African Reservations

Lake Malawi is Africa's third largest and second deepest lake. Measuring just short of600km north to south and 80km wide in places, it dominates the easternside of Malawi and constitutes roughly 20% of its surface area. For the people of Malawi, the lake is an integral part of their cultural heritage and vast trove of natural resources - with fish species such as chambo forming the primary protein source of the nearly 20 000 people that live on the lakeshore and beyond.

On the surface a number of islands pepper the lake, separated from the mainland by alternating bands of sandy flats and deep water. Palm fringed beaches and soaring mountains surround the warm crystal clear waters of Lake Malawi. Picturesque fishing villages dot the shoreline, their cultures unchanged for thousands of years.

On the shores miombo woodland and baobabs occur, and mammals such as baboon, vervet monkey, dassies and hippo are most commonly sighted. Bird life is abundant, with over 100 bird species - particularly waterbirds. Lake Malawi is dominated by the ubiquitous African Fish-Eagles, but enthusiasts will be rewarded with sightings of the shyer and less common forest birds that inhabit the bush around the tents, such as the north-eastern hypoxanthus variety of Sombre Greenbul. Other species seen include African Harrier-Hawk, Trumpeter Hornbill, White-breasted Cormorant, Water Thick-Knee, African Paradise-Flycatcher and a variety of herons, weavers, doves and starlings.

Beneath its waters a wide range of underwater habitats, including sandy, weedy, rock-sand interface and reed beds, harbour an abundant wealth and diversity of mostly endemic aquatic life. Lake Malawi supports over 2000 species of freshwater - a greater variety than any other lake on Earth, more than all of Europe and North America combined. The majority of these are colourful fish called cichlids (locally named mbuna) of which Lake Malawi contains more than 400 types, or 30% of all known species. Much of this astounding underwater diversity is protected within the Lake Malawi National Park at Cape Maclear in the south, the first in the world set aside for the protection of freshwater fish and a World Heritage Site.