At Mvuu, the water level of the Shire River keep dropping as the dry season continues making for some exciting elephant sightings all along the river. During our boat safaris guests literally come within touching distance of Liwonde's majestic herds of elephants. After turning off the engines, the boats drift quietly along the reed beds, past the ancient Yellow-fever tree forest and often able to watch a whole herd of elephant eagerly quenching their thirst whilst playing at the water's edge. The leopard sightings at Chelinda continue to remain consistent. Adding to the antelope populations of Nyika National Park, new born reed buck, bush buck, zebra and roan can be seen amongst the antelope herds scattered across the plateau. The Nyika is a major bird migration route and some migrant birds have already started heading South across the plateau on their yearly voyage to warmer climates.

At last, our new collection of carefully selected, bespoke estate wines has arrived! These fabulous wines are from the Ridgeback private estate in the Paarl region near Cape Town, South Africa. Amongst our selection we have crisp dry whites and some superb red wines, including the Silver Michelangelo award winning Ridgeback Journey and the Double gold Veritas award winning 2006 Ridgeback Shiraz. These great wines complement our superb cuisine, which Danforth has built an excellent reputation for over the years. All the wines in our Ridgeback collection are truly a cut above the rest.

The lodge has been a hive of activity for the last two weeks as excitement builds towards the first wedding to be held at Pumulani. The grounds are looking beautiful and the whole crew here is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the bride and groom to be and their families. This is a great time of year for a beach wedding as the weather warms up and the south eastern winds calm and subside leaving the lake looking like a sheet of glass, this combined with the breathtaking sunsets over the lake, mean Pumulani lodge really is the place to be.

It has been a rewarding month for animal sightings at Majete with lots of elephants swimming in the Shire; the first baby warthogs of the season seen suckling on their mother and flocks of bateleur bathing in the Mkulumadzi river. The most exciting sighting however was witnessed by the Mkulumadzi staff right in front of the main lodge... The usually tranquil view onto the Shire River from the lodge's main deck was shattered one afternoon as a life and death struggle unfolded between a large crocodile and a female waterbuck. The unlucky waterbuck was crossing a narrow channel from the island back to the riverbank when the croc attacked. The struggle moved downstream where it appeared that the waterbuck would get the upper hand in shallower water but the strength of the crocodile proved too much and the reptile won in the end.

Huntingdon House is the perfect hideaway and base from which to explore our friendly giant, Mount Mulanje. If you're not up for that challenge just yet we have our own smaller version on the Tea Estate, Mount Thyolo. With a beautiful picnic spot which you can enjoy with the whole family, its spectacular views of the Estate and its neighbors, Mount Mulanje can be seen in the distance and will entice you to give it a go "next time"

Manic stations at Ulendo. The team is working on plans for 2012 and some VERY exciting things happening. Some exciting new plans for tours and some different packages being put together. Look out for some new tours with a difference. The Lake house Madzi Kuwala proving to be a huge success for all visitors from all over the world with rave reviews by guests. With summer upon us we are confident there will be MANY days spent at the magnificent lake.

Spot one of Chelinda's legendary leopards hiding in the burnt patches of grass that darken the plateau.

A sunset cruise on Lake Malawi sharing a glass of bubbly with your loved one!

Kiteboarding right to your doorstep at Ndomo House, Likoma Island.