Luxury volunteer vacation in Malawi
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Trip Highlights
- Making a difference with AIDS sufferers, orphans and other disadvantaged people
- Sailing on Lake Malawi
- Likoma Island
- Liwonde National Park
- Mumbo Island
- Luxury accommodation
Your ''Taste of Volunteering'' Project
Assist a charity in villages around Lilongwe:
- Orphan and other vulnerable children care (OVC) - help feed children under six, as well as give them basic education. You can help cook for the children and serve them
- Home Based Care (HBC) - help take care of patients and people living with AIDS. Working in the community, help the patients, by cleaning their homes, fetching water, and generally making their lives easier
- Community Development Construction (CDC) - help build Community Child Care Centers provided your stay coincides with the timing of building work
- Teaching opportunities at all levels, including academic level
- Gardening, planting and maintaining vegetable gardens and trees
- Maintenance and renovation of the school buildings and sometimes in the huts of elderly or vulnerable people who can’t do the repairs themselves
Trip Summary
On arrival in Lilongwe, you will be met by a Hands Up Holidays representative and transferred to Senga Bay in Salima. Here you board the magnificent ocean going catamaran ‘Mufasa’ for your charter to Likoma Island on Lake Malawi. Lake Malawi is Africa’s third largest lake and by far the most beautiful “Mufasa”, with four double cabins, two bathrooms, a galley, saloon and cockpit under shade will be your base for the next two days.
Kaya Mawa is a truly unique lodge on the southern tip of Likoma Island and is often rated as one of the world’s most romantic destinations. The island, situated in the far north of Lake Malawi, is the larger of two small islands very close to Mozambique. Only 17 sq km in size and with one small dirt road and six vehicles, the local population survives largely by fishing, rice and cassava farming. Kaya Mawa is situated at the head of a crescent shaped bay, surrounded by mango trees and ancient baobabs. The lodge exploits the stunning natural surroundings of beach, rock and lake to give it a distinct character and special ambience.
Activities at Kaya Mawa are varied and abundant. Walking or biking around the island should not be missed. You can stop off to swim en route, engage the locals in conversation and visit the cathedral and the lively market nearby. The waters are crystal clear throughout the year and the snorkeling is among the best in Lake Malawi. The beaches are beautifully sandy and swimming is safe. Alternatively there is a rock swimming pool right by the bar. Other water sports on the island include: diving, motorized water sports such as water-skiing, tube riding and wake snaking, sailing safaris and kayaking.
On the fifth day, you depart this haven and take a breathtaking scenic flight over Lake Malawi to Lilongwe, your base for the next five nights.
The following day, your volunteering begins and will continue for four days in total, either with an HIV/AIDS charity, or helping other people in need. You can spend four amazing days getting to know these amazing, but impoverished people and improving their lives by assisting with:
- Orphan and other vulnerable children care (OVC) - help feed children under six, as well as give them basic education. You can help cook for the children and serve them
- Home Based Care (HBC) - help take care of patients and people living with AIDS. Working in the community, help the patients, by cleaning their homes, fetching water, and generally making their lives easier
- Community Development Construction (CDC) - help build Community Child Care Centers provided your stay coincides with the timing of building work
- Teaching opportunities at all levels, including academic level
- Gardening, planting and maintaining vegetable gardens and trees
- Maintenance and renovation of the school buildings and sometimes in the huts of elderly or vulnerable people who can’t do the repairs themselves
These four rewarding days will pass all too soon, but the great memories will linger.
Your rewards come not only from carrying out essential tasks for people in need, but also immersing yourself in the Malawi culture and meeting some fascinating people.
On day ten, you are driven to Mvuu Lodge in Liwonde National Park, considered to be the finest park in the whole of Malawi for game and accommodation. The park offers some of the most scenic game viewing and is one of the premier birding locations in Southern Africa. A boat safari on the Shire River is one of the many highlights of your stay at Mvuu Lodge.
As well as the boat safaris, the game drives enable you to experience a wide range of game, including sable antelope, hippo, impala, and waterbuck. Huge crocodiles and servals are also fairly common. Birds are prolific, especially along the Shire River.
Your next stop is Mumbo Island an exclusive camp situated on a pristine and otherwise-deserted tropical island on the clear waters of Lake Malawi. The island sits in an exclusive concession area, which is part of the Lake Malawi National Park. This, the first fresh water reserve in the world, boasts crystal clear water that is a pure joy for diving and snorkeling.
It is an ideal place to wind down after an exciting and rewarding trip. Relax in tranquil surroundings with delicious cuisine, lie in hammocks or float in the gorgeous waters. For the more energetic there are a variety of activities: excellent sea kayaking, snorkeling and scuba diving are a great way to explore this impressive slice of nature. Bird-lovers will enjoy the abundant Fish Eagles, whilst underwater large numbers of Cichlid fish species are on display. These small, colorful fish have adopted so many variations that they are considered comparable in importance to the Galapagos finches in the study of evolution.
On your final day, you are transferred by boat and by road to Lilongwe Airport in time for your onward flight.
* Comfort Level: You will spend 2 nights aboard a luxury yacht, 2 nights in a luxury eco lodge, 5 nights in a luxury guesthouse and 5 nights in luxury lodges (comfortable tented accommodation).
For a detailed itinerary in PDF format, click here (you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader).
If you like this trip, you may also be interested in:
Kenya - Safari Explorer
Malawi - Malawi Parks and Falls
Mozambique - Bush and Reef
Namibia - Simply Namibia
South Africa - Cape Classic
South Africa - Southern Hospitality in Style
Feel free to contact us if you have any enquiries about this trip.
