Nyika National Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Nyika National Park | |
|---|---|
| IUCN Category II (National Park) | |
| Location: | Malawi |
| Coordinates: | |
| Area: | 313,400 ha |
| Established: | 1966 extended 1978 |
Nyika National Park is Malawi’s largest national park, with an area of 3200 km2 (1250 mile2).
It is located on Nyika Plateau in northern Malawi, about 480 km by road north of Lilongwe and 35 km west of Livingstonia. Extending along part of the Zambia border, the park covers the great plateau. The name, Nyika, means "where the water comes from" and it is, indeed, one of Malawi’s most important catchment areas. in the rainy season over 200 types of orchid are in flower. The grasslands of Nyika are rich in wildflowers in other seasons.
Nyika is recommended for trekking, mountain biking and horse riding safaris, as well as more conventional 4x4 excursions. The montane vegetation attracts large numbers of antelope from the diminutive duiker to eland and roan. Zebra are common. The park has one of the highest densities of leopard in Central Africa and there are a number of species of smaller mammals such as warthog and bushpig. Elephants and buffalo usually keep to the lower ground on the northern edge of the park but lions and elephants have recently been seen on the high plateau.
Over 400 species of bird have been recorded in the park. The rare Denham’s bustard and the wattled crane are among those to be seen, as is the red-winged francolin - endemic to Nyika.
Other attractions include waterfalls, a neolithic rock shelter, trout pools and even a "magic lake". The recently refurbished Chelinda Camp and the brand new log cabin lodge provide excellent accommodation and facilities. There is an airstrip for fly-in safaris.
[edit] See also
- Nyika Plateau National Park - adjacent national park in Zambia
[edit] External links
- Description by malawitourism.com
- Biosearch.org - British ecological expeditions to the park
- World Conservation Monitoring Centre
 |
This Malawi location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
