Nkhata Bay accommodation, Malawi
| country: | Malawi |
| location: | Lake Malawi |
| price: | From €15 - €20 per person per night. No charge for children under 5. |
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Described as ‘legendary’ by the Lonely Planet this beautiful rustic retreat situated on Chikale Beach will provide you with an amazing holiday for a fraction of the price of other tourist hotels. And, you will be secure in the knowledge that some of the money you pay really does go back into the local community. You can either stay in simply furnished Oriental style bamboo chalets or choose one of our ensuite rooms or cottages in tranquil surroundings. Chikale beach is a sandy cove shaded by mango and wild fig trees.
The fresh water of the lake is crystal clear and provides excellent snorkelling opportunities to see the colourful ciclids that inhabit the lake. The lake is a wonderful place for young children who are learning to swim and provides a clean and safe environment as well as lots of nice rocks to jump off! At sunset you can take a boat trip along the lakeshore and see black monkeys swinging from the trees and you will have the chance to feed fish to our local friendly fish eagle!
Set in lush tropical gardens overlooking Chikale Beach our breezy bar and restaurant provides cold beers, South African wines, cocktails as well as delicious home cooking using fresh organic produce from the local markets.
With great music this is the perfect place to unwind and refresh. Wednesdays and Saturday are barbeque nights so make sure you are hungry and every Sunday there is a traditional English roast dinner on the menu.
Nkhata Bay is a small but bustling fishing port set on the shores of northern Lake Malawi. It has a busy market selling everything from mangoes and avocadoes to brightly coloured chitenges (sarongs) and there are curio stalls where you have the opportunity to buy beautiful hardwood carvings. (If you’re feeling creative you can even have a wood carving lesson!). There are numerous local bars and restaurants, a post office, hospital and telephone bureaus. Nkhata Bay is the hub for all travel in Malawi and a perfect place to have a fascinating two week holiday or to start your travels.
There is accommodation available to suit all budgets from budget beach bandas to comfortable garden cottages. If you don't just want to sit on the beach soaking up the sun and are feeling energetic you can either….. Learn to scuba dive with 'Aqua Africa' (one of the cheapest places in the word to learn!).
Hire ocean going kayaks or Canadian Style canoes by the hour half or full day. Three day kayak expeditions exploring the remote beaches of the north are available for $40.00 per day. Snorkels and masks are also available to hire and fishing trips can be arranged.
Experience the outdoors and book an exciting camping tour with a locally run operation - Nkhata Bay Safaris, the tours include;
Traditional Tonga village stay – a boat trip will take you to a magnificent steeply forested lakeside hill where a designated camping area has been created by the locals. Alternatively you can stay in a traditional mud hut and experience nsima and futali cooked by the local women. All proceeds from this particular tour go to the Kaliywa Orphans project.
Africa for Beginners – 4 nights including 2 nights in the beautiful rolling hills of the Nyika Plateau and 1 night spotting game at Vwaza marsh. US $225 per person
Northern Exposure – 4 nights including 2 nights at the Nyika Plateau (where you can book a horse ride) and 1 night at Vwaza Marsh and 1 night at the historical Livingstonia mission. US $265 per person
Northern Experience – 2 nights enjoying camping under the stars at the Nyika Plateau US $175 per person
Jenjewe massive – 3 nights including 2 nights at Vwaza Marsh and 1 night at Livingstonia mission. US $198 per person
African adventure – 5 nights including 2 nights and Nyika, 1 night at Vwaza, 1 night at Livingstonia, 1 night at Karonga; where you can see the famous dinosaur museum. If you are travelling on to Tanzania you can be dropped at the border. US $310 per person
Kuzuni experience – a one day safari to Vwaza marsh US $80 per person
For horse riding enthusiasts, 'Kande Horse Trails' provide horse treks for two hour rides along forests and beaches or full day rides to Bandawe, the historic site of the missionaries. As well as riding through indigenous forest reserves you will ride along the beach and end your day by riding your horse into the lake for a swim!
In addition, the lake ferry service calls in twice a week going north, south and to Mbamba Bay in Tanzania. The boat calls at the secluded yet beautiful islands of Chisimulu and Likoma, and connects to Cape Mclear in the South.
A satellite TV is available to catch those vital sporting moments.
Mastercard and Visa Accepted
By air: To get to us you need to fly to Lilongwe International Airport (British Airways, South African Airways, Air Kenya and Air Ethiopia are the main air carriers). A short internal flight is available from Lilongwe Airport to Mzuzu Airport (in the north).
By car: From the airport the distance is approx 5 hours by road (good roads) to the Lodge. You can either hire a car at the airport or get a taxi.
By bus: Alternatively there are local buses from Lilongwe to Mzuzu in the north. From Mzuzu you would need to take another bus to Nkhata Bay or taxi (approx 1 hour). Once in Nkhata Bay town go past the police station and the Lodge is signposted and at the end of an untarred road hilly road behind Chikale Beach.
 The lodge has been instrumental in the development of tourism in the town of Nkhata Bay; it has integrated well into the local community and is 'part' of the village. There are no walls or fences and the lodge is open to all members of the community.As the first tourism facility in Nkhata Bay, we have helped to develop the industry in the town. 80% of the staff that work at the lodge were recruited locally, trained in house and have been working with us since we opened in 1993. We have encouraged all other facilities to operate in a socially responsible manner. We donate money on a monthly basis to Bwelero Young Voices, a small community based organisation involved in orphan care, HIV education and community work. Also the lodge has secured funds for the blind school in Nkhata Bay to facilitate the building of a new school block. We are currently helping source funds for a community orphan care centre. The lodge was built utilising all natural locally available materials and a no building policy is in place in order to allow the natural vegetation to flourish. All refuse is either recycled or fed to livestock. In addition, the carbon emissions associated with the running of the business are compensated through the planting of indigenous trees in Malawi. Since 1995 over 4000 trees have been planted in local communities. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've lead the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |