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Be WOWed by Nyika National Park
Malawi's Nyika National Park is the only big game Afro-montane area in southern and south central Africa, says Lesley Simpson
By: Lesley Simpson
Nyika National Park, in northern Malawi, about 300 miles' drive north of Lilongwe, is over 800,000 acres in all.
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The Nyika Plateau, and in particular the high altitude grassland, dambos and evergreen forests, contain one of Africa’s richest orchid communities totaling some 214 species of terrestrial and epiphytic orchids: four species and two sub-species occur nowhere else on earth. A further 13 plant species and seven sub-species are also endemic to Nyika National Park. No fewer than four bird sub-species are endemic, and the area harbors several species of conservation concern such as Denham’s Bustard and Blue Swallow. The Nyika Plateau also holds a unique assemblage of such large mammal faun as leopard, spotted hyena, roan, eland and even elephant - nearly 100 species have been recorded here. No other sizeable populations of large mammals are found elsewhere in this biome. There is even an endemic mammal sub-species (chequered elephant shrew) confined to the plateau. Nyika National Park is indeed unique in both its ecosystem as well as its ecotourism opportunities.
The biodiversity and conservation value of Nyika National Park is high. It has national, continental and global significance as a conservation area. The uniqueness of the area, in both its physical appearance and also in its biodiversity and atmosphere, makes it an exciting ecotourism proposition.
The Malawi Department of National Parks and Wildlife. has asked Johannesburg-based Wilderness Safaris to lead the tourism expansion of Nyika National Park. To date Wilderness Safaris has been represented in seven of southern Africa’s eleven biomes (a major regional biotic community characterized by specific climate, vegetation and fauna). Now, with Nyika National Park, the company is present in eight of these biomes and it can add the financial
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sustainability of its unique ecotourism model to the protection of a rare and threatened ecosystem. Wilderness Safaris specializes in memorable wildlife experiences in some of the most remote and pristine areas in southern Africa. In this way it offers private access to 3.2 million hectares of southern Africa’s finest wildlife reserves while at the same time remaining fiercely committed to protecting precious natural and cultural resources. Wilderness Safaris firmly believes, indeed, that its single most important achievement to date is to have built a sustainable business model that does not compromise environmental principles and which provides jobs, training, skills, careers, adjusted horizons, hope and a realistic alternative to less sustainable development. Recognizing that conservation is as much about people as about the environment, the company has pursued important goals through its Children in the Wilderness programme, as well as through the Wilderness Safaris Wildlife Trust, which have helped change the face of nature-based tourism in southern Africa.
Nyika National Park's main lodge, Chelinda Lodge, has been closed for about a year so for the time being your best way of visiting is a customised tent-camp safari (knowing Wilderness Safaris as well as I do however, it is safe to say that lodging developments and timing will be announce before too long). Wilderness Safaris does, by the way, own its own private plane company, Sefofane.
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