Travel Guide Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve

South of the Nyika Plateau, near the border with Zambia, the Vwaza Game Reserve is home to many species of animals and offers the opportunity to go on safari. Four of the Big Five are resident, the rhino being the exception. You will see large herds of elephants (over 300), hippos (over 600), buffalo (2,000) and zebras as well as lions, leopards, oryx, warthogs, baboons and antelopes. If you go before dawn, then you will have the chance to observe hippos returning to the water after a night of grazing. The dry season, which runs from May to October, is the ideal time to observe wildlife. The sparse vegetation helps to spot the animals gathering around the lake. The months of June and July are the best time to observe the young. The open border with the large Luangwa Park in Zambia allows this reserve to be supplied with animals on a regular basis despite the still active poaching. The reserve is 960 km² in size and has a hot, humid climate in contrast to the neighboring Nyika Park. It is also known to be home to tsetse flies, which cause sleeping sickness. Take a repellent with you. The park's (only) camp overlooking Lake Kazuni is one of Vwaza's best birding sites. With over 300 species of birds including the impressive goliath herons, rare white-winged starlings and pearl spotted owls, Vwaza is a birder's paradise.