Lake Malawi Hippo Expedition

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, with over half of the population living below the poverty line and an average daily income of less than 30 pence. This project is based on the southern shores of Lake Malawi.

A 4 week expedition by boat to monitor and take part in activities to prevent the extinction of the hippopotamus along the southern shores of Lake Malawi. A unique way to explore the 'warm heart of Africa' from a perspective not available to many.

Project Location:

The southern shore of Lake Malawi from Palm Beach to Senga Bay

Project Age Limit:

Minimum 17 years (must be able to swim and not subject to motion sickness!)

Malawi

Malawi, often described as 'The Warm Heart of Africa', due to the friendliness of its people, has a huge variety of landscapes. These range from the rugged highlands, such as the hiker's and climber's paradise of the Mulanje Massif to lowland plains and unspoilt wildlife reserves. Malawi's biggest draw is undoubtedly Lake Malawi, Africa's third largest lake, lined with hundreds of miles of tropical golden sand beaches and boasting hundreds of species of colourful tropical fish.

The Lake Malawi Hippo Project

There are only two species of hippopotamus and they both live in Africa : The common hippo (Hippopotamus amphibius) and the pygmy hippo (Choreopsis liberiensis). The common hippo can weigh up to 3 tonnes, while the pygmy is much smaller. The pygmy is a solitary forest-dweller, found in the rainforests of the West African lowlands. The larger species was formerly found everywhere south of the Sahara where adequate water and grazing occurred. Now the common hippo is confined to protected areas but still survives in many major rivers, lakes and swamps. One of these lakes is Lake Malawi, the third largest lake in Africa. Here hippos were in abundance until relevantly recent times before poaching and shooting (mostly due to crop conflict) dramatically reduced their numbers. An environmental organisation carried out four major expeditions along the shoreline of Lake Malawi between 2001 and 2003 to count and map the remaining hippo population. A previous census from 1989 indicated an approximate number of hippo in the lake to be around 3500. The 2001 to 2003 expeditions realized a tremendous reduction to around 250! It was found that the majority of these last remaining hippo occurred in the southern portion of the lake.

This project is a 4 week expedition by boat to monitor and take part in activities to prevent the extinction of the hippopotamus along the southern shores of Lake Malawi. It is a unique way to explore the 'warm heart of Africa' from a perspective not available to many while contributing to the long term survival of hippo in the lake. The expedition is conducted by boat. The boat is a wooden 28 footer that is locally manufactured by traditional craftsmen. It has a wheel house and shaded open seating area at the stern. It can accommodate a crew of 15 people. The boat has full safety gear including fire extinguisher, life jackets for everyone, flares, first aid kit, emergency equipment, GPS navigation and a marine 29MHz two way radio (the ground support vehicle is also fitted with 29MHz radio). The boat has an in-board Penta Marine diesel engine that is very reliable and well suited to the slow cruising speed needed for the expedition. The boat tows a smaller tender boat used for transferring team members to and from the shore and also exploring shallower areas. This tender boat has an outboard engine that can be used on the main boat should the in-board engine fail for any reason. The boat will only sail in fair weather. The boat will cruise slowly about 150m from shore and the volunteers will take turns in small groups to keep a constant look out for hippo along the shore. If spotted the boat will stop and a count will take place and a GPS position recorded. Local fishermen and villagers will be interviewed with respect to recent hippo sightings and behaviour. The boat will continue in this manner to the pre-arranged meeting point for the evening. The ground crew will drive the support vehicle and trailer to this point and set up camp. The team will camp at established lake shore lodges as well as rough camp in local villages (with permission and payment to the local community).

Your Role as a Volunteer

You will become an expedition team member assisting with the achievement of the following objectives;

To conduct monthly expeditions from Palm Beach in the south to Senga Bay on the western edge of Lake Malawi which will count and map all the hippos along the southern shoreline of Lake Malawi. The information will be relayed to an environmental organisation in South Africa and into a Geographical Information System (GIS) for later analysis. One years data is needed before seasonal numbers and movement patterns can be analysed.

To protect any larger permanent pods encountered on the census if necessary and where possible. This will be done by establishing a community based eco-tourism campsite on the shoreline, observing and monitoring the hippos and putting protective mechanisms in place (such as establishing a sanctuary) while working with the local population. Note this is a long term objective and dependent on the availability of surplus funding.

To conduct educational visits to local schools on the expedition route to educate them about the important ecological role hippos play in the lake ecosystem.

To experiment with the planting of Jatropha (Jatropha curcas) trees as a barrier around crop fields. Jatropha has a toxicity that will hopefully deter hippo from entering the crop fields. Jatropha is being cultivated and used by an environmental organisation in the area to combat Elephant raids on village crops. The secondary advantage of this experimentation is that the seeds of Jatropha are one of the highest in producing oil which can be utilized in the manufacture of Bio Diesel. Thus an economic value derived indirectly due to the presence of Hippo near their village.

Project Support

Throughout your stay in Malawi you will have the support and guidance of the expedition leader and the support team. The expedition leader is a qualified field guide and the rest of the team consists of the experienced boat skipper, assistant skipper, support vehicle driver and cook. They will provide you with competent assistance and help you with any questions or advice you may need during your expedition..

Project Orientation

On your first full day you will be given a comprehensive orientation by the expedition leader, or one of the project coordinators. The orientation will include:

• An introduction to Malawian culture and values
• Basic local language lessons
• Your health and safety whilst on expedition in Malawi
• Safety drills
• Money and transportation in Malawi
• An introduction to the area, the Hippo Expedition project and the staff
• Local food and practices
• Places to visit and things to do in your free time
• Excursions Project Accommodation and Meals

This is a camping expedition and volunteers are required to supply their own tents, sleeping mats and sleeping bags. Your expedition fee includes camping and food costs. The team will camp at established lake shore lodges as well as rough camp in local villages (with permission and payment to the local community). The ground support team will transport all the volunteers luggage and camping equipment to each over night point. The ground support team will also be equipped with a field kitchen and equipment to cater for the meals of the volunteers. Food will be simple (and monotonous!) as there will not be fridge facilities. Fresh food will be purchased by the ground crew in local markets where possible to support the local community economies. Volunteers will have the opportunity to upgrade their accommodation at any of the lodges we overnight at (at own expense) and also to eat restaurant meals where they are available (at own expense). Distances between over night points are relatively short as previous experience has shown that the hippo's are most active and visible in the afternoons. As such the boat will normally depart for the next destination after lunch weather permitting. This gives time to take part in ground activities where designated. Sometimes more than one night is spent at a particular point.

Leisure Activities

The expedition incorporates 6 days at Lake Malawi National Park (Chembe Village) at Cape Maclear This gives volunteers the time to complete a dive course (Open Water or Advanced) at your own expense.

Open Water Diver £160 (subject to small changes due to currency conversions) This is the course for beginners. Successful completion of this course will qualify you to dive anywhere in the world within the 16 meter depth limitation. The course runs over four days.

Discover SCUBA (Introductory Dive) £40 (subject to small changes due to currency conversions) The Discover SCUBA introductory dive is perfect for those seeking a taste of what SCUBA diving is all about. It includes a lecture, an introduction to the gear, and a dive accompanied by your instructor. Additional follow-up dives are also an option.

Casual Dives £16 (subject to small changes due to currency conversions) Many qualified divers have only experienced saltwater diving. The Lake Malawi National Park offers something different with hundreds of species of endemic tropical fish in an underwater boulder garden.

Advanced Open Water Diver £140 (subject to small changes due to currency conversions) Apply the knowledge gained on the Open Water Diver course to increase your diving horizons. Specialties studied include deep diving, night diving, wreck diving, naturalist, multilevel diving and underwater navigation. The course runs over two days.

Those not interested in scuba diving can hire sea kayaks and snorkeling gear and explore the local islands and beaches. There is also the opportunity to do community work in Chembe Village.

The expedition also includes a 4 day safari to Liwonde National Park at the south of the lake, on the Shire River. The stretch of river that runs through this protected area has the highest concentration of hippo in the country with approximately 800 hippo! A day safari drive and a river cruise is included in the expedition fee. Additional activities are for your own expense and consist of guided walks, additional day drives, day drive/walking combinations, canoe safaris and night drives. You can budget approximately £10 P.P. for these additional activities.

Getting There

You will fly into Lilongwe International Airport where you will be met by a project representative. You will then be transported by road to the expedition start point, either at Senga Bay or Palm Beach, where you will set up your own tents. A full day of volunteer orientation will take place as well as specific training and safety drills on the boat.

Project Dates

Project dates for 2008 are:

1. 11 Feb - 10 March
2. 10 March - 7 April
3. 7 April - 5 May
4. 5 May - 2 June
5. 2 June - 30 June
6. 30 June - 28 July
7. 28 July - 25 August
8. 25 August - 22 September
9. 22 September - 20 October
10. 20 October - 17 November
11. 17 November - 15 December

Projects dates for 2009 are:

1. 2 February - 2 March
2. 2 March - 6 April
3. 6 April - 4 May
4. 4 May - 1 June
5. 1 June- 29 June
6. 29 June - 27 July
7. 27 July - 24 August
8. 24 August - 21 September
9. 21 September - 19 October
10. 19 October - 16 November
11. 16 November - 14 December

Project Costs

4 weeks £950 (Special for 2008 only) 2009 £1499

Project Cost Includes:

• Airport transfers to and from Lilongwe International Airport
• Orientation on arrival
• All accommodation during your stay (camping)
• Full support and assistance from your coordinator throughout your time in Malawi
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner each day.
• One day safari and river cruise in Liwonde National Park, park entrance fees and camping fees

Project Cost Excludes:

• All flights
• Comprehensive travel insurance
• Any extra nights of accommodation before or after the expedition start or end dates
• All items of a personal nature, such as curios, gifts, clothing.
• Email/Internet (very limited opportunity during the expedition) and telephone calls
• Soft drinks, beer, wines and spirits
• Any excursions over and above your planned itinerary in Malawi