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Chitimba Camp | Established Campground

Malawi

Details

Verified:
3 months ago
Elevation:
0.0 masl
Phone:
+265888387116
Contributor:
Tucks' Truck

Amenities

Electricity:
Yes - Not at Sites
Wifi:
Yes - Fast
Kitchen:
No
Restaurant:
Yes
Showers:
Hot
Water:
Potable
Toilets:
Running Water
Big Rig Friendly:
Yes
Tent Friendly:
Yes
Pet Friendly:
Yes
Sanitation Dump Station:
No

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Description

Nice camp area, also used by overlanding trucks. Very nice campsite at the beach and view on mountains run by lovely Dutch couple. Ablutions in good shape. Bar, restaurant and wifi available. Price camping $9

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Lovely campsite right on the shores of the lake. Excellent ablutions. Staff very helpful. Lots of accommodation options. Highly recommended. $9 per person per night to camp.

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This camp is an oasis after a very rough drive over the mountains from Mzuzu or only 2 hours from the Tanzania border. This is a large site on the edge of the lake with plenty of rooms or camping spots, several with electricity available. Plenty of clean good ablutions with warm showers and washing up zone.
Friendly hosts do a lot for the community, only taking payment for camping and bar. Food, laundry, car wash, firewood are all supplied by the community.
Great music, very chilled place with lots of activities available if you feel the need and also a great place to just chill for a day or two!
Ed the owner also arranged for a mechanic to come around to help with an issue with our brakes.

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It was our little paradise at the lake. we parked the car in the shady area on the green lawn, beautiful views across the lake and the mountains. Good Musik in the bar and everyone was very welcoming. Everything is in perfect shape. Good, clean ablutions with hot shower.

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A beautiful place at the lake. There is much water at the moment but absolutely no problem for camping. Very friendly hosts, delicious food in the restaurant. Highly recommended.

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Little paradise on the lake. You park the car on the green lawn, beautiful views across the lake and the mountains. Particularly good place for kids to run around and play with other kids. Great food, and indeed, good music in the bar was a very welcome change :) Good, clean ablutiotions (the shower was cold when we were there). EUR 9 pppn (we transferred to NL account), kids halve price

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Our first stop on the Lake Malawi shore. Superb location, great food and camping facilities. Lovely beach and swimming (Owner's been swimming in the lake here for 17 years). Good music in the bar too. Unusually $2 p/d for wifi. I've seen comments about Ed the owner. I can only add that we found him to be helpful, informative and great after dinner company. Our biggest disappointment is that we didn't stay longer as we expected to find similar or better further down the lake. We didn't.

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Beautiful place on the beach. Very clean and well-kept. The food is amazing!

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Agree with everybody else, it's a very nice place to relax a few days ! Ed the owner told us it's safe to swim, he has been swimming in the lake for 16 years and never had problem. Friendly kids on the beach who will play with you in the water (not a single kid from the village asked us for anything, they are just very excited to see muzungus, it reminded us West Africa). We did a wood carving "class" (you watch more than you do it yourself, it's not easy- takes about 3 or 4 hours depending on what you do) with the village carving guys. It was a nice and pleasant experience, we paid 50k for 1 mid sized animal (15 cm) and a set of spoon+fork, wich was about 28 USD at the black market rate. They asked for 80 USD first so better to bargain a bit...
One last word for the restaurant : they have a great cook who works independently (she does not work for the camp, they let her use the kitchen almost for free). Its good for both side : they don't have to hire a cook but still they can offer food to guests and she gets to use a nice kitchen for free. Its genius.
The food was delicious, one of our best meal in Africa. Chicken, beef, fish... We had the chicken and it was great, coated with ginger, garlic and lemon. Didn't dare to choose the beef (never had good beef in Africa unless its a fancy place).
Great place. We paid 11200 kw pp. Worth it.

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Ed and Carmen are wonderful hosts and their lodge is a paradise to relax for a few days. You can watch the fishermen, swim in the lake or just relax. They support the local people in the area and also offer wonderful carvings at a fair price. A dreamlike place. Modern wash houses, a restaurant and a bar are of course available. Highly recommended! 7$ppN camping

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Cool spot. 50meters too lake. 8000K pp. Good ablutions. Seemed to be a popular stop for people crossing into Tanzania the following day. No wifi or printer

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Big and spacious campsite run by very friendly Dutch couple. New and clean ablutions. You can park your car anywhere you want and it’s only a couple of meters walk to the beach. Recommended.

Paid MWK8000 pppn.

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Nice and big campsite close to the beach. Clean ablution block and sheltered places to cook when it rains. Friendly owners as well. We paid 8000 kwacha per person.

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Adding: they have a very good restaurant, run by a Malawi woman, had a cooktraining in South Africa. Highly recommended.

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Nice and well maintained location only a few meters to the beach. The Dutch owners are really friendly, we enjoyed the chat. You will find new and clean ablutions, campsites on grass and/or sand well shaded and a nice bar in the centre of the site. We just stayed one night travelling to Tanzania but this place is worth staying a few more nights. They also have bungalows if required. Good to know, the owners accepted our Euros when we ran out of Kwacha, Visa is not accepted.

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Very nice campsite. The owners are very friendly and it was nice to have a chat with them. The food was also really good. The ablutions are new and clean. Price for camping is MKW 8000 ppn. We like this place a lot.

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Very nice and large campsite with friendly owners. Close to the main road but very quiet.
The campsite ablutions were not ready (need maintenance) so they opened a nice bungalow for us and we used the very clean bathroom.
Owners had a very difficult time because of Covid so it is great to visit us and enjoy the nice beach and relaxed atmosphere there!

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Very nice camp space with friendly owners. They’ve had a tough time during covid, but the place is still well maintained and ready for guests. Had a burger and chips for dinner which was delicious.

Ask the owner about the photos he takes - absolutely beautiful! Check it out on Instagram or Facebook: @edpeetersphotography

We took motorbike taxis up to the Mushroom Farm in the afternoon and had a drink there. Very cool experience and beautiful place to see.

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Nice location right next to Lake Malawi. Friendly (Dutch) owners who like to talk a about their life and experiences in Malawi. They opened a cabin for us where we could shower as the abblution block was closed off. For us just a stopover.

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Great place. Peaceful, quiet, relaxed, well-maintained campsite (with nice bungalows for the ones who need a bit more luxury 😉) Ed and Carmen are truly warm hosts! I'd always come back here.

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Very nice campsite with all the good facilities you need. We used the toilet and shower of a cabin. Ed and Carmen are very friendly and we good conversation and sharing our passion of music. Ed is a really good photografer.
We visited a class for orphans nextdoor and this came in... what a great man who is taking care of those children.
Our children played a lot with children of the staff.

We are sad to leave but we have to move on...

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Beautiful campground with a lot of nice trees. The owners are very nice and helpful. Ed is a fantastic photographer. We were there in Corona times so no trucks. We were alone and could enjoy the surrounding. Good for us, bad for the owner. Hopefully the tourist will come back soon.

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Very beautiful big campsite with large trees for shade. View on the lake and a nice beach to swim and watch the fishermen and locals being busy in the morning with the catch of the day. Ablutions nice and clean. Good shower. Everything very well maintained. Great bar with lounge areas. The place is regularly visited by overlander trucks but because of the large campsite it is not annoying at all. The trucks mostly park and set up tents on the grassy earea so if you instal on the other side with view on the the lake you have a lot of space for yourself. The Dutch owners Carmen and Eddie are very, very friendly and helpful. Camping is 7 usd ppn but price is negotiable if you stay longer. Good place to relax a few days, swim, read a book and enjoying the good life. Our dog also loved it. Recommended!

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Just don't go in this place, overpriced, rooms don't even have a plug. We ordered an hamburger and it was a slice of bread with a piece of meat inside. No chips or salads on the side. Dinner was 7500. Good for Overlander trucks that don't get to choose where to sleep.

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Very nice place to stay. Very friendly owners. Ed is also a great photographer. Ablutions new and clean. Nice spot at the lake Malawi. Don't mis it.

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On the way to this camp we saw another camp to the right Hakuna Matata. We proceeded to Chitimba Camp .Very clean. Very expensive. No other campers. We decided to investigate Hakuna Matata purely on the expenses. We made the right decision.

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Very nice campsite, new abolition block. We stood on the sand with an awesome view ok the lake in the shadow of a big tree. It was really quite on a Saturday!

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perfect place to stay a couple of days
the name is Chitimba Camp not Chitimba beach lodge.

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Chitimba Camp, On the Northern shores of Lake Malawi lies Chitimba Camp. Chitimba is a village situated 122 km south of the Malawi/Tanzania border at Karonga, and 143 km from the capital of the north, Mzuzu.

The lodge/campsite is set on a beautiful golden sandy beach, amongst banana palms and papaya trees, surrounded by the famous Livingstonia and Nyika mountains. It lies off a tarmac road that runs straight through the country, from the border of Tanzania all the way to the capital city of Lilongwe.

As you enter the property through a large wooden gate the main focus is the large thatched bar/restaurant/lounge. On the right side of the 1.8 hectares are 8 single rooms, 7 twins rooms, 2 double rooms and a dorm with 4 beds. On the beach you'll find a block with 4 en-suite rooms and 5 luxury en-suite rooms with toilet and shower. There is space for 80 tents and there is a separate new toilet en shower block for males and females.

The lodge/campsite is mostly visited by overland trucks, backpackers and by independent travelers with own transport. During the day (from 6:00 am. till 18:00 pm.) it is possible for people to visit Chitimba camp to have a drink or eat something. Chitimba Camp is the first (heading south) or last (heading North) stop in Malawi for overlander

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Very nice with new ablution block. Still waiting for hot water though. Although frequently used by overlander trucks they are actually nice and relaxed. Food and service is good although a bit pricey.

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Big and nice campsite close to the beach. You can camp anywhere, but there are also options to sleep in one of the many rooms available.

Facilities are looking brand new with the 2 abolution blocks which are clean, nice and cosy bar and restaurant. Prices for food and drinks are very reasonable although we didn’t try it.

Wifi is through skyband and is fast, although pricey with 5000 kw for 2GB which is the price at every campsite through Malawi. No signal with Airtel, but MTN might work.

Just before the entrance you will find young guys selling their wood carvings for good prices if you bargin for it.

Note to the owners: thank you for the great talk and we wish you both the best. En tot slot nogmaals gefeliciteerd dat jullie gaan trouwen. Wij zien de uitnodiging snel tegemoet ;).

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Nice Lodge and Campground on Sand but also with some grassy Areas. Has its own Beach but it's a bit far to the Waterfront (approx. 100 m). Ablutions were okay but a bit smelly, free Electricity at Sites (they even rolled out a long Extension for us), Water Taps with good Water, Skyband Wifi. There was one Overlander Truck when we were there but it was quite. Very friendly and helpful Staff and Owner. Still 7 USD pppn.

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Though there were 3 Overland trucks on site we found a quiet sandy place with beach view. Electricity and water directly at our place. The beach itself is nice but not stunning. Relaxing place.

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Very big and well kept campsite. New ablution blocks. No hot water yet but should come soon. Bar and restaurant look great and the food tastes likewise. Quite expensive though. Excellent view of Lake Malawi and the plateau. Lots of camp space. Sandy or grassy, shady or sunny. Owners Eddie and Carmen are very friendly. Camping is 7 dollar pn.

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Great camp. Best in the region. 2 new shower / toilet blocks. Good bar & restaurant. Friendly staff. Camp on the sand or on shady grass. New en-suite chalets being built (4 available at the moment). Great bar and friendly staff. Chilled atmosphere. Woodcarvers outside lodge are among best we've seen. Plenty of activities can be organised by reception. We ended up staying 5 weeks.

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Lovely place at the lake. Friendly owners and staff, great bar and restaurant

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Nice campsite, ablutions are okay (new ones are being build). Welcoming owners. Lovely bar and restaurant area. $7,-pppn, WIFI (internet via satelite) available for $2,- per day.

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clean place, nice bar and restaurantarea, shaded seating places, new ablution under construction, water supply, dutch owner

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This is overall the best campsite in Malawi that we used, the owners and staff are very friendly and can't do enough to help, plenty of room and shade, electric, Internet, new ablutions just about to be opened, $7 pppn, bar and food very nice, we ended up staying for over a week, large range of rooms available

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Nice spot on the beach. Facilities are good. Electricity is there if you ask. $7 per person per night.

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Nice camp area, also used by overlanding trucks.

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Good facilities, grassy areas but beach is far and you can’t spend more then 2 days here

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This is owned by a South African called Will and his wife and has lovely hot water showers and beach setting.

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