A new lodge in a remote wilderness location, in Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve, which opened in early 2011.
Though not a mainstream wildlife destination, Nkhotakota will appeal to the Africa addict or adventurous traveller, visitors wanting to experience wild areas on foot and enjoy nature in beautiful surroundings with friendly people in a comfortable lodge. The landscape is rugged and spectacular, rural Malawi at its best.
There are 4 river cottages accommodating a total maximum of eight guests at a time. Each room has views over the pretty Bua River and has it's own vieiwng deck. The ensuite facilities include a shower, twin hand basins, a fush toilet and a sunken bath, which douibles as s plunge pool. The lodge has been built by local workers and used extensive supplies of natural and local materials. The style of the lodge very much includes traditional Malawian decor and culture but incorporating luxury at the same time.
The lodge is 30km west of Lake Malawi and situated in miles of miombo woodlands in the Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve which covers 1800km sq. Arriving by road from Lilongwe, it's a drive of around 160km with the last 25 being on rough roads through the reserve. Charter flights will become available at a new airstrip in the reserve, but at the moment will be using the nearest airstrip which is Dwangwa on the lake shore, a one and half hour drive to Tongole.
Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve suffered as did most of Malawi's reserves in the past from heavy poaching, so there is not a huge number of large mammals here but it is making a come back and there are big game species here, such as Elephant, Lion, Leopard and Buffalo. There are also plans to re-introduce Black Rhino and Giraffe. This is an important area for birds and has been identified by Birdlife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA). There are already over 280 species recorded and further numbers are expected to be discovered as the area is further explored.
Game drives day and night can be enjoyed here, take time to enjoy the little things you pass by such as birds, insects and plants as well as mammals - at night noctural mammals are often seen. We recommend getting out on foot as much as possible, Nkhotakota is a lovely walking destination with hills and forests to be explored and the lovely Bua River. Seasonally, fishing and canoeing are available too.
The local community is very much involved with this project, take a half day or so during your stay to visit a local village and find out more about the rural Malawian way of life and see some craftspeople at work.
