Lakes, marshes and high grasslands showcase Malawi’s scenic diversity. The Nyika Plateau rises above the Great Rift Valley, inviting exploration by 4x4 game and nature drives, mountain bike or on foot. Also a haven for keen birders.
Dec to Mar
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The vast Nyika Plateau in the north of Malawi soars above the Great Rift Valley. Its breath-taking 360 degree views of distant mountains, grasslands, forests and endless rolling hills stretch in every direction. This wild and remote upland area is the only big game Afro-montane area in southern Africa. Indeed Nyika National Park was set up to preserve this unique landscape. So it's an area quite unlike any other in Malawi – or frankly the whole of Southern Africa. It reminds us more of Scotland than the African bushveld!
However this contrast, and the diversity of its game and birdlife, is very much part of its charm. The beautiful rolling grassland and wooded valleys are home to large herds of eland, Crawshay’s zebra, roan, southern reedbuck, bushbuck, and warthog. You may encounter spotted hyena, side-striped jackal. Interestingly, it's also the best place in Malawi to see leopard. These beautiful elusive predators are often spotted on night drives. And sometimes even during the day, given its temperate climate.
Even elephant sometimes migrate through the highlands of Nyika from Lake Malawi eastwards into Zambia. But the amount of wildlife on the Nyika Plateau varies by season. With many species heading down to lower altitudes during the cold winter months of June to August.
However with the absence of dangerous predators, this wilderness reserve can be enjoyed under your own steam. Nyika is great for active people. It’s a stunning area for walking safaris and guided mountain bike trails. It is also an important area for keen botanists with a wild array of orchids on show, especially in the summer months.
Unfortunately at the moment, the only way to access Nyika Plateau is via a seat in charter flight (minimum of 2 people). Contact us for a quote.
But if you have time, you may like to having a road safari one way (flying back) to combine Nyika with a visit to northern Lake Malawi and even Tongole Wilderness Reserve en route.
Please check our notes on Best Time to Travel. Especially in the Malawi winter months, when it can be very cold indeed.
In my first 24 hours in Malawi I couldn’t have experienced two more contrasting areas … at Chelinda Lodge on the windswept high mountainous plateau of the Nyika National Park and the sub-tropical paradise of northern Lake Malawi. The Nyika Plateau probably doesn’t fit anyone’s visual image of Malawi. It’s an area of high Afro-montane forest - pretty rare in Africa - with a landscape of rolling granite hills well over 2,200 metres in altitude,
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