Liwonde

Liwonde is a town in southern Malawi, the gateway to Liwonde National Park, which spans the Machinga and Mangochi districts along the Shire River near the Mozambique border. Established in 1973 and covering about 548 km² of woodland and dry savannah, the park has been managed by the nonprofit African Parks since 2015. About 30 km of the Shire River runs along its western border, supporting boat safaris alongside game drives and walking safaris. Between 2016 and 2022, African Parks reintroduced cheetah, lion, black rhino, and wild dog to Liwonde, while the park also supplied several hundred elephants for relocation to other Malawian reserves. In early 2018 the adjacent Mangochi Forest Reserve was brought under the same management, roughly doubling the protected area. The park remains known for large elephant and hippo populations and rich birdlife.

By Car / Road

Liwonde is on the M3 road from Blantyre to Mangochi, about 2 hours north of Blantyre.

• Liwonde National Park — Game drives, boat safaris, and walking safaris.

Accommodation is available in the park (Mvuu Lodge/Camp) and in Liwonde town.

• Liwonde National Park — Wildlife viewing.
• Blantyre (2 hours south) — Commercial capital.
• Zomba (1 hour south) — Old colonial capital with Zomba Plateau.