Christmas in Malawi
- Lydia Hogg
- Mar 22, 2017
- 2 min read
On the 9th of December we completed our first term at Bolera Palms School, and our Christmas Holidays began.
Our adventure in Zambia started with a surprisingly smooth 6 hour journey from Lilongwe to our first stop, South Luangwa National Park. We stayed in a fantastic place called Marula Lodge, our first bit of luxury since we left home. As we arrived tired and sweaty, we were greeted with a welcome drink of iced tea, and already the smiles on our faces were beaming from ear to ear.
The next day our game drives started. We had arranged to have two game drives a day, one in the morning and one in the evening. Three days of seeing utterly beautiful views, incredible animals and eating delicious lemon muffins.
Over the course of the few days, we were lucky enough to see four out of the 'Big Five' - a massive herd of elephants, a few male buffaloes, four female and one male lion, and three leopards. We also saw giraffes, zebras, warthogs, antelopes, snakes, eagles and hippos. It was honestly some of the best days of my life.
Our next adventure began with a two day journey stopping over in Lusaka, to Livingstonia. Here we spent 3 days exploring the town and visiting one of the seven wonders of the world - Victoria Falls. Vic Falls is a home for water sports and outward bound activities, and during our time here we took up the opportunity do to an activity. We decided on White Water Rafting in the Zambezi River. A full day of rapids, boat flipping, panic and adrenaline. Overall the experience was amazing, but we were a bit battered and bruised by the end, to say the least!
Our amazing holiday in Zambia sadly had to come to an end. However our Christmas holiday wasn't over.
From Livingstonia we made the huge three day bus ride to Nhkata bay, where we spent a relaxing eight days. Here we met all the other Malawian volunteers to have a big catch up and spend some quality time together. We spent our days sunbathing, paddle boarding across the Bay, swimming in the lake and eating great food. Christmas Day was strange, but lovely. We made the most of the day with delicious food, drinks and swimming. Considering we spent the day away from our families, it was the best Christmas could be. We stayed in the Bay to see the new year through, then made the long journey back to Palm beach on the 2nd January.
What an incredible 3 weeks off - fantastic food, amazing sights, and even better company. Definitely a holiday I will never forget.
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