What it is
Malawi's largest national park, a high plateau of open montane grassland with scattered pine blocks and evergreen pockets, mostly between 1,800 and 2,600 m. It looks like upland Britain with antelope on it. Chelinda is the only place to stay.
Why go
Walking, riding and mountain biking across open country, which you can do here in a way you cannot in a lowland park. Roan antelope, eland, zebra and reedbuck are common, and leopard are present in numbers and almost never seen. More than 200 species of orchid flower after the rains.
When to go
May to October for dry ground and clear views. Nights fall to freezing in June and July and the rooms at Chelinda have fireplaces for a reason. The orchids flower December to March, which is also when the roads up are at their worst. Getting there is the hard part: a long day's drive from Lilongwe or several hours of rough road from Mzuzu. Give it three nights or leave it out.
Most people stay 2-3 nights.