Malawi: Ready, apps, go

Update from our Malawi expedition volunteering with elephants, hippo, cats, pangolins and African biodiversity

The Malawi 2024 expedition is fast approaching and I’m really looking forward to leading it again this year. I will be heading out to Malawi and to our base camp in Vwaza a week or so before the expedition starts, working with our partners to get everything ready.

We will be continuing the same research tasks we have carried out in previous years, with a big focus on elephants and hippos. But we also record other wildlife of interest, including the wonderful, colourful, lyrical birdlife. To identify birds and to record miscellaneous wildlife on the expedition, it will be very helpful if you could install two free apps on your phone before you get to Vwaza. You can find them on Google Play or the Apple App Store on your phone, or click the links below:

iNaturalist: iPhone I Android
Birds of Africa: iPhone I Android

After you have installed Birds of Africa, you will need to create an account, and then tap the ‘Countries’ button and download the Malawi dataset. This is a pretty big file, so best do it when you fast internat, and allow some time.

Apart from that, just read the the 2023 report and the expedition dossier (again), including the kit list and start getting excited! More updates to follow from Malawi in a week or so.

Roland Arnison
Expedition leader

Update from our Malawi volunteer expedition including elephant volunteer Africa and lion volunteer Africa