MAKING A DIFFERENCE
The Personal Touch
QUEST always ensures that we use local contacts on all our expedition routes. We ensure that we stay at locally run guesthouses so that, as much as we possibly can, we are feeding money back into local businesses. The Escape route itself has been put together using local knowledge and information from our trusted project partners and contacts based out in Malawi. After all, we know that it is the people who actually live every day in Malawi and Zambia who know all the best spots!

Responsible Tourism
QUEST are always careful to travel with minimal impact on the environment and the local communities we come into contact with. We work, wherever possible, with locally owned and run organisations and ensure that all the companies we use are as ethically sound as we are. It is a priority in all our projects to work with local communities for the long term, something which you will appreciate when you see the work QUEST have completed and the welcome that you will receive from all the local people that you meet.

Travel
During your three weeks, we’ll be using a variety of transport from privately hired buses to speedboats. Rest assured that we take safety on our trips incredibly seriously and all transport you use will have been carefully checked by your Expedition Leader beforehand. We use reliable local contacts in Malawi who know and love the QUEST teams and who are always full of pride to show you around their beautiful country.

Makuzi Beach Lodge
Makuzi Beach is a secluded paradise on the Northern shores of Lake Malawi in the heart of Africa. On offer is upmarket accommodation in one of ten en-suite rondavels situated around the waters of a private bay. Nestled amongst nature, Makuzi Beach is yours to enjoy, be it soaking up the warm sun on the sheltered beach, exploring the spectacular surroundings, viewing the abundant birdlife or just absorbing the tranquility.

The Pollard and Jackson families who run Makuzi Beach are heavily involved in working with the local Malawian communities that surround the lodge. They actively help to promote self-sustaining businesses, such as the setting up of a small craft shop by the entrance to Makuzi.

Due to their hard work and donations given by visitors, a school has recently been completed, which will provide primary education to many children from the villages near to Makuzi.

Lara Pollard is an adopted daughter of the local chief and is currently working on a tree nursery project which she hopes will provide local families with the opportunity to diversify their crops and give a more varied diet to them and their children.

Your donation to Makuzi will help to fun these long-term initiatives.

Liwonde National Park
Mvuu Camp is the sole lodge in the park and offers boat trips and game drives, both during the day and at night. Boat trips are the highlight and are the most exciting way to see the Park’s elephants as well as the huge crocodiles and copious amounts of hippos!

You will also have the chance to go on walks with qualified scouts, where you can see large breeding herds of elephant, plenty of hippo, crocodile, sable antelope, impala, reedbuck, oribi, leopard, serval and possibly lion. The Park is regarded as one of the finest birding spots in Africa - both for the number of species and the relative ease with which the ‘specials’ can be seen. Of course, the evenings are spent in traditional African style, watching the sunset on the veranda of your chalet with a cool, iced drink and chatting about the day’s events as your dinner is prepared and the hippos graze outside your door.