Anyone cruising the M1 between Lilongwe and Mzuzu will have plenty of spectacles and obstacles to help them stay alert on the long drive, but few are as welcome and majestic as the sight of Elephant Rock looming over the Viphya Plateau. Malawi is dotted with inselbergs (“island mountains”) like this one, but as a bornhardt—a special type of inselberg that is dome shaped and barren—Elephant Rock is particularly evocative of one of Africa’s icons. Although the highest point rises only 45 meters (150 feet) above the surrounding tableland, the…
