Nyika National Park

A hiker’s paradise

Malawi’s largest and most scenic national park protects the lofty Nyika Plateau, which averages over 2000m in altitude and supports a mixed cover of grassland, moorland and forest. In conventional game-viewing terms, it is something of a mixed bag. Big Five enthusiasts are likely to see elephant and possibly leopard (it has one of the densest populations of the latter anywhere in Africa), while other regularly seen large mammals include roan antelope, reedbuck, bushbuck, eland and the localised Crawshay’s zebra. Spotted hyena and smaller nocturnal predators are often seen on night drives. Nyika is very much a park for certain special interest groups. Of particular interest to botanists are roughly 200 orchid species, which generally flower in January and February. For birders, the grassland around the only camp is a good place to see the wattled crane, mountain marsh widow and scarlet-tufted malachite sunbird. The Chowo Forest is also home to many localised species, notably the bar-tailed trogon, Sharpe’s akalat, olive-flanked robin and white-breasted alethe. Above all, this is Malawi’s finest walking and hiking destination, thanks to the spectacular scenery, excellent network of footpaths, and the high chance of spotting wildlife on foot. Note that you need to fly in or drive along a very rough road, so allow for a stay of three nights or longer to justify the effort of getting there.