Which accommodations are included?

A mix of lodges and safari/camps.

Are there wildlife observations?

In Nyika National Park and Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve.

Malawi Safari Self-Drive Tour

The Journey

Self-Drive Safari in Northern Malawi

Malawi safari travel begins at Lilongwe International Airport, where our staff greets you and hands over route documents for the next 13 days. Your first two nights are at Blue Zebra Lodge on Zebra Island — a lake malawi safari base where chalets sit in an untouched shoreline setting. Guests can relax at the infinity pool, rent a kayak, play volleyball or use complimentary snorkeling gear. The lodge blends malawi travel comfort with direct water access. Meals: Full board. Distance: about 131 km, roughly 2 hours by road and 30 minutes by boat to the island.

From $ 5,164 / Person

15 Days from 12 Intermediate

Select your date

Additional options

Key Highlights of the Trip

01 Blue Zebra Island Lodge

Blue Zebra Island Lodge

Spend two nights at Blue Zebra Lodge on Zebra Island for a lake malawi safari opening — kayaking, snorkeling and an infinity pool set against the untouched shoreline make it a strong start to any malawi travel itinerary.

02 Nkhotakota Reserve Stay

Nkhotakota Reserve Stay

Tongole Wilderness Lodge sits deep inside the nkhotakota wildlife reserve Miombo forest, 30 km west of Lake Malawi. Game drives and walking safaris through this remote malawi national park zone reveal elephants, hippos and rare forest birds.

03 Nyika Highland Drives

Nyika Highland Drives

Chelinda Lodge anchors three nights in nyika national park malawi, where rolling highveld carries the largest roan antelope herds in Africa. Horse rides and game drives cover terrain few visitors reach on standard malawi tour packages.

04 Likoma Island, Lake Malawi

Likoma Island, Lake Malawi

Four nights at Kaya Mawa Lodge on likoma island malawi close the circuit — stone cottages, baobab groves and a crescent bay deliver a genuine lake malawi tour finale with community-built accommodation and snorkeling from the shore.

05 Lilongwe Return Flight

Lilongwe Return Flight

The self drive safari africa circuit ends with a short flight from Likoma to Lilongwe. The route covers roughly 810 km of driving plus two internal flights, making it one of the more complete africa self drive safari loops in southern Africa.

Malawi

A malawi safari self-drive north circuit covering Lake Malawi shoreline, miombo forest reserves, highland national parks and a remote island lodge.

Days 1–5

Days 1-3: Lilongwe – Blue Zebra Island

Your malawi safari begins at Lilongwe International Airport, where our team greets you and hands over all route documents for the next 13 days. Transfer to the lakeshore takes about 2 hours, followed by a 30-minute boat crossing to Blue Zebra Lodge on Zebra Island. The chalets sit in an untouched setting where lake malawi safari life runs at a gentle pace — kayaking around the island perimeter, snorkeling from the shore and relaxing at the infinity pool. Meals: Full board. Distance: approx. 131 km from Lilongwe airport.

Days 3-6: Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve

The route moves inland to Tongole Wilderness Lodge, a 4-star eco project inside the nkhotakota wildlife reserve Miombo forest. Positioned 30 km west of Lake Malawi on the Bua River, Tongole is the only luxury lodge in this zone and one of the anchor stops in any serious malawi travel itinerary. Game drives and guided walks track elephants, hippos and forest birds through terrain that remains one of the least-visited wildlife corridors in southern Africa. Meals: Full board. Distance: about 191 km, 3 hours from Blue Zebra.

Days 6-9: Nyika National Park Highlands

The safari continues to Chelinda Lodge in nyika national park, the largest malawi national park by area and the highest plateau in Central Africa. Rolling highveld grasslands carry the largest concentration of roan antelope on the continent, alongside eland, zebra and leopard. Nyika national park malawi offers safari drives from the lodge terrace, horse rides across the plateau and guided walks through Hagenia forest pockets. Meals: Full board. Distance: about 490 km, 8 hours from Nkhotakota.

Questions about the tour itinerary?

Our tour guide is happy to answer any questions about the day-by-day route, stops, and details.

Days 9-13: Kaya Mawa, Likoma Island

A short flight north drops you on Likoma Island for four nights at Kaya Mawa Lodge — the defining stop on any likoma island malawi itinerary. The lodge sits on a crescent bay ringed by ancient baobab trees and hand-built stone cottages, with a community-based construction story that makes it stand out among malawi tour packages. A natural pool, beach villas and snorkeling direct from shore complete the lake malawi tour experience. Meals: Full board. Distance: approx. 45 minutes by internal flight from Chelinda to Likoma.

Likoma – Lilongwe Return

This self drive safari africa circuit concludes with a 1.5-hour flight from Likoma back to Lilongwe International Airport. The full route covers roughly 810 km of road driving plus two internal flights — one of the more logistically complete africa self drive safari loops in the region. Onward connections to other African destinations or homeward flights are easy to arrange, and our team is available to help plan any continuation of your safari malawi africa journey.

Want a detailed description of all tour days?

Our expert will walk you through the full itinerary and answer all your questions.

Malawi Safari: Self-Drive North

Self-Drive Safari in Northern Malawi

Key Highlights of the Trip