In collaboration with Warm Heart Adventures
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In the Warm Heart of Africa

Malawi is known as the Warm Heart of Africa and almost instantly after arriving at Warm Heart Adventures Lodge I felt like home; being around people caring about each other and the community. One of them is Kay, a vibrant and passionate young Malawian female. She is also the owner and head of the lodge.

​Instantly when you meet Kay you can feel her energy and how much she cares about her members of staff and the surrounding community. In her company, Warm Heart Adventures she is combining her passion for nature, adventures, and community development by providing accommodation in Cape Maclear, and organizing tailor-made adventure tours of Malawi. She truly has her heart at the right place and is supporting the community in a number of ways; everything from community empowerment projects to providing accommodation and support to abused women from the village. ​

​Arriving at Cape Maclear, Monkey Bay, Malawi

Warm Heart Adventures Lodge is located at Lake Malawi National Park, which is the world's first freshwater national park and a World Heritage Site, found at Cape Maclear at the southern end of Lake Malawi.

I arrived with public transportation from Lilongwe (the capital of Malawi) and it took me about 5 hours to reach the lodge. From the entrance of the area of Monkey Bay, I took a shared taxi (it was included in my bus ticket) and then a motorcycle taxi (it is also possible to go with taxi) to the lodge. The cost of the bus was 6000 Malawian kwacha (8,25 USD) and the motorcycle taxi was 2000 kwacha (2,75 USD). It is recommended to start the journey in the morning since minibuses are not departing until they are filled up, which means that you might need to wait a bit.

​After about 25 minutes on both dirt and turmac roads, just as the sun was going down, I arrived on my motorcycle taxi to the lodge. It is located in the village of Chombe and as you are entering the village, you notice how close you are to Lake Malawi; driving on white sand from the third biggest lake of Africa.

​As I arrived, local shop owners were starting to close their small stores for the day, packing their wooden items aways. In the village you can find beautiful wooden handicrafts made from generations of skilled craft persons. 

At the third largest lake of Africa

As I walked on the soft white floor of sand, towards the entrance of the lodge, I was taken away by the reflections of the lake between the branches of steady trees proving blessings of shade. I was greeted with a warm smile by the receptionist Angela, and soon I was directed to a gorgeous wooden bungalow directly on the beach. It had the most amazing spacious balcony, and I absolutely loved sitting there for hours during my stay; working, studying and thinking about life. ​

As you hang around Warm Heart Adventures Lodge and the community, you can feel how closely connected they. In comparison with other lodges and tourist areas I been to, local women, children and men from the community are welcome to wash clothes and dishes on the beach spot below the lodge. Every morning when the sun wakes up for the day, you see women, men, children and their dogs heading to the lake for their daily chores. During several times of the day, you see men out on the lake ready for catching the fish of the day from small handmade canoes, as well from a bit of bigger boats.

As a guest, walking on the beach and in the village, I felt very welcomed and the hassle from sellers were tiny compared to other places I been to.  ​​

Activities in Cape Maclear

There are several activities to do in and around Cape Maclear. During my stay I did kayaking, cycling, snorkeling (diving is also possible), and also a village tour. Kay is also organising longer adventure trips for both individuals and groups.

My favorite activity was to kayak out to the nearby island called Thumbi on calm water. After around 30 minutes of kayaking, I arrived at the island and the first thing I noticed was impressive rock formations surrounding its shores. Next to them, I saw tall trees with eagles looking for their daily meal.

As I was looking down into the water, I could see rocks formations also there; with colourful blue fish swimming in between them. The water is great for snorkeling in (I tried!), just make sure that you read about Bilharzia before you decide to go swimming. It is possible and very easy to get medication for Bilharzia after you been swimming in the lake. ​

Community tour

Another activity I really enjoyed was the local village tour by Mister Brighton. He is the founder of the organisation Sinthana Learning Centre, which is supporting community members of all ages with skills development and various activities. The tour visited several important places of the village, as well various social initiatives.

A favorite encounter was visiting a local female entrepreneur who shared her experience of being a female business owner in a male dominated arena. 

The tour was a great way for me to ask all the questions I had about Malawi and Cape Maclear, as well understand the local community better. ​​

See you soon again!

The name Warm Heart Adventures Lodge truly speaks for its values and I would love to come back again. For me, it makes such a big difference in staying in a place that is locally ran with passion for the nearby community.

​Thank you Kay and the rest of the team at Warm Heart Adventures Lodge! I hope to soon be back!