On The Ground in Malawi: the Experience

Very large things that go bump in the night

From the diary of Helena Telkänranta

Closing your eyes, you could imagine you are at the beach of an ocean. Yet the calming sound is actually the rustling of the huge stiff leaves of Borassus palms.


In the darkening evening, there is a lot more for the European ear to wonder at. We have just arrived at Liwonde National Park and are settled in the riverside chalets of Mvuu Camp. Nocturnal birds are starting their concert. With all the chirps and clicks filling the air, it seems highly unlikely that a nature enthusiast will waste her time sleeping tonight.

Which is fine, since there is something far more interesting to do than sleeping: trying to catch a glimpse of a hippo. Liwonde National Park is one of the rare places where hippos can live safely. Mvuu Camp has even taken its name from them: the word Mvuu means "hippo" in the Chichewa language.

To ensure the safety of visitors of Mvuu Camp, anyone walking out near the riverside at dark is escorted by one of the staff, who are familar with hippo behaviour and ways to avoid conflict. This is because it is not a very good idea to accidentally bump straight into one of these giants while he or she wishes to enjoy a peaceful grazing session on the lawn.

Even though it is safe to sit on the chalet veranda, I feel like having landed in the middle of Jurassic Park. The occasional hoots and loud exhales of hippos seem to come from very near, yet there is nothing to see except the moonlit, empty lawn. This is strange. How can an animal with a shoulder height of 1,5 metres and weighing up to two metric tons (or 5 feet and 4,400 pounds, which doesn’t sound like any less) be invisible?

Later that night, when my roommate has sensibly enough turned in to sleep, I keep on sneaking to the window every single time I hear one of these plump giants exhale or grunt. But after a lot of staring at the empty yard, I accidentally fall asleep in the middle of my quest.

Sometimes even those who do nothing get blessed. Suddenly I wake up to a very loud crunch, crunch, crunch. Rushing to the window, I realize that I can’t even stare at the empty lawn anymore. For some reason, someone has made this even more difficult by bringing a big grey boulder right outside the window, blocking my view of the yard...

Just a minute.

Hardly remembering to breathe, I stand back in awe. For many minutes I admire the huge, smooth, arching back. The full moon paints its outlines with a silvery glow.

He or she must be aware of my presence. We are not very far apart, and are only separated from each other by a stone wall and mosquito net, so it must be easy to smell that I am there. But the hippo seems to pay no attention.

Calmly continuing the lawn-mowing activities, the massive body moves very slowly forward. This feels like a very good manuscript for me, too. Normally, in situations like this, I would get obsessed with the thought of my camera. But now it feels a lot better to just stand there and take in the sight. After all, what’s the point of having a spell cast on you if you don’t act like spellbound?