Hippos, hippos, hippos

What’s large, wet and laughs like a big fat man? Why, a hippo, of course!

We got our fill of hippos on our second trip to Liwonde National Park. This time, we went all out for an overnight boat trip and we were not disappointed. Really, I could get used to someone cooking delicious meals for me on the comfortably equipped mangUnda. Other than the fact that our South African host and his crew smoked like chimneys, it was an Utter delight.

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The hippo concentration in the Shire River through Liwonde is the densest in the world (or so they claim) and it was pretty fantastic. On either side of the river they snorted and laughed and bellowed. Many of them were even on land and they would lumber back in the water quickly as the boat approached. They are surprisingly fast for their rotund awkward-looking frames. Iris excitedly exclaimed ‘heepoosh! heepoosh!’ ever 90 seconds or so.

Birders would be absolutely beside themselves in this place. Impala, monkeys, crocodiles and waterbucks abound.

The kiddos were thrilled at the idea of sleeping on a boat, and we all enjoyed a virtually mosquito-free night (being anchored in the middle of the river – no sleeping Under nets), listening to all the entertaining hippo sounds.

On the mangUnda

We saw three herds of elephants the second day, but none close enough to get a very good look. Ah well., an excuse for another trip. There are big cats (lions, leopards,) in the park as well, but it is so lush they are rarely seen.