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Write a User ReviewSuper-accessible Elephant and Hippo Viewing
For independent travellers on a budget, Lake Kazuni is very easily accessed on public transport, and it is serviced by an inexpensive campsite. For those on an organised safari, Kazuni is a good place to break up the long drive from Lilongwe to Nyika National Park (a few
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adequate lodges are available in the nearby town of Rumphi). However, the rest of the park – including the eponymous marsh – is difficult to explore, especially in the wet summer months, thanks to the lack of proper all-weather roads and abundance of tsetse flies.As is the case with several other reserves in Malawi, Vwaza Marsh was earmarked for significant future developments when I revisited it in May 2024. These include the upgrading and privatization of the (currently disused) lodge overlooking Lake Kazuni. Following the signing of a comanagement plan with Peace Parks in 2024, there are also plans to improve and expand the limited road network.
Underrated and Low-Key Place To Kick Back
We arrived after a long day on public transport, with our backpacks on our shoulders and covered in red Malawi dust. Arriving at a game reserve without any personal transport might seem crazy, but it can be done here. We spent a few days camping, reading books and watching animals come and go from the vast lake in front of us. Buffalo and elephant are particularly common, so we obeyed the rules of not walking around on our own. We did, however, enjoy a stroll to the lake’s edge with an armed ranger to see a hippo pod. All in all, it was a very low-key experience in terms of game viewing, but in travel terms a highlight. We had the whole place to ourselves for several days, cooked on a little gas stove and watched the stars at night.