Nyika Plateau National Park

Nyika is a high rolling grassland plateau straddling the Zambia and Malawi border, and the Zambian portion is the smaller share: open downland at around two thousand metres with pockets of evergreen forest in the folds, cool enough for frost at night and covered in wild flowers and orchids in the rains. Roan antelope, eland and reedbuck graze it. The Zambian side has almost no infrastructure and most people reach the plateau from Malawi.

What you actually see

• The montane grassland - open downland at around two thousand metres.
• The forest pockets - evergreen patches in the folds of the hills.
• The orchids - the flowering that follows the rains across the plateau.
• The antelope - roan, eland and reedbuck grazing the open ground.

When to go

May to October is dry, cold at night and best for driving. The rains bring flowers but close tracks. Frost is common in June and July.

Honest expectations

The Zambian side has essentially no facilities and access is very rough. Most visitors come from the Malawi side instead. Nights are genuinely cold and camping needs proper gear.

Nearby

Luambe is west, and Mutinondo is southwest.