With clear-blue skies, a perfectly placid lake and thousands of strident supporters, Ngofi Village, close to the border with Tanzania, provided the ideal setting for the 6th annual Manda Wilderness Dug-Out Canoe Race.

(TRAVPR.COM) UNITED KINGDOM - April 3rd, 2013 - With clear-blue skies, a perfectly placid lake and thousands of strident supporters, Ngofi Village, close to the border with Tanzania, provided the ideal setting for the 6th annual Manda Wilderness Dug-Out Canoe Race. Eight village canoe teams from the wild, Mozambican shore of Lake Malawi came together to decide for yet another year which of their best fishermen (and women!) would hold the accolade of the fastest paddle on the lake.

Boys and girls swimming races started the day off with a splash. Mataka village boys powered home to victory, narrowly beating an ingenious homemade stroke by a competitor from Uchessi, which seemed to involve sprinting on the bottom of the lake to shore. In the girls race, Uchessi village won the day, and all the winners took home bags of goodies with their schools receiving donations.

Then with paddles at the ready, biceps bulging, the canoes were positioned; perfectly poised for an nsima-powered battle of titanic proportions. In the women’s race, the Ngofi ladies team out-sped the other teams and finished the course as the clear winners, demonstrating with their skill that gender plays little role when it comes to balancing on the buoyancy of a carved-out log!

In the men’s race, both heats were hotly contested but the small village of Uchessi took first place in each, giving rise to screams of delight from their supporters, expectant of their first canoe race victory. Not to be beaten however, saving their energy for the final, and with hundreds of home-field vociferous voices rallying behind them, the Ngofi men sprang from the shore and propelled themselves past their neighbours to bring the gold medal back to Ngofi village for the 3rd year in a row. Exultant with joy, the Chief kissed the winning canoe and everyone present, from Nkwichi Lodge guests to local government officials, joined in the general jubilation of Ngofi village, the undisputed champions of the dug-out!

The Manda Wilderness Community Reserve is a massive 100,000 ha area of Mozambique land which runs to the eastern shore of Lake Malawi. This is a genuine unspoilt wilderness - brachystegia and riverine forest, savannah, swamps and streams, mountains and miles of beaches with crystal clear fresh water. The reserve has been set up and administered with the committment and active involvement of the local communities.

In an effort to encourage the return of big game, the communities have agreed to stop the practice of burning the forest and savannah, tree felling, snaring and hunting with dogs. The ecosystem is already starting to recover. Species found in Niassa Province ionclude buffalo, zebra, elephant, lion, leopard, sable, roan antelope and African wild dog. The birdlife in Manda Wilderness is rich and varied.

Easiest access to Manda is obtained from Malawi's Likoma Island. Accommodation is provided at the barefoot luxury of Nkwichi Lodge, at one of the most pristine white sand beaches to be found on Lake Malawi. The lodge is another community-based development.

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