As the boat passed along the Shire River, hundreds of hippos rose and fell in a Malawi-style Mexican wave. It was my welcome to Mvuu Wilderness Lodge and the start of a 10-day trip to travel the southernmost part of the Great Rift Valley.
The lodge, in Liwonde National Park, is in thick woodland luminous with fever trees. It's a tented camp on the banks of the Shire, the river that led missionary-adventurer David Livingstone northwards to the great lake that I was about to explore. Crocs drifted past like lethal logs while weavers and kingfishers splashed bright yellows and blues in beams of sunlight.
The park is renowned for its variety of birdlife, the mopane woodlands attracting long-tailed starlings, crowned hornbills and - here's a megatick - Lilian's lovebirds. Fish eagles are as abundant as chickens and their call is a decidedly pleasant alarm clock.
Mvuu is unfenced, so visitors are advised not to walk around after sundown. If you need to go to the loo, there's a bongo drum to call the watchman. Hippos wander the banks after dark - you wouldn't want to meet them in your pyjamas.
The lodge offers game walks, game drives and river cruises. It's not a Big Five park, but we saw waterbuck, elephants and the park's only four zebras.
After two days of game viewing in Liwonde's woodlands, it was time for a change of transport. Howard Massey-Hicks and his wife, Michelle, owners of Danforth Yachting, invited me to join them aboard their riverboat, Shenzi. The little boat chugged north at a languid pace as the riverbanks receded to reveal Lake Malombe, lying like a teardrop at the southern end of Lake Malawi.
The Shire narrowed again for 12km before opening up to Malawi's magnificent Lake of Stars. Rocking at its moorings was Howard's catamaran named Mufasa.
A storm was building, drawing a rainbow over the yacht as we transferred to its luxury. Crew and passengers pitched in, helping to stow the baggage, haul anchor, hoist sails and get under way. By the time we dropped anchor off Boadzulu Island, brilliant bolts of lighting cracked open the dark sky, which spilt warm rain across the deck. We retreated below to eat and drink a bit too much wine, cosy around a small table.
The next morning, the sky was a lot clearer than our fuzzy heads, so those who were not crew lazed on deck until we arrived at Danforth Lodge at Cape Maclear.
There I met Clive Bester and his team at Kayak Africa, just down the beach. They have concessions on two islands in the lake, Domwe and Mumbo. Neither has been permanently inhabited by humans.
A 5km paddle northwards landed me on a bleached white beach on the rock-strewn shores of Domwe. Neat safari tents were concealed in the lush bush beyond the shore. Each had its own deck and hammock with views of Mumbo Island to the west - perfect for sundowners. There was no electricity, unless you count the solar panels powering the two-way radios.
From the 400m high summit on the island, you get wonderful views of Cape Maclear. The walk up is not for the fainthearted, but it's a chance to see wildlife that doesn't occur on any other island in the lake. Evidently this is because Domwe's southern tip is not more than 100m from the mainland at a point called the Ilala Gap. Over millennia, the lake's level fluctuated enough to allow large mammals to cross over. Domwe is now home to bushpig, bushbaby, monkeys, civets, klipspringers and a yellow subspecies of chacma baboon.
The only mammal occurring on Mumbo, just 7km away, is the Cape clawless otter. Mumbo may not boast many creatures, but it is a honeymooners' utopia. Its safari tents are perched high over turquoise water, which is so clear you can see colourful cichlid fish swimming below.
Bays and rocky outcrops around the island are accessible from a circular path, although heading off it to a lonely beach, I discovered, could embarrass some honeymooning skinny dippers. It's that kind of place. It's also difficult to leave, but I had an appointment with a piece of lake history: Ilala, the ferry to Likoma, Malawi's largest island.
The ferry is a lifeline on the lake. The 60-year-old chunk of Victoriana runs regularly between lakeside villages, supplying a means of trade, transport and communication. Locals think nothing of coaxing cows into the battered metal lifeboats used as tenders. Sadly, the ship no longer conforms to international standards and a replacement is reported to be in the pipeline.
While not the most luxurious liner, the Ilala is a piece of colonial history worth experiencing before it reaches the wrecker's yard. Take ample food and drink as service can be erratic. You can rent a cabin or sleep on deck, but avoid third class unless you like sleeping on a hard bench among chickens, goats and a tight throng of their owners.
The horn sounded our arrival at Likoma. The island is in Mozambican waters, but counts as Malawian soil. The same goes for nearby Chizumulu Island and they are the only inhabited islands on the lake.
My destination, Kaya Mawa Lodge, was hidden among baobabs and mango trees. Its romantic, rough-stone cottages, restaurant and bar are built into the boulders along the water's edge. Inside, doors open wide onto wooden decks that stretch out over the water. If you can peel yourself away from the jaw-dropping views, there's scuba diving as well as island and town tours by quadbike, bicycle or foot.
The highlight of my island tour was Saint Peter's Anglican Cathedral, said to be the third-largest in Africa and the continent's oldest. It was modelled on Winchester Cathedral in England and built by missionaries between 1903 and 1911. Everything, including bricks, had to be ferried across by boat from the mainland.
For a time, the cathedral was used by the head of the Anglican church of Malawi. Its existence led to the construction of a hospital and school, which continue to make the island an important hub today.
I departed by a more modern form of transport - a spanking new Gippsland GA8 Airvan aircraft, which lifted off from the island's recently tarred airstrip. The Nyassa Air Taxi pilot kept the plane low, banking around the island. Smiling children, fishermen in boats, people toiling in fields waved at us as we passed - another form of the Malawi Mexican wave.
As the plane gained height, I looked across the shimmering lake and tried to imagine this giant crack in the earth's crust running all the way to the Red Sea. What amazing forces it must take to split a continent. As I sat staring at it, a new desire surfaced. I wanted to follow that rift all the way north.
"One day," I promised myself as the plane headed south.
Where to stay
Prices vary according to season and most operators offer discounts to South Africans if you ask.
- Kayak Africa in Cape Maclear offers accommodation on the islands of Mumbo and Domwe. Activities include snorkelling, sea kayaking, scuba diving and walking trails. Domwe's self-catered tents are R400 an adult a night (excludes getting to the island and water gear). Mumbo Island is R1 500 an adult a night (includes boat transfers, meals, kayaking and snorkelling gear). Children are half price. Call 021 783 1955, e-mail [email protected] or see www.kayakafrica.co.za.
- Wilderness Safaris represents top operators, offers set itineraries and custom expeditions for most activities in Malawi. Mvuu Wilderness Lodge and Camp in Liwonde National Park costs R1 000 to R2 000 a person a night. Call +265 177 1393, e-mail [email protected] or see www.wilderness-safaris.com.
- Danforth Yachting at Cape Maclear offers yacht charters, lodge accommodation and water sports. Full-board accommodation is $125 a person a night (about R925); watersports and activities are extra. Under-12s pay half board at the lodge. Call +265 99 996 0077/0770, e-mail [email protected] or see www.danforthyachting.com
- Kaya Mawa offers luxury in stone chalets, water-based activities and Likoma Island tours on mountain bikes, quads or by boat. Rates for SA travellers (excluding drinks and motorised sports) range from $210 (January to June) to $380 a person a night (July to December), depending on room choice. Call +265 999 318 359, e-mail [email protected] or see www.kayamawa.com
- Mango Drift Backpackers nearby offers dorm beds from R50, double rooms are R150, a single R100 a person a night. Call +265 999 746 122, e-mail [email protected], see www.mangodrift.com
Published by arrangement with Getaway magazine. For the full story, see the December edition.