SEE & DO -
Kuti Community Wildlife Park
This 3,000ha community-owned reserve protects an area of grassy Brachystegia woodland that has been restocked with game after having been decommissioned as a government cattle ranch in the 1990s. The main stakeholders in the reserve are the 11 villages that border the former ranch, housing a total of around 30,000 people. Some 50% of revenues raised by entrance and other fees helps fund community projects, ranging from the rehabilitation of boreholes and clinics to tree planting and seedling production. The park also houses an environmental education centre for local school children, and it is hoped that once wildlife increase, excess animals can be sold.
The most striking area in Kuti is a large swamp-like lake covered in water lilies and papyrus. Local fishermen use small balsa-wood coracles to punt through the marshland and the area is teeming with birds. The park also supports an increasingly varied selection of mammals. Naturally occurring species such as greater kudu, duiker, bushbuck, genet, civet and bush pig, have fared well since the park was protected, while the likes of giraffe, zebra, nyala, sable, impala and warthog have been introduced and now roam freely within the reserve. There are also ostriches in enclosures, and three camels arrived in 2009 to offer camelback safaris. Game viewing is best during the dry season, especially over July-September.
Kuti lies about 8km from Salima by road and can easily be accessed in a private vehicle, though a 4×4 may be required after rain. The entrance, reached via a short dirt road, is signposted along the north side of the M14 to Lilongwe some 4km west of the main junction with the M5 South and about 2km east of the junction with the M5 North. Self catering accommodation and camping is available at Senga Camp, 2km past the entrance gate. Camping costs Mk750 per person, and there are four-five-bed-A frame huts available at Mk3,500 per unit. Facilities at the campsite include an ablution block, shaded barbeque facilities, and guided game walks and night drives are offered.
