DETAILED ITINERARY: MALAW

DAY 1: On arrival at Kamuzu International Airport in Malawi, you will be met by your guide for the trip and transfer to a comfortable safari vehicle. We drive north across the largely deforested central tableland, our first stop being just beyond the Bua River. A walk around a marshy valley often produces the elusive Locust Finch, Fischer's Sparrowlark, Black Coucal and very occasionally Rosy-throated Longclaw. We will continue north to the Viphya Plateau, a vast area that is predominantly covered in pine plantations. A magnificent forest reserve at the base of the plateau may give us our first taste of miombo birding, time permitting. The tall, closed canopy woodlands here are host to a variety of miombo endemics, such as Miombo Grey Tit, Rufous-bellied Tit, Miombo Scrub-Robin, Pale-billed Hornbill, the delightful Anchieta's Sunbird and many others. We should be arriving at our overnight destination, Luwawa Forest Lodge, in the late afternoon. The lodge overlooks a marshy valley and the garden can provide extremely productive birding. Some of the specials include the spectacular Bronzy Sunbird, the newly split Forest Double-collared Sunbird, Bertrand's Weaver (nesting in the garden), Red-rumped Swallow and Evergreen Forest Warbler. We will be in comfortable chalets with en-suite or shared ablutions. Delicious suppers are served at the lodge restaurant. The range-restricted Ruwenzori Nightjar can often be heard calling overhead at night.

DAY 2: We depart on an early morning birding walk through the surrounding scrubby grassland. Here we will try and find Anchieta's Tchagra, Fülleborn's Boubou, the stunning Schalow's Turaco, White-headed Sawwing and Trilling Cisticola. After a good breakfast, we pack our bags and depart. The drive back to the main road will hopefully produce the endemic race of Scaly Francolin. We continue north to the massive Nyika Plateau, a vast wilderness of montane grassland and dark rainforests. Lunch will be taken in the blanket of miombo woodland that covers the foothills of the plateau. Once in the grasslands we have much driving to do, but we will obviously stop for anything special. This could include Denham's Bustard, Wattled Crane, Blue Swallow or mammals such as Roan Antelope, Eland or Side-striped Jackal. We should arrive at Chelinda Lodge as light is fading. The lodge is set on a hilltop with a view that beggars description. Even in midsummer the nights are chilly, and the staff will make a fire in each chalet's fireplace in the evening. Our accommodation will be luxurious timber chalets with en-suite ablutions. After a hearty supper at the lodge dining hall, we can relax and go over the day's list around the fire.

DAYS 3-4: We have two full days to explore the grasslands and forests of the plateau. Apart from what we may have seen the previous day, we could also encounter a feast of harriers, with African Marsh, Western Marsh, Montagu's and Pallid Harriers all being present. Montane Widowbird males should be resplendent in their breeding plumage. Scrubby streamlines and Hagenia thickets will be searched for Baglafecht Weaver, Yellow-browed Seed-eater, Dusky Turtle Dove, Black-lored Cisticola, Cape Robin-chat and Ludwig's Double-collared Sunbird. Apart from impressive numbers of the endangered Blue Swallow, we should also see Angola Swallow at a small breeding colony on the border with Zambia. Nyika is well known for its Roan Antelope population, although their numbers are dwindling. Leopard sightings are also quite regular, although Spotted Hyaena is the more common predator. A night drive through the grasslands can be very productive, with Ruwenzori Nightjar being common, and other possibilities including Grass Owl, Spotted Eagle Owl and mammals such as Serval. This activity is an optional extra not included in the trip price.

Forests are another key habitat to spend some time in. An early morning in Zovo-Chipolo forest can be a mixture of frustration and elation, with the chance of finding White-chested Alethe, Olive-flanked Robin-Chat, Fülleborn's Boubou, Chapin's Apalis, Bar-tailed Trogon, Moustached Green Tinkerbird, Cinnamon Bracken Warbler and Ludwig's Double-collared Sunbird. The nearby Chowo Forest will also be visited, although the paths are more difficult to move along. Other birds we may find here include African Hill-Babbler, White-tailed Crested-Flycatcher, Red-faced Crimsonwing and Waller's Starling. Rare mammals include Tanganyika Mountain Squirrel and Chequered Elephant-Shrew.

DAY 5: We depart after an early breakfast and head off the plateau. En route we could take a short break at a grove of Mountain Acacias, where we often find Brown Parisoma, and other goodies such as White-winged Black Tit, Green-headed Sunbird, Grey Waxbill and Hildebrandt's Francolin. We continue to Thazima Gate and then leave the park. A detour to the remote northern corner of Vwaza Marsh Game Reserve could yield the enigmatic White-winged Starling and unobtrusive Chestnut-mantled Sparrow-weaver, although the middle of the day does not make for easy birding in the tall miombo woodland. We have a picnic lunch in the woodland and then drive east to Mzuzu. From there we drop down into the Rift Valley, arriving at Lake Malawi in the late afternoon. We overnight at Makuzi Beach, in delightful chalets overlooking a private stretch of beach along the lake. The establishment is renowned for its scrumptious meals, often eaten under the stars.

DAY 6: An early morning drive to the Mukhwadzi Forest Reserve, one of Malawi's last lowland rainforests, will hopefully produce a much-anticipated target bird - East Coast Akalat. These delightful forest robins can sometimes be quite a challenge to find here, but patience and persistence often pays off. The forest is usually relatively quiet, but other possibilities include Grey-olive Greenbul, Narina Trogon, Green-backed Woodpecker, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo and, if we are really fortunate, Lesser Seedcracker. We return to Makuzi Beach for breakfast, after which we pack our bags and head south along the lake. A picnic lunch at Mpatsanjoka Dambo could be really rewarding, with a host of waterbirds such as egrets, storks, waders, a variety of ducks and geese, and even another chance for Rosy-throated Longclaw. The afternoon will be spent driving back up the escarpment out of the Rift Valley, arriving in Lilongwe before dark. We overnight in comfortable rooms with en-suite ablutions in the Korean Garden Hotel. Supper will be at a nearby restaurant.

DAYS 7-8: We have two full days to explore the tall miombo woodlands of the vast Dzalanyama Forest Reserve. The routine will be to leave the hotel at first light and make our way west out of the town and through farmland and several homesteads before reaching the reserve. Once inside, the tactic will be to drive slowly along until bird activity is seen or heard. Then it is a frantic scramble to see as many of the miombo birds as possible before the feeding party moves on. Dzalanyama provides some of south-central Africa's best miombo birding, and the list of specials is mouth-watering to say the least. The more common miombo birds are both Rufous-bellied and Miombo Grey Tits, Red-capped Crombec, Yellow-bellied and Southern Hyliotas, Miombo Double-collared and Western Violet-backed Sunbirds, the near-endemic Stierling's Woodpecker, Grey-hooded Kingfisher, African Golden Oriole, Green-backed Honeybird and many more. With some perseverance we could also see Olive-headed Weaver, Miombo Scrub-Robin, Pale-billed Hornbill, Anchieta's Sunbird, Böhm's Flycatcher and Sousa's Shrike. Damp grassy valleys are home to Blue Quail, and a slow walk through one of these valleys could be productive. We will spend two full days in the reserve, eating breakfasts and lunches at a small lodge nearby. We will return to Lilongwe each evening.

DAY 9: An early morning walk in the nearby Lilongwe Nature Sanctuary could be extremely rewarding. Dense riverine thickets are home to a bewildering bird diversity, including Red-throated Twinspot, Black-throated Wattle-eye, Schalow's Turaco, Magpie Mannikin if we are lucky, and much more. Some scanning of the river could be worthwhile for Half-collared Kingfisher, African Finfoot or even White-backed Night Heron. After breakfast we drive south to Blantyre, the old capital city of Malawi. We will stock up on provisions for our next two nights before continuing into the Shire Highlands. Arrival at the Satemwa Tea Estates should be in the late afternoon. Accommodation is usually in an old plantation mansion, or nearby lodge, both at the foot of Thyolo Mountain.

DAY 10: After a cup of coffee or tea, we will head up Thyolo Mountain. Over 80% of the mountain's forests have been cleared by local farmers. We will be focussing our attention on the last significant patch of forest, which is protected on the tea estates. A long list of special birds will be on our agenda, but three of these are head and shoulders above the rest - Thyolo Alethe, Green-headed Oriole and White-winged Apalis. Many other birds will keep us busy, including Livingstone's Turaco, Green Barbet, Black-fronted Bush-shrike, the near-endemic Olive-headed Greenbul, Grey Cuckooshrike, Black-headed Apalis, White-eared Barbet, Pallid Honeyguide, White-starred Robin and Bar-tailed Trogon. If time permits, we may also bird a forested gully below Chawani Bungalow, which has proven a sure locality for African Broadbill, Grey-olive Greenbul, Bertrand's Weaver and African Emerald Cuckoo.

DAY 11: After an early breakfast, we depart and drive back to Blantyre. From there we head to Zomba, where an hour or so in the montane forest and scrubby forest edge will hopefully produce the endemic Yellow-throated Apalis, as well as Southern Mountain Greenbul and another chance at White-winged Apalis. After lunch we drive to the northern edge of the Zomba Plateau and, if time permits, we could spend some time in the miombo woodland. This is our only chance for Pale Batis, a species that does not cross the Rift Valley in Malawi. From there we continue to the Shire River valley, leaving our vehicle at the banks of the river inside Liwonde National Park. A short boat ride will take us to Mvuu Camp, a Wilderness Safaris establishment on the banks of the Shire River. We should arrive in time for a relaxing sundowner drink before dark. Accommodation will be in comfortable en-suite chalets in the wooded camp grounds.

DAY 12: With only one full day in this amazingly diverse national park, we will have our work cut out for us. A morning walk through the riverine thickets is always very productive and this is our best chance for Pel's Fishing Owl. There we also find Green Malkoha, Bearded Scrub-Robin, African Barred Owlet, Lilian's Lovebird, Livingstone's Flycatcher, Brown-breasted Barbet and many others. The camp grounds are an ideal place to be during the stifling midday heat, the highlight being the immaculate Böhm's Bee-eaters that allow close approach, sometimes literally hawking insects from in front of your face. Careful scanning of the river often pays off, the rewards including Long-toed Lapwing, Gull-billed Tern, Broad-billed Roller, Palmnut Vulture, Little Bittern and more. A late afternoon drive into the tall mopane woodlands is our best chance for a variety of great birds, including Racket-tailed Roller, Speckle-throated Woodpecker, Arnott's Chat and Meve's Starling. We may also see magnificent mammals such as Sable Antelope, Lichtenstein's Hartebeest or African Buffalo.

DAY 13: After an early breakfast we pack our bags and head back across the river to our vehicle. Then we have a long drive north to Lilongwe and Kamuzu International Airport for our flight home.