About 160km northeast of Lichinga on the Tanzanian border is the Niassa Reserve, a vast tract of wilderness with the largest wildlife populations in Mozambique, although independent access to the area is notoriously hard and the animals are often difficult (or impossible) to spot.
Wildlife includes elephants (estimated to number about 20,000), sable antelope (14,000), lions (800), buffaloes and zebras. There are also duikers, elands, leopards, wildebeest, hippos and a population of the endangered African wild dog, as well as more than 400 types of bird. However, ongoing poaching and hunting in reserve areas has contributed to great skittishness on the part of the animals; go to Niassa primarily for adventure rather than for wildlife watching.