Travel Guide Mwabvi Wildlife Reserve

Located about ten kilometres southwest of Bangula, this reserve is the smallest (135 km²) and one of the least accessible in Malawi. Its perimeter was established on the ground of a former 340 km² park, created in 1928, whose objective was to safeguard the antelopes of the surrounding regions. Decimated by poaching during the 1970s and 1980s, the park's wildlife had more or less disappeared, as had the black rhino. In the mid-2000s, the non-profit organization Project African Wilderness obtained a concession from the Malawian government to protect and restore the park's fauna and flora. Fifteen years later, the nature reserve has regained its former glory as antelopes (kudu, impala, nyala...) and a handful of large predators (hyenas, leopards...) populate it once again. The development of ecotourism, still in its infancy, has accompanied this renaissance; it is possible to stay in (Migudu Campsite and Njati Lodge) or in the immediate vicinity (Chipembere Camp) of the reserve. If you wish to discover this little-known Malawian territory, you must contact Project African Wilderness (✆ +265 1 946 173 - www.projectafricanwilderness.org).