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11-Day Highlights of Malawi

Offered by: USD Safari Tours

4.9/5 (1600 Reviews)

Journey Snapshot

🗺 Malawi ⏱ 11 days 🚙 4x4 Pop-up Roof

Blantyre Majete Wildlife Reserve Zomba Plateau Liwonde National Park Lake Malawi Lilongwe

Overview Day by Day Rates Inclusions Getting There Offered By

A journey through the warm heart of Africa. This itinerary is designed for those who value intimacy over scale, discovery over routine. Over eleven days, Journey Africa introduces you to Malawi's most inspiring landscapes: from the rolling highlands of Zomba to the wild floodplains of Liwonde, and finally to the crystalline waters of Lake Malawi. Our curated itinerary balances comfort and curiosity with privately guided drives, handpicked lodges, and time to pause in places few ever linger.

Route

Start	Blantyre (Day 1)
Day 2	Majete Wildlife Reserve
Day 3	Zomba Plateau
Day 4	Liwonde National Park
Day 5	Lake Malawi
End	Lilongwe

Tour Features

Day 1:Arrival in Blantyre Day 2-3:Into Majete Wildlife Reserve Day 4-5:The Zomba Plateau Day 6-7:Liwonde National Park Day 8-10:Lake Malawi and Mumbo Island Day 11:Fly home from Lilongwe

Activities & Transportation

Route: Blantyre, Majete Wildlife Reserve, Zomba Plateau, Liwonde National Park, Lake Malawi, Lilongwe
Duration: 11 days
Getting around: 4x4 safari vehicle (pop-up roof)
Transfers: airport pick-up & drop-off can be included

Accommodation & Meals

Day

Accommodation

Meals

1

Mijn Kitchen B&B Mid-range guest house located in Blantyre (City)

All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

2

Zomba Forest Lodge Mid-range lodge located inside Zomba Plateau

All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

3

Zomba Forest Lodge Mid-range lodge located inside Zomba Plateau

All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

4

Zomba Forest Lodge Mid-range lodge located inside Zomba Plateau

All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

5

Zomba Forest Lodge Mid-range lodge located inside Zomba Plateau

All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

6

Mvuu Camp Mid-range lodge located inside Liwonde National Park

All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

7

Mvuu Camp Mid-range lodge located inside Liwonde National Park

All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

8

Mumbo Island Camp Mid-range tented camp located on Mumbo Island (Lake Malawi)

All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

9

Mumbo Island Camp Mid-range tented camp located on Mumbo Island (Lake Malawi)

All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

10

Mumbo Island Camp Mid-range tented camp located on Mumbo Island (Lake Malawi)

All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

11

No accommodation

Meals at own expense Drinks not included

Day by Day

Day 1 Arrival in Blantyre

⏱Morning 🏨Mijn Kitchen B&B Mid-range guest house located in Blantyre (City) 🍽All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

On arrival in Blantyre, you're met and transferred to your guesthouse in this gentle, historic city. Nestled among soft hills and shaded avenues, Blantyre offers a calm introduction to Malawi's warmth. Explore its old stone buildings or stroll through vibrant markets where artisans carve, weave, and trade beneath the jacaranda trees.

Day 2 Into Majete Wildlife Reserve

⏱Morning 🏨Zomba Forest Lodge Mid-range lodge located inside Zomba Plateau 🍽All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Your journey into the wild goes south to Majete Wildlife Reserve, a conservation success story where Malawi's wilderness has been restored with quiet determination. Here, elephants wander freely once more, lions patrol acacia thickets, and sable antelope graze along the Shire River. Game drives trace the riverbanks, while guided walks reveal the subtle rhythms of the bush, fresh tracks, birdsong, warm dust underfoot.

Day 3 Into Majete Wildlife Reserve

⏱Morning 🏨Zomba Forest Lodge Mid-range lodge located inside Zomba Plateau 🍽All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Your journey into the wild goes south to Majete Wildlife Reserve, a conservation success story where Malawi's wilderness has been restored with quiet determination. Here, elephants wander freely once more, lions patrol acacia thickets, and sable antelope graze along the Shire River. Game drives trace the riverbanks, while guided walks reveal the subtle rhythms of the bush, fresh tracks, birdsong, warm dust underfoot.

Day 4 The Zomba Plateau

⏱Morning 🏨Zomba Forest Lodge Mid-range lodge located inside Zomba Plateau 🍽All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

From Majete, travel north to the Zomba Plateau, a highland retreat wrapped in cool mist and green forest. Once a colonial hill station, Zomba now invites exploration on foot with trails that wind through cedar groves, past waterfalls, to sweeping viewpoints overlooking the plains. Birdlife abounds, from sunbirds to buzzards gliding above the cliffs. Each turn offers a sense of calm and clarity.

Day 5 The Zomba Plateau

⏱Morning 🏨Zomba Forest Lodge Mid-range lodge located inside Zomba Plateau 🍽All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

From Majete, travel north to the Zomba Plateau, a highland retreat wrapped in cool mist and green forest. Once a colonial hill station, Zomba now invites exploration on foot with trails that wind through cedar groves, past waterfalls, to sweeping viewpoints overlooking the plains. Birdlife abounds, from sunbirds to buzzards gliding above the cliffs. Each turn offers a sense of calm and clarity.

Day 6 Liwonde National Park

⏱Morning 🏨Mvuu Camp Mid-range lodge located inside Liwonde National Park 🍽All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Descend from the highlands into Liwonde National Park, where the Shire River draws together one of Malawi's richest ecosystems. Cruise through papyrus channels, watching elephants bathe in the shallows and crocodiles bask on sun-warmed banks. Day and night drives reveal antelope, lion, and an extraordinary array of birdlife with over 400 species. This is safari at its most immersive, defined by stillness and space.

Day 7 Liwonde National Park

⏱Morning 🏨Mvuu Camp Mid-range lodge located inside Liwonde National Park 🍽All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Descend from the highlands into Liwonde National Park, where the Shire River draws together one of Malawi's richest ecosystems. Cruise through papyrus channels, watching elephants bathe in the shallows and crocodiles bask on sun-warmed banks. Day and night drives reveal antelope, lion, and an extraordinary array of birdlife with over 400 species. This is safari at its most immersive, defined by stillness and space.

Day 8 Lake Malawi and Mumbo Island

⏱Morning 🏨Mumbo Island Camp Mid-range tented camp located on Mumbo Island (Lake Malawi) 🍽All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Your final chapter takes you north along the lakeshore, then by boat to Mumbo Island, a sanctuary of peace floating above the turquoise waters of Lake Malawi. Uninhabited and protected, the island feels timeless. Spend your days kayaking across glassy bays, snorkelling among vividly coloured cichlids, or reading in a hammock suspended over the lake. The stillness here is luxurious, the simplicity deliberate.

Day 9 Lake Malawi and Mumbo Island

⏱Morning 🏨Mumbo Island Camp Mid-range tented camp located on Mumbo Island (Lake Malawi) 🍽All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Your final chapter takes you north along the lakeshore, then by boat to Mumbo Island, a sanctuary of peace floating above the turquoise waters of Lake Malawi. Uninhabited and protected, the island feels timeless. Spend your days kayaking across glassy bays, snorkelling among vividly coloured cichlids, or reading in a hammock suspended over the lake. The stillness here is luxurious, the simplicity deliberate.

Day 10 Lake Malawi and Mumbo Island

⏱Morning 🏨Mumbo Island Camp Mid-range tented camp located on Mumbo Island (Lake Malawi) 🍽All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Your final chapter takes you north along the lakeshore, then by boat to Mumbo Island, a sanctuary of peace floating above the turquoise waters of Lake Malawi. Uninhabited and protected, the island feels timeless. Spend your days kayaking across glassy bays, snorkelling among vividly coloured cichlids, or reading in a hammock suspended over the lake. The stillness here is luxurious, the simplicity deliberate.

Day 11 Fly home from Lilongwe

⏱Morning 🏨No accommodation 🍽Meals at own expense Drinks not included

At the end of your time at Lake Malawi, you go by boat and drive to Lilongwe for your onward journey home. This journey through the warm heart of Africa is more than a route through Malawi; it's a quiet awakening. From the untamed beauty of Majete to the serenity of Zomba's forests and the luminous calm of Lake Malawi, each place reveals another facet of this soulful country. For those who travel to feel deeply and return changed, this itinerary offers space to breathe, to reconnect, and to remember the pure joy of discovery.