MVUU Lodge
10 Luxury lodges, each with it's own en-suite facilities, and totalling 20 beds, are on raised wooden decks overlooking the mighty Zambezi river.
The Lodges merge naturally with the surrounding vegetation, in keeping with the tranquil, unspoilt surroundings.
January in Malawi is traditionally the middle of the rainy season - and this year has been rainier than most! As the road leading to the usual 'ferry point' across the Shire River is inundated, guests embark on a boat at a point 45 minutes further upriver. Far from an inconvenience, this provides a superb cruise on the river, with sightings of hippo, crocodile, African Fish-eagle perched on branches high above and the wonderful sight of African skimmers skimming the smooth surface of the river in search of prey. It's a great introduction to the water- world of Mvuu Lodge and Camp!
The Shire River has been very high and this combined with muddy ground has the effect of changing the nature of game viewing in the area. For example, the elephants have left for high ground, so that only occasionally has one been seen moving through the thick bush. Buffalo have been equally scarce.
The bush in Liwonde is bursting with life, both plant and animal. Everything is coloured different shades of green, from grass to leaves and reeds. A walk near the camp is filled with quite-close sightings of many mammals that in other parks would sprint away; here they let us take a good look before they move off in a dignified manner! Regular sightings have included impala, warthog, kudu, yellow baboons, waterbuck and bushbuck.
What hasn't been scarce at all of course has been the birdlife. Regulars such as Bohm's Bee-eaters and Collared Palm-Thrush seemed happy to settle on bushes in the camp, waiting for excited twitchers to tick them off. Brown-throated Weavers were enthusiastically making their nests in the reeds just outside the 'loo with a view' of Mvuu Lodge. A very large Nile monitor has taken to draping itself along the low wall that surrounds the campfire area, lazing in the sun that comes through the clouds every now and then.
The days usually begin with that early morning walk, followed by a relaxing river cruise - after a hearty breakfast of course. The Shire is full to the brim and smooth as glass on many a day, with the clouds perfectly reflected in its brown depths. White-breasted Cormorants, Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters, African Fish-eagles, and of course the requisite hippo and crocs abound on such a cruise. Sailing gently past a large fig tree covered in roosting White-breasted Cormorants is fascinating as beneath the tree are at least five Nile monitors waiting to scavenge eggs and other bits that have fallen from the nest sites and roosts.
The afternoon/evening game drives have seen such regulars as hippo leaving the water of the Shire River to graze on the banks. At one point, McCloud's guests sipped sundowners while watching no less than ten of these animals leave the water in single file - including a very tiny baby!
It is during the evening that lesser seen animals come to light - spotlight that is: side- striped jackal, white-tailed mongoose, water mongoose and large spotted genet were all seen in one drive, while scrub hare and chameleons are always great sightings.
Special sightings this month included that of an old sable bull in the mopane forest area, White-breasted Cuckooshrike and also a Broad-billed Roller peering out from the bottom of a bush - not its usual habitat! Finally, a female crocodile laid and hatched her eggs across the way from Tents 1 and 2, and occasionally the tiny critters can be seen amongst the grass and reeds, squeaking as they wriggle about, being watched protectively by their mother.
All in all, January and its rains mean that this is a life-filled month here in the place of the
friendly hippo.