With Easter just behind us, our team here at RSC have been busy and as always are working hard to provide the best for our clients. We are here to support you and make sure that all your exciting journeys go smoothly and as planned!
In April, Tom came all the way from the UK to spend time with his wife Sandy, who works in a district located in the Southern Region of Malawi. Now, that’s what you can say is the power of love.
Our guide Wellie met Sandy in Machinga and they welcomed Tom at Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe. After a rest in Lilongwe, they enjoyed a variety of activities, tea tasting in Thyolo, and safaris at the two National Parks in the southern region.
Other people discovering Malawi with loved ones were Laura and her partner, who wanted to see the North of the country, and Stephanie with her family.
Last month we hosted teams from Vulcan and Habitat for Humanity.
The Vulcan Team’s trip was educational and their aim was to research animal behaviour at Liwonde National Park where they also enjoyed game drives with our guides, giving them an insight of local wildlife. Habitat for Humanity have a project in Mulanje they were working on, and some team members took the chance to explore the country with us whilst they are here.
Our colleague Farida is away on the Kumbali Lake trip and will be representing RSC on her 52-day expedition around Lake Malawi exploring the local cultures and history. Here’s what she had to say:
“I’ve always wanted to travel around the entire Malawi (North – South) and I guess that’s what I’m doing now. I am part of the Calendar Lake Project which was launched by Kumbali.
Beginning 14th of April 2019, I joined 5 other members on this journey circumnavigating the entire Lake Malawi. It is a diverse team consisting of two American film makers, 2 Malawian presenters a Malawian boat driver/engineer and captain. The purpose of this journey is to promote Malawi as a tourist destination, but also to learn about and document, the diverse cultures, history, wildlife and people living along the lakeshores of Lake Malawi.
Lake Malawi has an overflow of rich and very important historical events that took place around it. Our first week as the Calendar Lake Project was spent crossing the Lake from Senga Bay (South) to Makanjila (East), then a few kilometres north from Makanjila to the Malawian-Mozambican border, South again and finally led us to the barrage in Liwonde township that separates the Upper Shire River to the Lower Shire. This is one out of the 12 main rivers that flow into Lake Malawi.
During this first week, I learnt about the MV Chauncy Maples – the oldest ship to float in Africa. On our way southwards from Makanjila, we stopped in a little township called Malindi, where we got to see the boiler of this ship, parked right in front of the Malindi Anglican Church. It was a great experience.
We also stopped at the deepest point from Senga Bay to Makanjila, - which is 107m deep - for a swim. The water at this point is absolutely clear, calm, refreshing and something you ought to experience.
Lastly, we stopped at Liwonde National Park for two nights and here we enjoyed a self - driven river boat safari on the project boat and an early morning game drive. We were quite fortunate to spot the elephants on their way to the watering hole for their first morning drink. Walking in formation, they stopped every few metres for a graze on the deeply rooted trees and their protruding green leaves.
If you would like to find out more about the Calendar Lake Project, follow @kumbalilake on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you would like to book trips down to Malawi, you can email us at info@responsiblesafaricompany.”
So as April ends, it was a real warm up to the high season where RSC will be looking forward to welcoming their clients.
This month, 26 female engineers are coming to complete the build of a new STEM classroom block at Rainbow Hope Secondary School. CISER, the organisation that established the school, has begun construction this month at Rainbow Hope School in Mangochi.
RSC Director Kate is the tour leader for this year’s Women’s Challenge Expedition. They will take part in workshops at our RSC office in Blantyre, and also visit the school in Mangochi to engage in activities with the students during their visit.
There will be elections on 21st May 2019. Historically, elections have been held peacefully and the nation hopes for a peaceful election period once more.
One of the Chileka airport runways has been closed for repairs, affecting some inbound and outbound flights from Blantyre until the end of July. If you are traveling to or from Malawi between May and July, please contact your airline for information about transfers.
Check in with us next month for more updates!
#bepartofsomething
Rainbow Hope School
Ivy chat about the power of women coming together on our Skills Sharing Expeditions. 'If women are capable of doing everything that men are capable of doing, then we have a universe of double work force, a universe full of people that can work together in a better and faster way.'
Maggie goes behind the scenes of RSC's Community Project links and chats about how we are trying to empower communities through sustainable tourism and practice Trade Not Aid where possible.
Our Malawi team chat about The Orbis Challenge, Orbis Skills Sharing and our 2020 School Expeditions. What a year it will be!
