Nyika National Park lies in the northeast of

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

, on the western edge of the

Nyika Plateau The Nyika Plateau lies in northern Malawi, with a small portion in north eastern Zambia. Most of it lies at elevations of between , the highest point being at Nganda Peak. It is roughly a diamond in shape, with a long north–south axis of about ...

, which is one of the highest parts of the country and most of which lies in neighbouring

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 ...

. As a consequence of the colonial era when both countries were administered by Britain, a cross-border reserve was established on the plateau. After independence it was divided into the large

Nyika National Park Nyika National Park is Malawi’s largest national park, with an area of 3200 km2 (1250 mile2). Location and road access The park covers practically the whole of the Nyika Plateau in northern Malawi, about 480 km north of Lilongwe and 60 km ...

(Malawi) and the much smaller Nyika National Park (Zambia). The border between the two parks is the north-south plateau road, which is the only road access, and it starts and finishes in Malawi. Consequently Zambian visitors must enter Malawi to reach it (the nearest Malawian entry points are at Chisenga and Katumbi). The Zambian side is undeveloped except for a colonial-era resthouse, built around 1946, which used to be the only accommodation in either park. After independence, people from Malawi staying there did not have to pass through any border formalities, but paid a "Zambia entrance fee" along with their accommodation bill. It closed in 1998, but was refurbished by a private tour company and reopened in 2006 as the "Nyika House", available only to pre-booked tour groups. As they have already entered Malawi and there are no formalities and restrictions at the boundary between the two parks, visitors from Zambia usually also visit the facilities and features of the Malawian park. Between September and April, a wide variety of

wildflower A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant probably is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is in any way different from the w ...

s can be seen in the national park. The Nyika Plateau and two smaller highland areas to the north are the only representatives in Zambia of the

Southern Rift montane forest-grassland mosaic Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

ecoregion. For other details of the park environment and wildlife, see the Malawian park.

See also