Chelinda Lodge
Located within the Nyika National Park in northern Malawi, Chelinda Lodge offers you a luxurious safari experience within the peaceful, undisturbed landscape of the Nyika Plateau. Nyika is Swahili for hinterland, a wilderness unlike any other, and this ecosystem offers you an abundance of animal and plant life to marvel at. Take a game drive out into the grassland and spot zebras and antelope, or take part in a night drive and see if you can find the elusive leopards – many people do! At Chelinda Lodge, they have perfectly balanced the rugged wilderness with luxurious elements, like their fantastic gourmet dinners. No two days are the same; choose to venture out over the highlands on mountain bikes, or laze around the forest on the lodge’s doorstep. Within the beauty of Nyika National Park, nature is abundant, just as the opportunity to explore it is too.
Chelinda Lodge, S103, Malawi
“When travelling to Chelinda Lodge or Camp, guests are advised to stopover at Luwawa Forest Lodge for the night or at Chinteche Inn for perhaps 2 nights to break their journey. The road to Chelinda Lodge and Camp gets covered in mud and sometimes when the rain has eroded the surface of the road, it becomes rocky.”
Chelinda Lodge is 170km from Mzuzu Airport, in the centre of Mzuzu, and 512km from Lilongwe’s Kamazu International Airport. Additionally, 25 minutes from the lodge is Chelinda Airstrip.
- Located within the Nyika National Park
- Abundance of diverse wildlife
- Eight sustainably built chalets
- One family chalet, ages 6+
- Day and night game drives
- Mountain biking
- Guided walks
- Changing menus, fresh ingredients
- Evenings spent round the firepit
- Close to the Livingstonia Trail
- Spot leopard, zebra, antelope and much more
The eight chalets of Chelinda Lodge offer guests a peaceful place to stay within the majesty of Nyika National Park. Situated before a pine forest in a calm clearing, each chalet is built from stone and pine, features an en suite bathroom, cosy fireplace, an upstairs living area and a viewing deck that looks out onto the grassland. Two of the chalets are joined for the possibility of a family chalet. Chelinda Lodge and the beautiful chalets are a perfect choice for people seeking an escape into the wilderness without letting go of their creature comforts.
Despite its remote location, food at Chelinda Lodge is plentiful and delicious. Varied menus and fresh ingredients make for a delicious culinary experience in the main lounge area. The kitchen can also cater to any dietary requirements.
Located in Nyika National Park, Chelinda Lodge is the perfect spot for those who love trekking in the great outdoors. With sloping hills, beautiful forests, and streams to drink from, walking through this beautiful park is a magical experience. Don’t forget to bring a pair of binoculars and a camera, so you don’t miss a thing!
Spend your days out in the safari vehicles spotting the wonderful wildlife across the reserve, including zebras, leopard, antelopes, reedbuck, eland and many more. Venture the grasslands they call home, respectfully watching from a distance as you marvel at the majesty of these animals in their natural habitat. Night game drives offer a magical experience as you discover even more fantastic nocturnal creatures under the stunning starry sky.
The beauty of the lush greenery around Chelinda Lodge allows you the chance to get down and explore all the beautiful plant life that grows around you. Get to know how each feature of the Nyika National Park plays a role in this beautiful ecosystem by learning the relationships between the plants and animals that call it home.
One of the best ways so see all that this beautiful national park has to offer is by adventuring through it on mountain bikes! Ride trails that lead you far from the Lodge, explore the highlands and get lost in the stunning wilderness at your fingertips.
Nyika National Park is the site of a the Chelinda Pine Plantation, an agricultural experiment that began in the 1960s at the centre of the Nyika Plateau. These pine forests act as a windbreak and a source of firewood for the lodge, but the trees are not invasive. The current plan is to gradually allow the forest to be cut back, so that the grasslands can rewild the area as they once did before – increasing the natural habitat for many animals. As they are not invasive to the park’s ecosystem, a small core forest will remain to add “to the overall ambience and experience”.
Chelinda Lodge and Wilderness Safaris have partnered with the Nyika Vwasa Trust. Based in the UK, this trust seeks to protect and improve conservation work in the Nyika National Park and the Vwasa Marsh Wildlife Reserve, by funding research projects and increasing publicity around both areas. The trust also works to increase access to education for the surrounding communities, both general and environmental teaching. Being based in the UK, the trust hopes to build an ever-increasing number of international supporters for the biodiverse areas, with the aim of gaining more funding.
The eight chalets that make up Chelinda Lodge are all constructed from timber and stone collected right from the very Nyika Plateau the lodge stands on. While they may look reminiscent of a Swiss skiing chalet, they are made from materials as locally-sourced as you can get!
Chelinda Lodge welcome families with children aged 6 and above.