Another VSO meeting? But we just had one in Mua….3 months ago. But since it these meetings are held 4 times throughout the year, it was time for another one. At these meetings we discuss some VSO business, but we also have the chance to get together and meet one another. And they give us the opportunity to see another part of Malawi, as they take place in various places throughout the country and usually within the general region the volunteers work in. I am in Lilongwe, therefore I am part of the Central region. The last one was held in Mua when I did my first hike here in Malawi – which you will remember from my Bembeke to Mua Hike posting. And this latest one was in the Luwawa Forest Reserve in the Viphya Mountains.
I was looking forward to this meeting because the Luwawa Forest Reserve is located north of Lilongwe - an area of Malawi I had yet seen. Also, I soon learned that the lodge was located in some mountains and offered another good opportunity for a hike!
From Lilongwe, the Luwawa Forest is about 3 hours – up the M1 for 2 ½ hrs. and then heading east for another 30 minutes on a dirt road. As we were driving to the lodge on the dirt road, we were greeted by these wonderful children running from their houses to the road screaming” Hiiiiiiiiiii!” Then this would signal for the next group of children a little farther up the road….as they would already be standing next to the road waiting for us to drive by waving their hands and again screaming ”Hellooooooooo!”
We arrived at the Luwawa Forest Lodge early enough to go for a quick 3 hr hike before the meeting started. So off we went with ‘map’ in hand. We were told to stay left on the trail, which we did…when we were bushwhacking our way through head high grass we knew we had gone off the main trail. The trouble with hiking here is that the trails are not developed for recreation. These trails have an actual purpose - such as connecting small villages, or forestry roads, so there are many branches of trails and easy to take a wrong one. We did find the main forest road and once we got our bearings, we saw that we had taken too many lefts and ended up on the scenic route but no worries…it was great to be out of the city and hiking about in the woods!
Meeting happened – blah, blah, blah. After dinner we enjoyed a night under the stars sitting around a campfire yakkin’ it up.
Next day, most folks drove home (not sure why???) however the group in the car I drove up with had planned to do another hike this day. Yea!! Our destination was the Kamwe fire tower, obviously up on a hill (5934 ft/ 1809 m), and we were told to have good views all the way to Zambia. Off we went with ‘map’ in hand. As we left the lodge we passed some boys from the village of Luwawa flying kites on the road. These resourceful kids had made their kites out of tree branches and plastic grocery bags – and they were having so much fun running back and forth along the road while I took photos of them. One great thing about having the digital camera is that you are able to show the kids the pictures right then and there – and they LOVE to see the photos of themselves! Next time, if I do this again, I will have to bring a small photo printer from the states to print off and share the photos.
We said goodbye to the boys and carried on. This trail was a bit better to follow…once we found the right trail turnoff. It led us through some beautiful pine forest, then into a high meadow with views of the surrounding hills. Paul, my hiking buddy, said that the hills in this section reminded him of the hills in England. There was a last short climb up to the top of the hill on which the fire tower stood. To our surprise we were greeted by an actual fire watcher working in the fire tower, with cb radio and all. We climbed the tower and the cloud ceiling was just high enough for us to get good views of the surrounding hills! After lunch, we said goodbye to the fire watcher and hike down through indigenous woodlands back to Luwawa Lodge and an end to another great hiking day in Malawi. I hope to return to Luwawa in a month to bike in the Luwawa International Charity Mountain Bike Marathon Race.
On this hike we saw….
Kids flying their kites:
A Malawi Woodsman:
The trails in the forest reserve are full of great wildflowers:
Cool Trees:
A Big African Beetle:
View from the top of the fire tower:
View of surrounding Mountains:
The Forest Reserve is made up of both pine and indigenous trees. The indigenous trees are protected, however the pines are managed and harvested, meaning that there is a bit of clear cutting going on. What is interesting is the process of how the trees are cut. There is no electric saws used to cut the trees into boards…the trunks are cut by hand. Or I should say 4 hands…
The way back to the lodge:
On the way home we drove through a local market on the main highway, the M1. There is a great assortment of vegetables and beans!!
