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Liwonde: game drive, underground hide, sundowner cruise


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After grabbing a couple of biscuits from the restaurant, we head out for the early morning safari before it is even light out. The lodge provides some lovely fleece-lined wind-proofed ponchos to protect us from the cold, which is much appreciated in the chilly morning air.

Cheetah

When we saw the cheetah in Majete, Jim was insanely jealous, as despite all his previous game drives, he has never once seen one. I promised him we’d find him one in Liwonde, and the first thing we see this morning is a cheetah with a kill.

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Jim is beside himself with excitement – his childlike enthusiasm is infectious.

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The cheetah is restless, however, disturbed by the warning calls of the baboons, worried that this will attract other predators who may try to take his breakfast.

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While we drive around to the other side of the cheetah to get a different view, the cheetah moves his prize, trying to hide it amongst the trees for protection.

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We leave him to enjoy his breakfast in peace and move on to see what else nature has to offer us today.

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Hippo

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Red Billed Hornbill

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African Jacanas

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Little Egret

Tea Break

As the sun starts to rise, Danger (the driver) stops for a break overlooking the flooded Shire River.

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Danger setting up the flasks of hot drinks on a fold-out table at the front of the vehicle

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Jim and Danger (yes, that really is his name)

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Tea and biscuits

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Danger, David, and Jim enjoying the sunrise and a cuppa. I stay on board the vehicle as I am concerned about the very uneven surface underfoot.

Instead, I do some bird-watching from the comfort of the car.

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Black Winged Stilt

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African Jacana

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Spur Winged Geese

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Long Toed Lapwing

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White Breasted Cormorants - I am fascinated by the way the tree has turned almost completely white from their guano

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Yellow Billed Storks

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Open Billed Stork

After a lovely break, we carry on with our game drive as we continue back towards the lodge for breakfast.

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Kudu

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Close-up of the kudu

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Danger is excited when he spots a pile of rhino poo, but sadly we do not see any of the elusive rhinos

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Impala

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Red Billed Hornbill

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Bushpigs – a rare sighting and a new one to us. There are two pigs, each facing in different directions to be able to look out for danger.

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Crocodile

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Meve's Starling

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Waterbuck

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Collared Palm Thrush

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We see a Palm Nut Vulture and follow him when he takes off

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We find him nibbling on the impala carcass with no sign of the cheetah from earlier.

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Emerald Spotted Wood Dove

Breakfast

There’s a small buffet and a chef cooking eggs.

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Yogurt, granola and pancakes

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The chef is ready for my order

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I choose an omelette with cheese, onion, tomato and peppers

We talk to another British couple staying at the lodge – the first Brits we’ve seen on this trip, and the first tourists actually carrying a ‘proper’ camera (as opposed to just using the phone). They've seen a rhino here is Liwonde, which is a rare sighting. The nearest we’ve got is rhino poo – not quite the same.

Waterhole Hide

Claudia and Danger have arranged for us to visit the lodge’s private waterhole this lunchtime, which is not attached to the lodge, but requires us to drive there.

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Emanuel is coming with us, bringing his gun.

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The waterhole

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Entrance to the hide

The hide is dug under the ground, with an opening just above the water level for great viewing and photography at eye level with the animals drinking.

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There is a long bench with padded seats to sit on and a shelf for the cameras.

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As we get settled in, the only animal we see is the resident hippo.

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Birds seem to use the hippo as an island to look around for potential lunch.

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Grey Heron

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Hammerkop

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The Red Billed Oxpeckers have a symbiotic relationship with several animals, not just the hippo. While eating insects from the animals’ skin, they will be on the lookout for predators and act as an early warning signal.

After a while, more animals and birds start arriving, one by one.

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Harrier Hawk

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Warthogs

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Impala

The silence of the jungle is interrupted by the piercing warning calls of baboons. The animals stop drinking and all stare in the same direction. Emanuel gets jittery, cocks his gun, and goes over to the entrance of the hide. “There could be lions around” Jim confirms.

Through the trees, we spot an elephant.

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Then more arrive, including little babies, in complete silence.

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Before long, there are 13 elephants around the waterhole. David and I both look at each other and whisper “Wow” at the same time. This is so special.

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This guy's had an encounter with a crocodile by the looks of it. The short trunk doesn't seem to stop him from drinking though.

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I use three cameras with three different lenses to capture it all – one with a 24-105mm lens, the second one with a 100-400mm lens, and the last one with my whopping great big 600mm monster lens. This is where that comes into its own, as there is no way I can handhold this thing, so the shelf with the bean bag we had made in Zomba is perfect.

The sable antelope is one of the animals on my wish list, so I get very excited when one turns up and starts drinking.

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He is soon joined by Mrs Sable

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Impala

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They are very vulnerable to predators with their legs splayed like this

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Warthogs

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Yellow Baboon

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It’s hard knowing where to look at this 180° panorama we have in front of us. This is where the much-overused word “awesome” really is appropriate. It is definitely the highlight of our trip so far.

And just as we think it can’t get any better, another seven elephants arrive, with more babies.

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Many other animals come and go over the two hours or so we are there. It is truly magical.

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The shy and elusive Bushbuck

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Kudu

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Impala and Kudu

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Burchell's Zebra - a new subspecies to us

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Impala and Zebra

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Waterbuck

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Hadada Ibis

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More Sable, Impala, and Warthogs

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Grey Heron

David is delighted to find that the boys have brought along refreshments in the form of Savanna Cider.

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I’m not sure what Jim has spotted here, but he looks horrified.

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All good things must come to an end, and while there is a lull in proceedings at the waterhole, we reluctantly say goodbye to this incredible photographic hide and return to the lodge.

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Jim grabs my 600mm lens which is affectionately known as Big Bertha

Every time we have been out on a game drive here in Liwonde, Claudia, the manager at the camp is there when we return, clutching wet flannels for us to wipe away the dust and dirt from the bush. Having seen very few animals at the waterhole hide on her visits there in the past, she is delighted, amazed, and a little envious when we tell her about our incredible sightings.

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Claudia waiting with refreshing towels. Note the steps to help passengers get in and out of the vehicle. I have been sitting in the front seat to save me from climbing up into the back, however.

Lunch

During the briefing when we arrived at the lodge, Claudia asked if we have any dietary requirements, and David jokingly mentioned that neither of us like cucumber. Today’s salad for lunch has been made especially for us, minus cucumber.

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Lentil salad, flat yogurt bread, garden salad, and Waldorf salad. The Waldorf is refreshing, whereas the lentils are plain and uninteresting. A salad dressing is brought out, which totally overflows on the flat wooden board the salad is served on.

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The fruit smoothie for dessert is tasty and refreshing

We spend a little bit of chill time on the balcony of our room, watching a couple of birds flit in and out of the foliage.

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Collared Palm Thrush

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I am intrigued by this strange fruit hanging down just above the bannister of our balcony. Jim later confirms that it is the fruit of the Toad Tree, which is often eaten by monkeys.

Afternoon Boat safari

Danger drives us the short distance to Mvuu Camp where there is a boat jetty. There used to be one at the Lodge too, but with the current high water level, it is not usable.

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That high step is why I sit in the front

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The jetty

Mvuu Camp and Lodge own several boats, and Danger has chosen the largest and easiest for me to get into this afternoon – a flat-bottomed pontoon.

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This means I can take Big Bertha with me and set her up on a tripod in the boat.

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There is plenty of space to move around, as well as comfortable bench seats.

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David enjoying the late afternoon sun

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Danger and Jim at the front. Should we be concerned about a captain called Danger?

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Captain Danger

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Jim with his stylish sunglasses

Our first encounter is a somewhat uneasy elephant in amongst the reeds. He isn’t sure about our presence and lets us know in the form of a mock charge.

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This is not the time to have engine failure. Thankfully, Danger (is this how he got his name?) manages to get the boat going again.

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Malachite Kingfisher

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Hadada Ibis

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Hippo grazing

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Grey Heron

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Open Billed Storks

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Goliath Heron

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Squacco Heron

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Spur Winged Lapwing

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From the line created on the trees, you can see how far up animals can reach when grazing.

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Crocodile

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African Darters

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White Breasted Cormorant

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We follow a pair of African Fish Eagles for a while

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They are noisy buggers, squawking like seagulls

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As the sky starts turning a lovely orange, it is time for us to partake in our usual evening sundowners.

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Savanna Cider, plantain chips, and peanust

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From the boat, we can see the guests from Mvuu Camp enjoying their sundowners on land – all 45 of them. They are all sponsors of an orphanage on a group tour – I am guessing the fact that so many of them are staying at the camp is why we have been upgraded to the lodge. It makes me very grateful that we are on a private safari.

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The sun goes down behind the trees like a huge orange ball, and we return to base after an extraordinary day.

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Dinner

The food here at Mvuu Lodge has been superb throughout, and tonight is no exception.

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Cauliflower soup with crouton

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Pan-fried fillet steak, garlic beans, grazed carrots (not sure what that means, but that's what it says on the menu), and arancini. Three words: tasty, tender, fabulous!

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Creme Caramel to finish

WHAT A DAY!

Thank you so much to Undiscovered Destinations for arranging this incredible private tour of Africa.

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Posted by Grete Howard 10:05 Archived in Malawi Tagged animals birds boat wildlife elephants cruise safari malawi crocodile zebra hawk sable cheetah antelope hippo baboon heron stilt stork vulture dove cider impala kingfisher starling kudu warthog waterhole goose liwonde sunset_cruise hornbill sundowners game_drive boat_safari savanna jacana lapwing thrush cormorants savanna_cider wildlife_viewing oxpeckers mvuu_lodge cheetah_kill tea_break wildlife_hide underground_hide photography_hide sable_antelope

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Comments

What a fantastic day indeed! The cheetah photos are excellent, a great sighting, but of course as always I'm drawn to the elephants at that wonderful waterhole :)

by ToonSarah

Thanks for your comments Sarah, it was one of the very best days on the entire trip. Like you, I am drawn to the elephants at the waterhole. ♥

by Grete Howard

I guess you said it all with that last sentence! My gosh, those pictures!!! I can't get enough of them. So beautiful and I myself like the "white" tree as well! 😜😉😜

by Ils1976

Aww, thank you Ils, it was a photographer's paradise, for sure. ♥ And a trip of a lifetime.

by Grete Howard

Looking at your pictures, I so wanna go to Africa again!

by Ils1976

Sorry for the delay in replying to these comments Ils, for some reason I have only just seen them. ♥

by Grete Howard

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