Located in the Manda Wilderness, in the Lake Malawi area, Nkwichi Lodge lies on the Mozambique shoreline, at one of the most beautiful points on the lake. With room for just 14, and carefully designed to provide maximum comfort and privacy, the lodge offers guests the highest levels of service – in an atmosphere both relaxed and peaceful.
Overview
Nkwichi Lodge’s private beach, with its fine, white sand, is the central feature around which the Nkwichi has been built. A 2 storey building, thatched and constructed entirely from local materials, the main lodge’s rest, recuperation and wallow area is upstairs, where there is a lounge, dining room and bar. There’s a shop downstairs, outdoor seating and thatched shade on the beach.
Food & service
The food – buffet or table dining – is excellent, and given enough warning lodge caters for all diets. In addition to this, there is a fig tree platform built amongst the enormous granite boulders on the lake’s shore – another popular spot for guests of Nkwichi Lodge to dine or relax. Feedback consistently mentions the high standard of service, and the ease with which guests slip into day-to-day routines.
Rooms
Each of the 7 chalets is cleverly tucked into the trees along the lake shoreline. Depending on their setting, the chalets all vary in size and design. Each room includes a hand carved four poster double/twin bed, hand made storage furniture, enough room to change in, a sitting room, veranda and separate bathroom. Beautifully kept, the bathroom – stone-set tub, sink and shower – is to the rear, through a backdoor.
Activities
Activities include diving, snorkelling, bird watching, cultural visits and nature walks.
Impact
Conservation
The Manda Wilderness Project is the name of a far-reaching bid to help people in the area around Nkwichi Lodge enjoy the benefits of modern development, including the results of tourism. The Manda Project has successfully protected the lodge area of 650 hectares from poaching and uncontrolled fires. As a result zebra, warthog, kudu and otter are starting to return to the area.
Efforts have also been made to minimise energy consumption at the lodge. The main source of power comes from solar panels, and the lodge also possesses a small wind turbine. Nkwichi works hard to reduce waste and recycle as much as possible. Each building in the Lodge is constructed from local stone, wood and thatch, all put together by local craftsmen. All activities at the lodge leave no carbon footprint. ‘Grey’ water is processed through sand filters and used to irrigate the surrounding natural bush during the dry season.
Commerce
The current number of staff employed by Nkwichi Lodge stands at 58 with expatriate staff numbering 3, meaning that 96% of staff are from local surrounding communities. Accommodation is provided for all staff who live more than one hour’s walk away. Employees have 30 days holiday per year, plus free transport to hospital if needed. Training is an integral part of working at Nkwichi Lodge; from carpentry workshops to English classes, sewing lessons to chef training, all staff at Nkwichi are given the chance to achieve their potential and develop new skills.
Community
All community projects are managed as a partnership between the community committees and Manda Wilderness. Both sides contribute to the project. For example, in the construction of a school, Manda Wilderness provides roofing sheets and cement, while the communities make bricks and take responsibility for the building construction. In this way the development programme gets active community participation and provides people with better skills. Other projects include furniture for classrooms, construction of more schools in the other villages within the Manda Wilderness Area, teachers’ houses and water wells (particularly for some of the villages inland) and a jetty in Cobué.