Exploring the Nyika National Park

The Nyika National Park is in the north of Malawi , lying approximately 10 degrees south of the equator. It covers an area of 3134 km 2 and ranges in altitude from below 1000 m in the extreme northeast, adjacent to the shore of Lake Malawi to over 2600 m at Nganda Hill on the northern edge of the plateau. The central plateau is virtually the only part of the park known to visitors and represents only around one third of the whole area. It consists of rolling grasslands. In the folds of the landscape small streams arise and work their way to the escarpments along relatively flat marsh areas known as dambos. Many of these areas feature evergreen forest patches, which appear as fragments all over the plateau and are a distinctive habitat with their own flora and fauna. They are also often nearly impenetrable and create quite a challenge to an explorer. Once inside they provide a sheltered habitat which ameliorates the sometimes very cool conditions on the open grassland and the heat of the sun in the middle of the day. They are therefore, not surprisingly popular shelters for the park's wildlife and for the occasional human visitor; provided care is taken not to sit on the occasional swarm of red ants.

The escarpments of the plateau plunge down steeply in all directions but especially so to the east to Lake Malawi and to the west on the Zambian side. Below about 2000 m you leave the open grasslands and the cool conditions, especially during the colder months of June and July, and descend through the magnificent landscape, through the Protea scrub zone and into the woodlands, dominated by six species of Brachystegia tree. These woodlands are generally open and easy to walk through, especially if you can pick up one of the many animal paths that run off the plateau and down to the lowlands. There are many good camping places along the streams, which flow vigorously throughout the year.

The climate in the park is determined not just by altitude but by location too. Since a prevailing south easterly wind brings moist air from the very large Lake Malawi , most of the rain falls on the eastern escarpment. This part can be very green, even in the dry season and has a distinctive character as a result. Low cloud, which usually disperses early in the day, may persist in the eastern park and make for difficult walking, navigating and wildlife observation. Travelling further west and north it becomes increasingly dry. In the extreme north of the park it is important to keep a good supply of water to hand, since many of the small streams dry up by July. The northern valleys are generally sunny, at least between dramatic thunderstorms during the rainy season, which is mainly January to March. It is an awe-inspiring experience to shelter in a good tent in the remote wilderness of the northern valleys and listen to the thunder roll around the landscape, echoing from hill to mountain to deep gully and lighting up the sky in a dramatic way, with not one single human light source to detract from the show. On the plateau grassland the black storm clouds set against a reappearing tropical sun in the evening turn the sward a true golden yellow like a ripening crop of wheat.

Whilst the Nyika light is a special experience, the Nyika darkness is even more so. The southern sky is clear and unambiguous at over 2000 m. Stars, comets and planets are seen with unbelievable clarity. Unlike the ever-busy lowland tropics, silence is all pervasive at night. This is a vast landscape; the visitor feels the vastness as they lie sandwiched between the mass of granite beneath them and the endless universe above. Stirrings in the grass are few, yet in the morning we see the evidence of massive movements of animal life, busily engaged in its nightly activity and challenging us to identify the signs in the dawn.

It takes two days to travel to the remotest part of the Nyika National Park by vehicle from Lilongwe ; Malawi 's capital. The first 275 miles is on a tarred road, via the northern town of Mzuzu . At Rumphi the dirt road starts and the next 100 miles to Nganda, gateway to the remote northern hills, can be very rough indeed in parts, depending on the season and whether road grading has taken place recently. Many visitors travel as far as Chilinda, where there is accommodation. This forest camp was set up and planted with pines, wattle and eucalyptus over 50 years ago. The cool and moist climate has suited the trees and now they tower at great heights and provide shelter in one of the coldest and least hospitable parts of the Nyika. The explorer has to leave his vehicle here or on the plateau network of tracks and then be prepared for days of hiking in the bush. The terrain is demanding and the distance travelled in a day in the steep, hilly wilderness areas, is surprisingly small until one becomes totally acclimatised.

The small numbers of people who have undertaken the challenge of hiking off the plateau in the Nyika National Park in Malawi have experienced raw Africa at its best and are continually reminded of the immense value of wilderness in refreshing the body and spirit and understanding the importance of connection between man and nature.

Peter Overton has organised responsible wildlife research expeditions to the Nyika National Park since 1972. His experience in the remote regions of the Nyika is considerable. He has been working in close collaboration with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife in Malawi to create an inventory of the Park's wildlife and monitor wildlife populations. Details of this work can be obtained from the annual reports, which can be ordered from www.biosearch.org.uk