Our team worked hard the entire trip in hopes of having a day off, and today we were victorious. We all agreed there is only one thing to do on a day off in Africa—SAFARI DAY! Our driver, Joe, showed up this morning dressed like a safari guide, which I greatly appreciated, and we departed for Liwonde National Park.
After an hour, we reached the park and entered into a wildlife paradise. From the car we saw impalas, antelope, zebras, baboons, monkeys, and everyone’s favorite—elephants. The team was most excited about the zebras, because Joe said he had never seen them in the park before, so that was a treat! We captured a ton of pictures of animals’ backsides, and a few of the front sides too. It was amazing to see such a variety of creatures in their natural habitat just living life!
We continued through the park until we got to the river, where we hired a boat in hopes of seeing animals cooling off in the river from the midday heat. And boy, did we see them!! Our driver, Julius, took us across the river, and almost immediately, we encountered a swarm of hippos lollygagging through the water! They were magnificent creatures! Behind them, two elephants were spraying themselves off and rolling in the mud. Further down the river, we discovered a herd of about 19 elephants, including some babies (also known as, “the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen”). We sat and watched these elephants drink, eat, and play in the river for almost half an hour. On the river we also saw crocodiles, water bock, baboons, warthogs, and terrapins. I have no words to describe the experience besides, “It was so cool!!” so instead, I will share many pictures of these majestic creatures below.
Once we returned home, we enjoyed our last dinner at Namang’azi Farm (chicken, rice, and greens—no surprise there). The evening has been spent packing, as we prepare to head to Blantyre early tomorrow morning. The safari adventure was an incredible way to spend our last day in Zomba, but we will greatly miss the beauty that surrounds us here at Namang’azi. Thanks for tuning in on this fine evening. Zikomo!
~Jordan

Safari garb 😀