Most people experience the Nyika by staying on or driving over the plateau itself but this represents only around one third of the National Park.

The escarpments and northern hill areas descend to lower altitude and feature a much drier landscape seasonally.

The montane vegetation attracts large numbers of antelope from the diminutive Common duiker to eland and roan.

The park is said to have one of the highest densities of leopards in Central Africa but this has not been supported by any scientific survey in the past 20 years and all mammals suffer changes in populations which can be rapid.

The recently refurbished Chelinda Camp and the brand new log cabin lodge provide excellent accommodation and facilities.

The land west of the plateau road as it traverses the top is in Zambia, which also calls its portion Nyika National Park, comprising just 80 km2.

This site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on May 17, 2000, in the Mixed (Cultural + Natural) category.