Majete Wildlife Reserve

Majete is conservation's favourite Malawian story: poached to virtual emptiness by the 1990s, the reserve was taken under long-term management in 2003, fenced, restocked species by species - elephant, black rhino, lion, leopard, and eventually cheetah and wild dog - until it stood as the country's first Big Five destination and the proof-of-concept that rebuilt Liwonde and Nkhotakota after it. The miombo hills fall to the Shire River, where rapids braid over red rock and hippos crowd the pools; game drives, boat safaris and a community-run cultural trail round out a park that runs on partnership.

History

Majete has been a reserve since 1955, but charcoal burning, logging and poaching in the late 1970s and 1980s left little game but antelope. African Parks then took it on under a 25-year partnership, and by 2013 its 142-kilometre perimeter was fenced, with round-the-clock patrols and 300 kilometres of new roads (Wikipedia, Majete Wildlife Reserve).

What you'll find

• The restocked herds - elephant and buffalo where none survived by 1995.
• The Shire rapids - the river's granite race through the reserve.
• Predator luck - lion, leopard and wild dog on the comeback roll.
• Boat safaris - hippos and crocodiles at pool-level.

When to go

May to October concentrates game at the river and dams as the bush dries - September and October are prime and hot; the green season is beautiful, bird-rich and harder for sightings.

Good to know

Majete's herds are recovering, not overflowing - sightings reward patience compared with famous mega-parks, and that recovery is precisely the story. The Lower Shire is Malawi's hottest corner; plan drives early and late. Lodging ranges from community campsite to high-end - both fund the model that saved the place.

Nearby

Blantyre's historic churches, the tea country of Thyolo and Liwonde upstream.

Key facts