A Victorian Style Safari in Liwonde National Park, Malawi

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Sunset Viewing Platform w/ Peiter, Ang, Arek, Georgia and Charlie

After yet another battle for price in a minibus, we arrived in Liwonde - gateway to the Liwonde National Park, and Malawi's best game park.  Luckily, we chose well on a guest house, and ended up at Liwonde Safari Camp, with a happy South African named Pieter.  Pieter and his business partner, Frederik from Holland, were excellent hosts, and very generous.  I will sing their praises to all heading that way.  It seems like a lot of places are out to make a buck…… fair enough.  But these guys seem to just want to share the park and wildlife with you.  They just loved being there.  It was very refreshing.  We came for one or two nights, but it was only after four nights that we finally managed to leave.  It was just too relaxing, and a fun place to be.

Tolkein's Tree - A Massive Baobab 3800 yrs

The place had only been open for 14 months, but seemed to have a following.  Where other camps have had very few clients over recent weeks, Liwonde Safari Camp seemed to have a steady stream coming their way.  One of the friendliest there was a German stuntwoman named Angela, and her large dog Paul.  A recent project of hers was working in the Quentin Tarantino film - Inglorious Basterds!!  Very cool.  We had a good laugh with her, and then an unlikely Spanish/Polish/Irish trio arrived.  Georgia, Arek and Charlie were also a fun crew, and the whole group gelled and had a good time together.  Part of the reason we stayed longer. 
With a free game walk in the mornings with Pieter, we got a small glimpse of the park.  One highlight was an approximately 3800 year old baobab tree.  Apparently, JRR Tolkein's father was a missionary in Malawi, and when JRR was a teen, his father would preach underneath this massive tree.  It is very easy to see that this tree could be his inspiration for the 'Living Trees (I forget their name)' in his Lord of the Rings trilogy.  We were also in an area called Shire, with the Shire River running through, and plenty of Misty Mountains around.  Coincidence, I think not!!
We would also take to drinks on the viewing platform for sunset nightly.  Unfortunately, only once did the elephants arrive, and didn't take too kindly to Paul's barking, as other guests arrived.  They charged towards the platform, trumpeting their presence known!!  Scary stuff.

Angie Dressed in White for the Safari

Even around camp, there was a bit of a mini safari.  There were tons of bug species, from scorpions, to giant grasshopper things, to scary centipedes, to swarming termites - you always had to watch where you walked.
While sitting around one night, Pieter decided that when we did our game drive in the morning, it was going to be Victorian style.  So, the girls had to dress up all fancy, with make-up, and the boys needed to shower, shave and wear their best.  Even Pieter was going to pull out his khakis, like a true guide.  It was pretty funny heading out in the morning, with the girls in white dresses, heading into the mud.  Just like the old days!!  If we got stuck, it would be a bit of a laugh! 
Thankfully, we didn't get stuck but had a fun time.  We didn't see any spectacular wildlife except for a running hippo, but the views of the park were great with the Shire River and some peaks in the distance.  It sure was good company though, with some great laughs!!  One freaky sight was a baobab that was hollow - it was used by local tribes to throw the lepars in to as a hollow grave.  Lots of bones in the bottom!!

Georgia, Angie, Charlie, Arek, M, and Kitty on the sunset boozy Safari

That evening, Pieter enticed us to stay another night with mention of a free game drive into the park for sunset.  They just wanted to head out and be social, so this was a real treat.  I would imagine other places charging a good price for an evening drive, but these guys just wanted to share!!  We all took some drinks for sunset and chilled out by the river.  We picked up a cool hippo skull for the lodge, and I managed to sit on the bumper seat, as spotter for the ride back.  I managed to find us a hyena, but was a little nervous at my location on the vehicle.  Unfortunately, the hyena looked like it had been caught in a snare, and was missing a front paw.  It still looked quite healthy though, and must have scavenged well. 
That was our last evening at Liwonde, and we enjoyed the time with our new friends.  Georgia, Arek, and Charlie would be joining us on the drive up to Monkey Bay in the morning, so we had good company for our next leg.  *Stub

Sunset in Liwonde with Frederik, Arek, Angie, Georgia, Charlie, Peiter and Kitty