Kaya Mawa Lodge
Likoma Island, Lake
Malawi, Malawi
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KAYA MAWA LODGE RATES: Kaya Mawa Lodge
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KAYA MAWA LODGE
- LIKOMA ISLAND, LAKE MALAWI, MALAWI
Rated by Condé Nast Magazine as one of the planet's ten most romantic destinations, Kaya Mawa is located on the south-western tip of Likoma Island in the far north-east of Lake Malawi, close to Mozambique. The island is covered with mango trees and ancient baobabs and encircled by glorious sandy beaches and rocky coves.
Likoma Island is the larger
of two small islands
situated in the far north of Lake Malawi, on the
east of the Lake and very close to the Mozambique
coastline. To visit the island is to step back
in time. Just 17 square kilometres in size,
with one small dirt road and two vehicles,
the local people survive largely by fishing, and
farming rice and cassava. The island
has hundreds of huge baobab trees and a number
of glorious sandy beaches and rocky coves. The
waters are crystal clear throughout the year and
the diving and snorkeling is among the best in
Lake Malawi
Kaya Mawa Lodge is
situated on the south-western tip of the Island at
the head of a crescent-shaped bay, surrounded
by mango trees and ancient baobabs. Translated
as “Maybe tomorrow” in the local Tonga
dialect, the lodge uses the stunning natural surroundings
of beach, rock, island and lake to create a lodge
of unique character, imagination and very special
ambience. With no machinery available on the
island, Kaya Mawa Lodge was built entirely by hand,
in partnership with the local community.
Accommodation  For
images of Kaya Mawa Lodge, click Kaya
Mawa
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Ten stone and teak-framed thatched cottages - including two family cottages and one honeymoon chalet - have a panoramic view of the lake and private terraces with direct access to the water. Each one has en-suite bathroom facilities, a four-poster bed, shower, and a sunken stone bathtub. The honeymoon chalet with its incredible views is tucked away on its own private island.
The stunning setting of the lodge and the unique comfort of the rooms means that many guests choose to make relaxation their main activity but there are enough activities on offer to keep guests busy.
Activities
The stunning
setting of the lodge and the unique comfort of the
rooms means that many guests choose to make relaxation
their main activity, but enough activities are on
offer to keep guests busy. Scuba (including
Padi diving courses), snorkeling, swimming, sailing
and visits to the local villages are part of the
experience. Day trips to Mozambique can be
arranged. Access is by air or by boat.
The waters around the lodge are both safe and clear and swimming and snorkelling are on offer - some of the best snorkelling on the island is right at the lodge (snorkels and masks are provided). Alternatively there is a rock swimming pool right by the bar. The lodge has its own NAUI accredited instructor and excellent dive equipment and can offer casual dives as well as a range of instruction. Waterskiing, tube riding and wake snaking are offered as well as fishing trips and the lodge has a small wooden skip for sailing journeys around the island. Ovenight trips to Nkwichi Lodge and the Manda Wilderness area can also be arranged.
Kaya
Mawa has several mountain bikes that guests
may use to explore the island. A
round-the-island bike trip, with picnic
lunch, has been popular with guests who are fit
and enjoy getting out and seeing more of the island's. For
those who are a tad too ambitious on setting
out, the few vehicles on the island are more than
happy to throw the bikes in the back and give
you a lift back to Kaya Mawa or perhaps down to
the Hot Coconut, a vibrant & happening
bar in town which is popular with the locals and
tourists who come to Likoma as an opportunity
to enjoy some Malawi music and ice cold drinks.
Keen
fisherman are thrilled to be able to
spend their mornings fishing straight
outside their chalet. At
Kaya Mawa you can fish from the many
bridges around the lodge for Chambo,
Malawi's national fish, which the kitchen
does with a lovely white wine sauce.
For those looking for the bigger
fish, Kampango (or commonly called
Catfish), may be caught in the deeper
waters. Lake fishing excursions
are available for 1/2-hour
up to a full day depending on what
you fancy. The Kampango can be cooked
many ways although the Kaya Mawa specialty,
which is loved by all and even
covered in South Africa's Elle
magazine, is the Indian Fish Soup.
Conservation
With no machinery available on the island, Kaya Mawa Lodge was built entirely by hand, in partnership with the local community.
The hot water system used in the lodge is from wood burning boilers - this wood comes from Mozambique and is an income-generating community project. The suppliers earn income and this goes towards the upkeep of reforestation woodlots.
In Malawi, land on the shores of the Lake is used for traditional slash-and-burn agriculture, this destructive farming technique impacting heavily on indigenous vegetation. Accordingly a number of indigenous nurseries have been started to provide replacement saplings to reforest the area. To date approximately 10 000 seedlings of indigenous trees as well as various fruit trees have been planted.
This reforestation project is underway on Likoma Island, and in Lake Malawi National Park at the southern end of the Lake, our operation at Mumbo Island supports DNPW in combating illegal fishing operations.
Likoma
Cathedral
A huge cathedral
stands on the slopes of a mountain
on an island in the middle of Lake Malawi. The
cathedral is dedicated to Saint Peter, whose statue
faces the lake, holding the keys in his hands while
a big lock lies closed at his feet.
The
island is called Likoma, which means
beautiful, from "Silikoma" or "Sweet
Land", but the site where the
Cathedral is built is known as Chipyela,
a name which bears no relation to beauty. The
word means "place of burning",
and it was here that the first
missionaries witnessed witches being
burnt at the stake.
The
first European to have reached Likoma
Island is believed to be Elton, who
landed there in 1877. Like
many other European explorers of his
time, he spelled it incorrectly as
"Dikoma." Elton
had sailed there to meet Dr. David
Livingstone, but he had missed him,
for Livingstone had landed on Chizumulu,
the only other island worthy of a
name on Lake Malawi, which lies nine
miles west of Likoma Island.
The
foundation stone of Saint Peter's
Cathedral was laid by Bishop
Trower on January 27, 1903, and it
was dedicated by the same bishop
on September 29, 1905. The
bishop had expected the work of building
the cathedral to be finished by
September 1905; however,
the difficulty in transporting the
material from the mainland to the island,
coupled with delays in obtaining other
material from overseas such as the
colored glasses for the windows, delayed
the work. But the Bishop had
to dedicate the unfinished Cathedral,
for at this time the Lady Chapel, the
Chapter house and other outer buildings
had not been built yet. Mills
wrote in 1910: "Now,
in 1910, this great work is nearing
completion… The Cathedral
will not be consecrated till it is
finished."
The Cathedral was finished the following
year, and was consecrated by Bishop
Thomas Crowther Fisher on November
14, 1911.
Lake Malawi
At approximately 600km from north to south and in places up to 80km wide, Lake Malawi, the third largest water body in Africa, constitutes roughly 20% of Malawi's surface area. It dominates the eastern side of the country and harbours a wide range of underwater habitats including sandy, weedy, rock-sand interface and reed beds. There are also a number of islands dotted across the Lake, separated from the mainland by sandy flats and deep water.
On the shores miombo woodland and baobabs occur, and mammals such as baboon, vervet monkey, dassies and hippo are most commonly sighted. Over 100 bird species are found, particularly waterbirds such as African Fish-eagle and large colonies of White-breasted Cormorant.
Lake Malawi is famed for the abundance and diversity of its fish life and holds a greater array of freshwater fish species than any other lake on Earth and more than all of Europe and North America combined. The majority of these are colourful fish called cichlids (their local name is mbuna) of which the Lake contains more than 400 types, 30% of all known species. Other fish species such as chambo form the primary protein source of the nearly 20 000 people that live on the lakeshore and beyond. Much of this astounding underwater diversity is protected within the Lake Malawi National Park at Cape Maclear in the south, the first in the world set aside for the protection of freshwater fish and a World Heritage Site.
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