Kasungu: Woodlands and Traditional Iron Smelting

Kasungu National Park was established in 1970 and covers 2,316 square kilometres. It is located in Kasungu District on the Central African Plateau. Its protected landscapes include miombo, or Brachystegia, woodlands as well as open, grassy dambo drainage systems. The park therefore showcases two distinct natural environments: woodland and open drainage landscapes.

Landscape and Cultural Traces

The park is home to Malawi’s only surviving original traditional iron-smelting site. It is intact and well preserved. The site adds a tangible record of traditional iron smelting to the landscape. Alongside the woodland and dambo systems, it gives the park a distinct cultural-historical dimension.

Wang’ombe Rumen is also one of the notable attractions in Kasungu National Park. This inselberg is part of a group of inselbergs near the park’s western boundary. The park itself is also part of the cross-border Malawi-Zambia Transfrontier Conservation Areas.

Access to Kasungu National Park

The park’s only motor vehicle access is through Lisitu Gate on its southeastern boundary. From Kasungu Boma, it can be reached via the unpaved D187 road. If you are planning the drive, check current road and gate conditions in advance. This lets you factor the specific access route into your travel plans without confusing it with a general description of the landscape.

Cultural Perspectives in the Wider Central Region Destination

In the wider Central Region destination, the Chamare Museum offers further cultural insights. It displays masks and structures of Gule Wamkulu, which are considered bearers of ancestral moral teachings for the Chewa. The museum also presents the history of the Mua Mission and explores the relationship between faith and culture, known as inculturation. Its collection includes cultural artefacts of the Ngoni and Yao. An exhibition on the Chewa, Ngoni, and Yao features detailed photographs and explanations by Claude Boucher Chisale.

Also in the Central Region is the Chongoni Rock-Art Area, with 127 sites in wooded granite hills on the central Malawi plateau. Chewa farmers practised rock painting there until well into the 20th century; the sites remain associated with Chewa ceremonies and rituals. The vast majority are within the area boundary, which coincides with the boundary of Chongoni Forest Reserve. Five of the 127 designated sites lie outside this boundary but within the buffer zone.

Kungoni offers another cultural insight in the wider Central Region destination. Visitors are welcome to watch carvers at work in the botanical garden on the Kungoni grounds; much of their work takes place there in public view. The Kungoni Dance Troupe performs at the adjacent Bwalo dance arena.

Discover more destinations: Linyangwa, Salima, Nkhotakota.

Return to the wider travel overview: Central Region.