Expert Reviews of Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve (4 Reviews)

Malawi’s largest and oldest wildlife reserve extends across 1,800km² of the rugged Rift Valley escarpment as it rises to the west of the historic Lake Malawi port of Nkhotakota. In ecological terms, or as a wilderness destination, it’s a fantastic place, notable both for its wild mountain scenery and impressive cover of mature miombo woodland. Unfortunately, though, Nkhotakota is quite challenging as a safari destination, in large part thanks to the same rugged, pristine qualities that make it so appealing in scenic terms.

Managed by the NGO African Parks since 2015, Nkhotakota actually supports a fair amount of wildlife. More than 500 elephants were translocated into the reserve over 2016 to 2017, along with substantial numbers of zebra, buffalo, sable antelope, greater kudu, waterbuck and warthog. However, the reserve’s vast size, combined with the dense vegetation and steep terrain, mean that you’re unlikely to see much large wildlife other than a few

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baboons and monkeys. The only exception is towards the end of the dry season (June to November), when elephants and buffaloes often come to drink at permanent pools on the Bua River, often right opposite the reserve’s two tourist lodges.

Until recently, a popular attraction at Nkhotakota was canoeing on the Bua River, but this activity has been suspended following the introduction of hippos. Nkhotakota also has tremendous bird-watching potential thanks to its wealth of miombo specials, but because you can only walk with guides (due to the presence of elephant and buffalo), birding is not so easy as it is in miombo-dominated forest reserves such as Dzalanyama, where there are no restrictions on walking.