Elephant Marsh lies on the flood plain of the Lower

Shire River The Shire is the largest river in Malawi. It is the only outlet of Lake Malawi and flows into the Zambezi River in Mozambique. Its length is . The upper Shire River issues from Lake Malawi and runs approximately before it enters shallow Lake Malo ...

in the African country of

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

between the towns of

Chikwawa Chikwawa is a town with a population of 6,114 according to the 2018 census located in the Southern Region of Malawi on the west bank of the Shire River. It is the administrative capital of the Chikwawa District. Chikwawa lies almost south of Bla ...

and

Nsanje Nsanje (formerly Port Herald) is the main city in Nsanje District within the Southern Region of Malawi. The intense urbanization in the fertile Shire River valley has formed an extensive urbanized zone that runs from the city of Bangula, furth ...

. The marsh varies in size from 150 to 450 square miles depending on the flow of the Shire and Ruo rivers and has no permanent boundary. In some places, floating mats of vegetation are so thick boat travel is nearly impossible. The Ruo River, the largest tributary of the Shire and the southeastern boundary between Malawi and

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

, merges with the Shire in the Elephant Marsh. The marsh was named by

David Livingstone David Livingstone (; 19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish physician, Congregationalist, and pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society, an explorer in Africa, and one of the most popular British heroes of t ...

in 1859, who counted as many as 800 elephants in one sighting. Today the elephants are largely gone, but the Elephant Marsh supports a large number of aquatic birds. Crocodiles are also very common. The marsh is similar to swampy

Lake Chilwa Lake Chilwa is the second-largest lake in Malawi after Lake Malawi. It is in eastern Zomba District, near the border with Mozambique. Approximately 60 km long and 40 km wide, the lake is surrounded by extensive wetlands. There is an islan ...

, located two hundred miles to the north. Boat trips through Elephant Marsh can be arranged from nearby

Lengwe National Park Lengwe National Park is a national park in Malawi located near the town of Chikwawa and about 40 miles southwest of Blantyre. Lengwe's topography is unusual for Malawi and consists of open deciduous forests and dense thickets. It is the home of th ...

References

{{coord missing, Malawi Geography of Southern Region, Malawi Wetlands of Malawi Wetlands of Africa Marshes Ramsar sites in Malawi