After crossing over the Malawian border we cycled to the town Mchinji and camped on the lawn of Grace Guest House for the night. The next day we cycled 143 km, facing strong head winds all the way to the town of Kasungu. We were very impressed by the neatly cultivated tobacco and maize fields along the way – everything done by manual labour. That night we camped on the lawn of Annie’s Guest House. We can recommend this guest house to anyone travelling through Kasungu town.
The next morning we cycled 40 km to the gate of Kasungu National Park (KNP). On the way we stopped to buy Coke at a small shop and were surrounded by many, many children.
Later the morning we cycled past a young boy on his bicycle. He was so surprised to see ‘mzungus’ (white men), that he lost control of his bike and crashed into the bushes next to the road. Riki wanted to walk over to him to make sure he is OK, but realized that she will give him an even bigger fright by doing so (he wasn’t hurt in the fall). Duncan Yearley picked us up at the gate of KNP and took us to Lifupa. We drove past a herd of buffalo.
Lifupa Conservation Lodge and Campsite overlook a big dam. In the afternoons we joined Duncan for short walks along it where lesser jacana are readily seen at the waterline. Hippos kept a keen eye on our movements and grunted their dismay as we walked away.
The first afternoon we surprised a herd of puku when we walked out of the bushes towards the water’s edge. They hopped like ping pong balls over the vegetation trying to get away from us. An osprey soared over our heads.
The next day we were sitting on the veranda of the lodge overlooking the dam. Lichtenstein’s hartebeest and a family of elephant came down for a drink of water. A storm built up in the skies. Tremendous thundering cleft through the air. It caused large flocks of water birds to fly up from the water in fear and confusion. We could hear the swishing sound made by their wings as they made a big circle in the air before settling down on the water again, only to be chased up by another loud thundering. Rain poured down. Silver streams of run-off water covered the fields.
For the past four years Duncan has been monitoring the predators of Kasungu National Park (check out Carnivore Conservation Malawi for more details). He discovered a pack of wild dogs unknown to conservationists in neighbouring wildlife sanctuaries. Duncan hopes to get sponsorship for monitoring equipment which will help him to get an understanding of the movements and home range of the dogs.
Duncan says Kasungu National Park used to be the Kruger of Malawi, until 30 years ago. Thousands of elephant and other game roamed the plains. Some of the senior staff still remember the days when lions hunted around the dam in front of the lodge. Sadly, less than 150 elephant are left in the park today due to poaching. Rhinos have long since been wiped out and very few predators remain. ‘Kasungu is worth saving to me’, says Duncan. He dedicates his life to make a difference in the park.
We share Duncan’s enthusiasm for Kasungu National Park. The view over the dam is beautiful and peaceful. Kasungu is the place where you want to escape from the rush of city life. Here you can truly relax and read that book that has been lying on your shelf for so long. When you look up from the pages it is almost certain that some bird or animal will grab your attention in or around the dam. Rare antelope species like sable, roam and Lichtenstein hartebeest gather in fairly big groups in the park. Alex, the lodge manager, is doing an excellent job making his guests feel at home.
The history of Kasungu is bittersweet. It is so sad that one of Africa’s prime wilderness areas was robbed of its once-abundant wildlife. But it is encouraging to know that there are a few people dedicating their lives to restore Kasungu to its former status. As South Africans we cannot allow our game parks to follow the same history pattern. It is essential that we stand up against poaching. But it is not enough. We must make sure that we win this battle. We cannot allow our Kruger National Park or any other natural area to be destroyed in 10, 50 or even 100 years time.
Want to experience the magic of Malawi? Visit Getaway Adventures for the best travel packages on the continent.
Read more about our cycling adventures on www.cycleafrica.co.za. We literally go the extra mile to visit African game parks to write about current conservation challenges and success stories.
