Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve is made up of dense miombo forests fed by a network of weaving rivers beneath the Chipata mountain in Malawi. Nestled between the Great Rift Valley and a few kilometres from the shore of Lake Malawi, this 1800 kmsq landscape has suffered from intense poaching and timber harvesting This is due to the fact that the communities surrounding Nkhotakota are some of the poorest in Malawi. With their habitat destroyed there were fewer than 100 elephants in Nkhotakota when African Parks took over the management in 2015 Now Nkhotakota is home to the newly translocated elephant and one of the most important area for birds in Malawi with over 280 species counted. Kudu, buffalo, impala, waterbuck, warthog and sable also thrive here.

• A large area of sanctuary within the reserve has been fenced to allow species to be safely reintroduced to Nkhotakota.
• As part of '500 elephants' 261 elephants and 1117 game animals were successfully moved from Liwonde to Nkhotakota in 2016
• Fencing has been introduced as a priority to reduce human-wildlife conflict.
• Hundreds of wire traps have been removed, illegal firearms confiscated and pit traps been filled in by law enforcement and community teams.
• Park management has been improved with the upgrading of vehicles, radios and roads.