Ngala Beach Lodge

Ngala Beach Lodge is one of the nicest places I’ve stayed. The views are incredible, the food delicious and the staff even better. Chance and Paul were so friendly, nothing was too much trouble for them. The lodge feels like luxury, from the king sized beds to the beautifully kept gardens. If you’re visiting Malawi do yourself a favour and make a stop here!

As a first-time visitor to Malawi, I was happy to accept the offer from Dan & Trish, Ngala’s owners to arrange a local trusted driver to collect me from Lilongwe airport upon my arrival. The service can be arranged with prior notice. The transit took around 4.5 hours along roads that vary from smooth & well maintained to what only could be described as ‘war torn’. My driver expertly avoided the deep un marked holes in the road, worn out crumbled edges and at times taking to the sand at the side of the road being the safest route, I was glad to be in the hands of a local expert. It is not a route to be used at night especially for the novice! Ngala trading post is a busy village full of friendly locals buying and selling their goods. We entered the sandy bumpy side road at the outskirts leading to the entrance of Ngala Beach lodge. Some 500 meters down the lane their gates came into view and opened. With a beaming smile their staff member pointed us to the reception area. My first impression was an oasis of green lush grass bushes and trees. The Thatched building welcomed visitors with an air of tranquility. I was immediately met by happy smiling staff who quickly dealt with my bags administered the minimal paperwork and took me to my room. Once settled in Dan & Trish came to welcome me personally to the lodge which I thought was a nice touch. During my stay I noticed they approached every new visitor and welcomed them to Ngala. This is clearly a top down approach and it shows in the warmth and friendliness of all the staff. I had booked an ‘A’ frame accommodation overlooking lake Malawi. King size bed, separate toilet, shower, more than enough hot water. Plenty of luggage space and an area to hang all your clothes plus two comfy chairs to relax. The A frame has double French doors that look out onto a small patio area with chairs. The room has plenty of power sockets, overhead fan for the hot nights and mosquito net as a standard requirement. The main building has an open plan restaurant overlooking the deck, gardens and lake. There is a comprehensive menu with local fish and meat dishes plus lots more. If you are a pudding fan, I would recommend the Malva pudding a SA dish with a twist on the recipe by Trish. 😊. Food is available all day as is the Ngala breakfast which is a must for those who like a cooked breakfast. The bar overlooks the gardens and lake and provides access to the infinity pool. There is plenty of seating either at the bar or throughout the room and is open from 6am – 22:00 I did my research and there are currently 11 rooms including two family rooms. This makes Ngala something of a rare find in my book. Quite the select retreat. The staff leave you in peace if you want to chill and relax but seem to know when you would like a drink or something to eat. There is a campsite down by the beach at one end of the site & during my stay a few 4x4 vehicles with roof top tents arrived and on one occasion what looked like an e

The Ngala Beach Lodge is a beautiful place surround by warm-hearted people and a wonderful landscape. The rooms are comfortable and clean. The Service is so friendly and always focused on a solution. Trisha and Dan give us the feeling of coming home:) We enjoy the delicious food that also included the local Chambo-fish! The Team of the Lodge can also organize a boat-trip on the Lake (sometimes you can see hippos;)) or a hiking-tour to the waterfalls. It was an amazing experience! We will come back. Tip: The Ngala Beach Lodge will get this year an Boat-transfer to the Lakomi-island!