We flew to Lilongwe with Ethiopian Airlines via Frankfurt and Addis Ababa. The flight was uneventful, with the highlight of flying very close to Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru in northern Tanzania, which brought up very vivid memories of my climb of both mountains 8 years ago. We landed at Kamuzu International Airport in the early afternoon, and after buying our local SIM cards and exchanging some US dollars for Kwacha, the local currency in Malawi, we took a taxi to downtown Lilongwe.
We booked our car hire to start only the next day, to have some time to relax after the tiring flight. We’ve found a small lodge within walking distance from Land&Lake Safaris, so the next morning we could simply walk to their premises to pick up our Toyota Hilux, which would be our trusted companion and a home for the next three weeks. The handover of the vehicle was very smooth and professional, the only change necessary was to add some air pressure to the tires.
Despite the car handover being smooth and expedited, we spent quite some time in the nearby Shoprite and Food Lover’s Store to buy the necessary provisions for the first week of our trip. So, it was well past noon when we left Lilongwe on M1 to the north, toward the Vwaza Marsh reserve.
The trip to the Vwaza should take around 6 hours, and since we aim to stick to the basic rule of African driving, which is “never drive after dark!”, we knew from the start that we would not make it there in time. So we started to look for a fallback plan. We found a nice little campsite Macondo Camp, on the outskirts of Mzuzu, the third largest town in Malawi, and the capital of the northern province. The place is owned by an Italian couple, and their restaurant serves arguably the best pizzas in the country. 
The next morning, after filling our fuel tank to the brim, we drove the 100-odd kilometers to the Vwaza Marsh reserve, which lies northwest of Mzuzu. At the entrance gate, we paid our entrance fees and lodging for one night.
Lake Kazuni is a charming little lake on the South Rukuru Rivern inside the reserve, which attracts many animals from the Vwaza reserve. Kazuni Safari Camp lies right on its banks and offers a splendid spectacle of passing wildlife right from your verandah porch.
They have very peculiar prices for lodging in the camp. If you want to camp, it costs 10 USD per person, and they will open one of their chalets for you to use its toilet. So, 20 USD per night for two. However, if you simply rent their chalet, which sleeps two, you will only pay 10 USD per night. Go figure. We obviously took the chalet. 😉
In the morning, we simply relaxed at our site, spending our time observing hippos, crocodiles, elephants, and various birds in and around the lake.
In the afternoon we took a short game drive along the northern banks of the lake, enjoying various antelopes on the shores, and some fishermen in their dugout canoes, catching fish in the golden colors of the setting sun.
Our African Ramblings 