Malombe where most of the year we are able to visit the fish drying racks which dot the villages along the lakes edge. Further north there is the option of stopping at the old colonial naval port of Mangochi to visit the rundown yet eccentric little museum. Then you will reach the Nankumba Peninsula of Lake Malawi. This is recognised as one of the most beautiful shores of the Lake and borders Lake Malawi National Park. This Park was established in order to protect the cichlid fish unique to the area. In 1984 the park was designated a World Heritage Site.
Pumulani is exclusively situated on the westside of the Nankumba Peninsula, surrounded by national park. The ten villas are scattered around the hillside and are individual in shape and style but all have a spacious bedroom, bathroom and extensive sitting area. The front sliding doors open onto the deck – elevated above the ground giving optimal views.
The central dinning and bar area is high above the lake with the most spectacular views and leads onto an expansive deck. The infinity swimming pool is on a lower terraced deck. The lake shore bar offers light snacks as well as refreshments. Meals will be served in the dining area, on the beach or by arrangement on your private deck. The stunning setting of the lodge and the unique comfort of the rooms means that many guests choose to make relaxation their main activity, but there are more than enough activities available to keep guests busy.
Pumulani’s remote beach setting is ideal for those who simply want to soak up the sun and swim in the clear blue waters of the lake. There is an infinity pool with grand views over the lake for those who prefer to take a dive in the swimming pool. For those seeking activity there are many watersports activities on offer like snorkelling, fishing, sailing, kayaking, waterskiing, wake boarding and fun tube rides (all motorized activities are excluded).
Lake Malawi is the world’s most ecologically diverse lake. Its crystal clear waters are home to more than a thousand species of fish, including hundreds of species of colourful cichlids. A special treat is to take a snorkelling tour to the islands, exploring the shores of Lake Malawi National park on your way. This has been a World Heritage site since 1984. On the way you will see many fish eagles and other interesting birds. The water is so clear that you will observe marine life from aboard the boat.
For those who are interested in the real Malawian village life there are guided walks through one of the local villages. Malawians are renowned for being amongst the most friendly people in Africa and during your stay you will have the opportunity to meet them.
At the end of the day climb aboard our dhow and let our experienced local crewmen take you sailing into the sunset.
PUMULANI
Day 8 – On the final day of your stay with Pumulani you bid farewell to the lodge. You will be transferred back to Monkey Bay where you will take a light aircraft to Lilongwe time for the connecting onward flight.
This package includes
- Pumulani ~ full board, laundry, bar and all non motorized water sports activities (these include snorkelling, fishing, sailing, nature/ village walks, sunset cruises on the dhow, kayaking)
- Mvuu ~ full board, park fees and game activities
This package excludes
- airport taxes, international flights
- Pumulani ~ scuba diving and motorized water sports (waterskiing, fun tube, picnic tours
- Mvuu ~ all drinks and laundry.
