Tongole Wilderness Lodge

Tongole Lodge’s four Riverside Suites offer the perfect peaceful stay beside the Bua River. Split between two suites with super king-sized and two with twin beds (which when moved together create one super king-sized bed) you can find the perfect fit for your stay. There you can sleep surrounded by local Malawian art, with the river and trees on your doorstep. Complete with an en suite bathroom, spacious shower, beautiful basins and a hand-made bathtub for two, these suites provide you with every luxury, while you soak up the beautiful nature all around you. Each suite features a wraparound deck for you to sit back and relax on, the perfect place from which to reconnect to nature.

Tongole Wilderness Lodge’s Family Cottage is a truly special place for families. Built by local craftsmen out of the same red rock and soil that lines the riverbank, this beautiful little cottage allows extra space for families to come together, with a second bedroom and lounge area.

Breakfast (continental or hot), lunch and dinner are all prepared by Tongole’s legendary chef and his team, so you can enjoy beautiful food at any time of day. On the various relaxation areas and decks across the lodge, you can dine on three course dinners and afternoon tea should you choose it.

Your choice of decks ranges from the Main Deck, where you can sip on fresh morning coffee as the sun rises right in front of you, and the Bua Deck hanging over the river, perfect for afternoon tea and even an elephant spotting or two. Using local ingredients wherever possible, food at the lodge is always fresh and full of flavour. You can also enjoy a drink or two at the lodge’s bar, where cocktails are made to order.

Tongole Wilderness Lodge’s location along the Bua River means that it’s a prime spot from which to go exploring the abundant birdlife. Alongside the expert guides, you can find “many species of owls, eagles, egrets, larks, hornbills, sandpipers, herons, cuckoos, swifts” and buzzards in and around the lodge and reserve.

Staying at the lodge you have the opportunity to meet local Malawian communities. Visit one of the schools the Tongole Foundation supports, and share in the indigenous Malawian community’s strong tradition of arts and crafts, supporting them by buying souvenirs or learning how to do some of it yourself!

On one of the lodge’s bush walks or treks, you can venture through Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve and explore all it has to offer when it comes to wild and wonderful things! Because the wildlife of the reserve has never seen big groups of people before, viewing them on foot is the best way to spot them without scaring them away. Out on the walks you can learn about animal tracks and what they may mean, and discover the medicinal properties of indigenous plants. For those looking for a bit of workout, you can take part in one of the mountain hikes up Chipata Mountain for the most spectacular views across the entirety of the reserve!

To truly appreciate the pristine waters of the river you’ve got to travel along it! Serene riverbanks brimming with wildlife sit right before you as you travel slowly up the river, watching the sunlight sparkle of the calm surface. For those feeling more adventurous, you can also travel down the rapids on a white-water ride.

Drive deep into the Nkhotakota Reserve alongside your guide and experience true wilderness as you meander the river bank or woodland floor, before setting out to explore the regions only accessible on foot. With the expert guide by your side, you’ll be in the privileged position of having direct access to seemingly endless knowledge of the surrounding flora and fauna.

Positioned right on the Bua riverbank, Tongole is a fishing-enthusiast’s heaven. May to July is the prime time to catch the river’s most famous fish, Lake Salmon, locally known as Mpasa. After a peaceful morning’s fishing, you can indulge in a well-earned picnic on the riverside, as you spot elephants coming to the water to drink.

One of the main goals of Tongole Wilderness Retreat is to use its profits to support the local community, either by direct employment and training, or through the Tongole Foundation. Communities within the Nkhotakota district of Malawi live within extreme poverty, and it is the Tongole Foundation’s goal to alleviate the social, educational, economic and environmental deprivation that the communities experience. The foundation reaches for the goal of true sustainability with its dual aims of community aid and conservation of the Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve, integrally involving the former in the efforts to protect the habitats and their inhabitants.

The Tongole Wilderness Retreat employs 30 locals full-time. Additionally, it employed local tradesmen and women throughout its construction, employing over 100 people over two years of its creation. On average, one person’s employment benefits twenty other people in Malawi, a fantastic step in the right direction.

One of the Tongole Foundation’s outreach programmes includes support for local schools. The foundation currently supports three schools around the area, ‘The Mwalawatongole F.P. School, Wozi J.P. School and Chankhokwe F.P. School’. The foundations previous support includes repairing classrooms and school buildings that were badly affected by storms, mending roofs, and installing toilets. It promotes employment and education as a vital path towards both poverty alleviation and a reduction in poaching numbers across the Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve.

Everything about Tongole Wildlife Retreat is designed around the aim of causing minimal impact on the surrounding environment. All materials used in its construction were sourced locally and sustainably. Additionally, the design of the lodge is based around blending in, allowing wildlife that lives within the reserve to thrive without disruption. Now that the retreat is up and running, all hot water and 240v power is generated by a fantastic solar panel system, further decreasing its possible impact.

Perhaps most importantly, the retreat practices a ‘low-impact safari’ experience. Guest’s wishes to spot incredible wildlife is never placed above the need to respect the animals. That is why bush walks as well as game drives are offered, and safari activities are predominantly carried out on foot or on the river. The retreat is run on the ethos that guests in the Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve are just that: guests, and respecting the wildlife is paramount.