From Nkhotakota to Majete: National Parks in Malawi and across Africa take part in the Ranger Challenge

In this guest blog, Bua River Lodge looks ahead to the Ranger Challenge taking place this month, when rangers and supporters across Malawi and beyond will take on a 21km endurance event in support of conservation.

On 19 September 2026, some of Africa’s most dedicated conservationists will lace up their boots for one of the toughest events on the conservation calendar: the Ranger Challenge. Joining them will be anyone who wants to support the work of rangers, and is brave enough to take on the challenge!

In Malawi, tourists can join the rangers on this 21km endurance run or hike in either Majete, Liwonde or Nkhotakota National Parks. Which one is the best race? Well, they are all unique but Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve is notoriously hilly and beautifully forested.

The race has a 60,000 kwatcha entry fee for non-rangers, which gets donated towards supporting conservation work in Malawi. Such as the work of African Parks rangers in Nkhotakota, a rising star on the map of tourist destinations in Malawi, who patrol nearly 1,800 square kilometres of dense miombo woodland, rugged escarpments and winding river valleys. In this terrain, tracking wildlife, locating snares and monitoring elephant movements requires patience, exceptional bush skills and an intimate knowledge of the landscape.

The Ranger Challenge celebrates exactly those qualities.

The team at Bua River Lodge have first-hand experience of the Ranger Challenge. Each year the lodge sponsors any staff who wish to take part. Our Head Guide, Shai, has completed the challenge himself 3 times.

Having experienced it first-hand, he knows exactly what competitors face. He describes a very hilly and therefore challenging 21km, but he also says its a lot of fun and feels amazing to be part of something bigger, knowing that as well as the 100 or so other runners in his race, there are also 1000s of other rangers and conservationists running on the same day in parks across Africa. It reminds us that conservation is a shared effort. At the end of the race, there is food and drink and speeches at the Nkhotakota Education Centre, rounding off a really special event!

Guests staying at Bua River Lodge who do not want to run the race can head to the finish line to cheer in the runners, and join for the speeches if they wish.

Our guests at Bua probably go back home and remember the elephant crossing the road, the fish eagle calling overhead or the unforgettable sunset by the river. But behind every one of those moments are people whose work often goes unseen.

So this September, as ranger teams gather from across Africa, we’ll be cheering for every one of them—but we’ll be cheering just a little louder for the team representing Nkhotakota.

And if you’d like to take on the Ranger Challenge next year, get planning (and training) for 2027!