Nomad issue #24

DISPATCH
T
he memories came flooding
back in a hurry. While it
may have been just over
a decade since I had last
laid eyes on Liwonde, I still
remembered the details well
enough. The bumpy road to
the park, the large mango trees scattered
in the neighbouring villages, the humidity
hanging heavy in the air. It was exhilarating.
From the jetty I gazed out over the dark
waters of the Shire River, the pièce de
résistance of Liwonde, beautifully lined
with countless towering borassus palms
and ancient baobabs. And then there were
the hippos, known as mvuu in the local
Chichewa language, put simply - they were
everywhere, grunting and groaning loudly
without apology. It put a smile on my face; it
was good to be back.
A herd of elephants waded into the
shallows as we crossed over to Mvuu Camp
(no rewards for guessing why), a rustic
style accommodation managed by Central
African Wilderness Safaris, situated on the
banks of the Shire River. The core dining
area, flanked between two ginormous
baobabs, offered sweeping views over the
floodplains teeming with life. Looking out
over this scene you would be forgiven for
thinking that this paradise had existed since
time immemorial, but Liwonde’s journey has
not been without trial and tribulation.
In 2015, when African Parks (a South
Africa based non-profit conservation
organisation) took over the management
of Liwonde, in partnership with Malawi’s
Department of National Parks and Wildlife
(DNPW), the 548km2 park was littered with
tens of thousands of wire snares and wildlife
populations had been decimated. Poaching
was rife and severe human-wildlife conflict
was a daily occurence. Liwonde was facing
an uncertain future. It is in this context that
Liwonde’s transformation must be viewed.
After overhauling the law enforcement
capacity and constructing a comprehensive
perimeter fence to regain control of the
park, African Parks set about restoring
Liwonde. While a small population of
critically endangered black rhinos have
lived in the park since the early 90s, it had
long ago lost all of its apex predators. This
was set to change. A small population of
cheetahs were reintroduced in May 2017, a
historic moment given that these cats were
last documented in Liwonde over a century
ago. Lions followed in August 2018. African
Parks’ investment and business approach to
conservation has seen a revival in tourism
numbers and bolstered revenue to what is
today a big-five destination.
While I was in Liwonde to attend a
conservation technology conference with
other like-minded organisations, I was keen
to get out and explore the park and maybe,
just maybe, catch a glimpse of the critically
endangered black rhinos. In the late
afternoon, after a long day of meetings, we
set out for a game drive heading away from
the lush riverine areas. The contrast couldn't
have been more clear. Penetrating deep into
the dry mopane woodland, occasionally
broken up by a baobab, we silently scanned
for wildlife. We spotted a lone young bull
elephant going through the motions of
dismantling a tree to the chagrin of the park
management, but it was the sight of the
rare sable antelope that caught our breath.
Their brown and orange flanks perfectly
camouflaging them in the surrounding
vegetation’s neutral palette. Suddenly
spooked, they sprinted across the road and
disappeared into the undergrowth.
Come nightfall, with us happily settled
in our chalets, the park once again came to
life. A sign on the way to the rooms wisely
informed us to ‘beware of the hippo’ who
certainly have the right of way. As we tried
to sleep they made their rounds grazing on
the lush grass in front of our accommodation,
none too quietly in their antics.
On our final evening in Liwonde we
headed out onto the Shire River for a boat
safari. Wildlife encounters are all but
guaranteed, the grassy floodplains providing
critical dry-season grazing. Hippos eyed us
suspiciously, only their eyes showing above
the water, as we glided by carefully while
crocodiles basked in the heat with toothy
grins. Spectacularly coloured malachite
kingfishers balanced delicately on reeds in
the shallows as fish eagles swooped low
in the warm afternoon breeze scanning for
prey. The sheer diversity of wildlife along the
river was astounding.
The African sky turned a soft shade of
lilac as the day drew to a close. With a
Malawi gin and tonic in hand we admired
the most perfect of sunsets as storm clouds
gathered far away on the horizon. I couldn't
help but think that Liwonde National Park is
one of Africa’s best kept secrets.
Hippos eyed us
suspiciously, only their
eyes showing above the
water as we glided by,
while crocodiles basked
in the heat with toothy
grins.
NOMAD MAGAZINE 2019 43