THE NYIKA PLATEAU Zambia’s North Eastern Highlands By: Robin Pope Photos: Robin Pope
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f asked where your favourite place in Zambia or even Africa is, the Nyika Plateau always comes to my mind. I have been visiting this high plateau, situated in both Zambia and Malawi, for over 50 years. It was a favourite family destination in my teens. So what exactly comes to mind? Views, open skies, dramatic escarpments, rolling grassland and dense montane forests, along with good plains game, excellent birding and a remarkable variety of seasonal flowers and orchids.
The Nyika Plateau, along with the Livingstone Mountains of Tanzania, Mount Gorongosa in Mozambique and the Vumba and Inyanga Ranges of Zimbabwe were formed by the same forces which created the East African rift. This rift also created the third largest freshwater lake in Africa - Lake Malawi - which lies just east of and below the Nyika. The drive from Lusaka takes some 22 hours, and as you drive up the winding dirt road towards the escarpment you can glimpse steep mountainous buttresses rising up into the clouds. The slopes of the Nyika Plateau are cloaked with sub-evergreen forest but as you travel higher into the foothills you will notice that the deeply incised river valleys are now covered by submontane forest. There is a dramatic moment as you break out of the miombo forest onto the high plateau at roughly 2000 m (6,600 ft.) You are immediately aware of the brightness of the sun, and the exceptional clarity and freshness of the air, which carries scents and fragrances of flowers and herbaceous mountain species. There is also a marked decrease in temperature.
For information see cawsmw.com. Nyika is usually accessed by road from Rhumpi in Malawi. You will require foreign exchange, passports, visas, and Comesa insurance for the vehicle. There are also flights into Chelinda – see www.flyulendo.com. A night stop at the Protea Hotel, Chipata, is recommended.
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TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA
Upland grasslands stretch away, interspersed with rolling hills and granite outcrops, while a mosaic of pristine relic montane forest patches lie in the heads of the valleys. Heathers and protea heaths, dambos (shallow wetlands) and marshes cover the grasslands of the plateau and these aquifers and drainages feed into streams and rivers, which plunge down the escarpment providing essential water to the lowlands of Zambia and Malawi. The highest peak on the Nyika is Nganda Peak which reaches an elevation of 2605 m (8,596 ft). From this peak, on a clear day, Lake Malawi and the Livingstone Mountains of southern Tanzania are visible. The winding dirt road up the Nyika escarpment is reasonably good but it is essential to have a 4 x 4 vehicle with
