SEE & DO
Thuma Forest Reserve
This 197km forest reserve, gazetted in 1926, lies due east of Lilongwe where it spans a stretch of the Rift Valley Escarpment rising from a basal altitude of 575m to the 1,564m peak of Thuma Mountain. Bounded by the Lilongwe River to the north and the Linthipe River to the south, it protects a wide variety of habitats, including Brachystegia woodland, bamboo forest and evergreen forest, and it forms the most northerly component in a complex of protected areas stretching south to Mua Livulezi. Until recently, Thuma had seen little scientific exploration and even less tourist development, and poaching was handed over to a small NGO called the Wildlife Action Group (WAG), which has managed to control poaching with the co-linked goals of protecting some of Malawi’s lesser-known wilderness areas and opening them up to revenue-generating tourism.
Characterised by rugged escarpment scenery and an untrammelled wilderness atmosphere, Thuma offers the opportunity to track a wide variety of large mammals on foot. Some 40-odd large mammal species have been recorded, including significant populations of elephant and buffalo, both on the increase according to data collected in 2007, as well as leopard, spotted hyena, baboon, vervet monkeys, bushbuck, greater kudu, klipspringer, Sharpe’s grybok, common duiker and various small predators. The bird checklist, though still incomplete includes more than 170 species, including the first Malawian record for Natal francolin. There’s plenty more information about the reserve, including full checklists, on the website listed above.
Tourist development remains very low key, but is ideal for genuine outdoor enthusiasts. The attractive campsite costs US$5 per person and it has basic cooking, shower and toilet facilities, but visitors must bring their own camping equipment, food and drinks. Unguided walking is forbidden, owing to the presence of elephant and buffalo, but guided hikes are available at US$10 per person.
