Luwawa Forest Lodge

Set within the Luwawa Valley on the Viphya Plateau in northern Malawi, the lodge sits 200 km north of Lilongwe and 10 km off the M1 towards Mzuzu. Pine forest and grassland plateau surround it, cut through with wetlands and a dam that doubles as the lodge's water activity hub. Solar panels power the property, with a generator kept only as backup. It is a working conservation base as much as a place to sleep. Accommodation runs from two-storey self-catering cottages sleeping five or six, to family chalets set among the gardens, down to a hostel, budget rooms, and a campsite in the surrounding woodland. Guides lead walking trails of varying difficulty, including a gorge route, and a multi-day trek that crosses Kawandama Mountain and descends the Rift Valley escarpment towards Lake Malawi. Birders can look for over 280 recorded species, from Bertram's weaver to Scharlow's turaco, across the forest, gardens and dam edge. Fishing, canoeing and kayaking run on the dam itself, well stocked with bream. The lodge also hosts an annual mountain bike marathon rated by the sport's world governing body. You can hear the Luwawa Falls from some of the walking trails nearby. A rock climbing pitch, stables for horse riding, and day trips to a working gemstone mine round out the activity list.