Living Free Range Travel: Rainy Season Hits Us Hard at Vwaza Marsh National Park, Malawi

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We decided to head back South to Nkhata Bay, as there would be more info on getting to the parks there. A good stop, because we were familiar with the place and people. We got to see Zulfaa again, this time behind the bar at Mayoka Village, as she was working there for a month while Nick returned to Australia. We also got to enjoy the awesome Mayoka burger one last time before we set off again.

Our Tent Location on the Lake at Vwaza Marsh

The day we left really felt like traveling again, because for the previous month, it seemed like we were just relaxing and not really working hard - a holiday from our travels so to speak!! Back to the grind though of cramped Minibus frustration, bargaining for everything whilst trying not to get ripped off, and watching our backs in new places as we discover the intricacies of new towns and countries - always somewhat anxious moments.

After a brief stop in Mzuzu for supplies and changing money on the black market, we easily got up to Rumphi by minibus. From here, it was a cramped matola ride hopefully to the gates of Vwaza Marsh National Park. The matola was basically a pick-up truck/bakkie that they managed to cram 35 people in to. As is true to form for African travel, there was not much forethought to the ride. After all the people loaded up, they drove through town picking up all the supplies, so they had to load all the sacks of 'whatever' around all the people, as nobody wanted to give up their already cramped seats or standing room. Stupid really, but they squeezed it all in somehow, much to the chagrin of all the passengers. Next though, there was a flat tire, so they changed it, again with all the people staying in the back for the same reasons.

It was a bouncy, bumpy and somewhat miserable ride, but the good news was that we actually got to where we wanted to go….. and before dark!! The nice park manager showed us to a campsite in the resort area, which we had to ourselves. Our tent was parked about 15m from the lake with hippos snorting away.

Family of Hippos Running Back to the Lake

With rainy season now in full effect in Malawi, we weren't surprised to wake up damply after some heavy rains overnight. So much for our guided walk in the morning - no sense going since all the animals will be hiding from the rain too. Luckily, we had some shelter and were able to kill time until the skies cleared, and our armed guide returned. It was weird walking with him and his GUN. We felt comfortable though, and were able to get reasonably close to some animals with him. The highlight of the day was seeing a family of 3 hippos out of the water, including a very small baby. Once they finally saw us, they all ran quickly towards the water, charging in with quite a splash.

With rainy season, most of the animals have gone deeper into the park, so there was not a lot to see. Still, the walking safari is a different experience, and the scenery was worth the walk. We did have some hippos out of the water near our tent, and had a beautifully colourful sunset over the lake to

Stunning Sunset over the Lake at Vwaza Marsh

watch as we enjoyed dinner. The night watchman was a nice little man - about 4 foot nothing tall - named Patsun, but very smiley, and helped us out with building a fire and such. Not sure how much safer I felt with this diminutive man watching out for us though.

We were happy to wake up to 'no rain', so we packed up dryly and started walking back to the road. The heavens opened up though, and heavy rains started to fall as we walked. This was NOT going to be a fun ride though, but we had to take the first vehicle that passed by in case no others came.
We both shoe-horned our way into another FULL matola, and began the rough ride. Michelle was sitting in back in a basket, with a bunch of the ladies, and I was standing up front behind the cab, wedged into a corner. Michelle's backpack was on the roof of the cab, basically working as a rain guard for the other guys up front. My daypack was hooked on my front, just trying to keep it from dragging me down. The road was now slippery, to go along with bumpy, and when we would slide into some ruts, I had to hold the weight of about 8 men leaning on me, with the right side of my knee pressing hard against the rail of the truck bed. It was a painful, and exhausting ride, compounded by the driving rain hitting my face all the way there. After about 2 hours of this torture, we finally arrived and I had hoped that Michelle's journey was nowhere near as difficult as mine as I couldn't even see her or speak to her along the way.

In Rumphi, we met a nice shopkeeper called Happy, and relaxed under the shelter of his storefront while waiting for the next minibus to take us up to Chitimba. Hopefully, this ride will be drier and less painful. *Stub