Sometimes when you are travelling around, you find a place that draws you in and just won’t let you leave. For us, Nkhata Bay was the perfect combination of a beautiful setting, fun people, great weather, good food and an amazing atmosphere. After our Serengeti safari, two days of (pretty awful) bus rides, and a minor (almost) crisis at the Malawi-Tanzania border crossing, Chris and I were ready for a couple days of relaxation. What started out as a few of days of rest, unexpectedly turned into 10 days of chilling by Lake Malawi at our new found paradise.
In Nkhata Bay, we stayed at a place called Mayoka Village, which is a quaint little eco-friendly lodge nestled into the hills above the lake. We scored a super-cute cabana with an amazing view of the lake. Most of the African budget accommodation we’ve experienced to-date has been mediocre, so it was refreshing to find a homey, comfortable, backpacker-friendly landing pad.
Life in Nkhata Bay revolves around the lake, and while we were there, so did our activities. As our place was right on the water, we went snorkeling almost every day. We also went diving, which was really cool. I’ve never gone fresh-water diving before, so I was a little worried that I’d have trouble with my buoyancy, but I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t really feel that much different than diving in the ocean. Typically, freshwater fish aren’t the most colorful or exciting, but Lake Malawi is filled with Cichlid fish, which are so bright that they almost look like tropical ocean fish.
Nkhata Bay was also the first place where we really got to interact with Malawian people. From my perspective, the people in Malawi have been one of the highlights of traveling in this country. Malawi is known as the “warm heart” of Africa, and I think it’s definitely living up to its reputation. Everyone in Nkhata Bay town was really friendly and curious to find out about where we’re from, and what life is like in America. The staff at Mayoka Village Lodge were also SUPER friendly and helpful (genuinely friendly, not that fake service-sector kind of “friendly”). This was really one of the best aspects of Nkhata Bay and one of the main reasons that Chris and I had a hard time leaving.
Our lodge was also a great place to connect with other backpackers. There are far fewer backpackers in Africa than in SE Asia or Central America, so it’s nice to speak English, get advice from people who are traveling in the same region, and swap stories about your most recent mini-bus-ride-from-hell with someone who can really relate. J
It was tough to pull ourselves away from the oasis, but after 10 days, our batteries were recharged, and it was time to hit the road again…
-Julia
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| From 07-22-10 N. Malawi and Nkhata Bay Web |
Mayoka Village Lodge
3 comments:
love love love reading your blog! the places you guys have been are so beautiful! =) Have fun!
love the sunglasses pictures - so cute!
You guys are superb love the honest comments about malawi hope you will pop in again soon
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