Fat Monkeys | Established Campground

Well, campground is in the center of the village. So a lot of people walking on the beach 5 meter in front of the campground and you have noise all the day / night.
But, you can stay next to the lake and the restaurant is really good.

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Worst sleep in our 5 weeks in Malawi. The camping area is on the beach, which is fine for views but throughout the day and all the night, there are people walking just 2 metres from your camper, shouting, singing, playing boom box music. Even at 3 am. I was woken up midnight, 1,2,3,5 am, almost every single hour. People leaned over and wanted to sell us all sort of things from fruits to clothes.

Last night booming music started at 10 pm and went on till 6 am.

Awful floodlights that can’t be switched off unless you take off the bulb which shined into our RTT.

There is NO electricity on site. When there is a power outage, which is most of the day, the manager will ask you to unplug your camper as they don’t want to waste the generator running your fridge. They don’t tell you this when you arrive, or course.

They use untreated lake water for all the water onsite, including showers and washing up area. So if you are worried about bilharzia, suggest not coming here at all.

Shower is clean BUT full of mosquitoes, and i got bitten a dozen times there because there is no netting or door.

8 USD pp for horrible sleep and experience.

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I stayed six days. I was the only camper, even though it was peak time. The showers are good. The view out onto the lake is great. Very good sunsets. The management keep the sellers out. I had a couple of meals in the restaurant which were good.

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We are staying here for two evenings. Quiet and clean ablutions . Friendly staff and awesome campsites 4 m from the waters edge. Car wash available and also firewood. Excursions can be organized from here. Lights at camping area and generator runs very quietly in the background. Very little noise in the surrounding area. Restaurant is open . Area outside of the whole of Cape Maclear is unfortunately dirty and full of plastic bags. But inside it is very clean. Do not feel unsafe . And easy to find . Mosquitos not too much of a problem as there was a nice breeze.

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Nice campsite. Friendly staff and owners. Owner has workshop with an impressive collection of tools that can come in handy if you need to repair something. Paid only 4000 MKW due to low-season.

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Flat campsite with lapacs and electricity asking the beach. Many sellers at the beach but the staff will not allow them on the property.
The beach is used by the locals to do laundry and do their dishes. Because of this it's not clean anymore.
You can book a island tour (two islands, snorkeling twice, visit per point) with lunch. We paid USD25 for 7 people. Fat Monkey can help you find a reliable guide. You also can walk into the beach and they will find you.

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lots of places have been quiet while we've been on the road due to COVID but this place still had a decent atmosphere. nice bar with music and DStv. had a large party in from Blantyre while we were there who partied all night but we were glad for the company!

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The camp is very nice, the staff is very friendly, the food is very good. Make sure you close everything, we've been robbed here although the security was around. It can get loud at night!

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Nice campground. They had to cut the big mango tree for us. Otherwise no chance to park. They were really helpful and nice, except the owners ... as you said before. But the access is possible for big rigs. A lot to see: Many people do their daily things. Excellent view on the beach.

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All as described. No dog. Agree owners not in the least bit interested in us. They walked past a few times but didn't engage at all. Dont like the way the lady "speaks" to the staff. Otherwise the place is well maintained. Neat and tidy and flexible with price. Staff very friendly.

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A very nice spot with good facilities and friendly bar staff. Overall a good vibe. Camping is USD8 ppn and they charge 5% surcharge if you want to pay by card.

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We stayed for two nights, fisilities is goed with restuarant and bar, nice place but a lot of locals using the lake for bathing and washing.

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Beach location with good camping and upgrades to dorms or rooms. Good restaurant and bar. The staff and owners are very helpful and good fun.

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The last part of the road to get here is quit bumpy. It goes through a small village where it is busy with kids and goats. :-) the place itself is nice! Friendly staff. We did a kayak trip to an island for snorkeling and to spot some fish eagles. Beautiful! Restaurant food is good. Prices for camping are negotiable. You can pay with credit card too. And there are pills against Bilharzia available at the reception.

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Very nice stay. The description much as other posts. It was a breeze. They wanted $8 per person we offered $5 pppn all excepted. The staff was great. This is the better camp in out of season in Cape Mcclear. Clean and maintained well. Lot of protection if rainy in the park. Stayed 2 nights.

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Good place to camp close to the beach and within walking distance of other places and the small shops in the village, nice to stay with other overlanders instead of the holidaymakers.

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Nice campsite right on the beach on level ground at some spots with a wash up area, water points, electricity points under the mango tree giving plenty of fresh mangos! 8USD pppn to camp but for 2 or more nights Kw4500 was fine as well! Bar is nice and relaxed and the restaurant similarly priced as other places. We didn’t try the food though.

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As reported by everyone else. Just to add rooftop tents may be restricted by low trees in the campsite. If there are more than 4 cars.

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Staff very friendly, bar and restaurant with good service (we loved Able, the bartender!).
The owner was very helpful and allowed my husband to use his shop to fix our trailer brake and he also welded an item for us free of charge.
The dog, Benji, is not a lover and does not react well when startled or approached, but we did not personally have any issues with him.
We found the bathrooms to be clean, and were attended to daily by staff. There is a lapa with a dish sink and garbage was emptied daily.
Laundry sink and clothes line also provided in camping area. Not the most spacious of campsites, but we enjoyed it!

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Nothing much to add to the above except owners are not friendly and some people were bitten by there dog, beware as dog has an odd character , one minute friendly next aggressive. They didn’t even apologize for dog or offer to tie it up!!
Toilets and shower were dirty otherwise it’s a nice place and staff helpful and friendly

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Clean and lots of shade

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Busy but nice Backpacker with Bungalows, Dorm and Beach Front Campground. Camping under the Trees on Sand. Free Electricity, Cooking Areas with Taps, nice Bar and okay Restaurant. You can access the Skyband Wifi Hotspot (average Speed), a 1 GB Voucher costs 3.000 MWK (3,50 Euro). Ablutions okay but a bit too small. The Restaurant was reasonable priced and Food was okay. It was very busy and noisy on the Weekend (Day Visitors). A bit more quite bit stilly noisy and busy during the working days. One Word about Mgoza Restaurant: we tried the Burger there (was also recommended by Lonely Planet), Price was okay but it was nothing special. The whole Mgoza Restaurant was empty when we ate there in the Evening (so maybe better eat at Fat Monkeys). They had a Sign 'No own Food or Drinks or Alcohol' but we assume that it's only for Day Visitors. We cooked a lot and also drank our own Beer sometimes. Unfortunately we didn't bath in the Lake as it looked like perfect conditions for Bilharzia (but many Guests went swimming and just bought the cheap Medics at the Reception). They wanted 8 USD pppn but we negotiated 5 USD pppn (payable also in MWK).

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We stayed here for 3 nights, the last one was even on Friday. We did not have any trouble with loud music or other things. (Maybe because there's a lot of time no power 😉)
The campsite is good and have enough space. We paid $6 pppn
The staff is very friendly but the owners don't say a word.
We did some diving with Cape Maclear scuba diving, was a good experience!

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Prices now: $8 pp for camping, $10 half day and $20 for full day kayak renting, $10 for snorkel equipment renting. Wifi is 250 MB for 1000 kwacha. Bilharzia medication available at the reception. The place was very noisy when we were there: a disco next door until late, while the people and fishboats arrive early morning.

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Great place to camp with a roof tent. Camping spots are level and shaded, we paid $3pppn. Wifi available for money. They have a couple excellent 2 person kayaks available for rent, $5 half day or $10 full day. Also snorkeling kit available for hire $5 per day. Food is good, beer is cold and the staff are relaxed and helpful. Very secure and easy access to the beach.

Mgoza restaurant and lodge west of here on the beach has fantastic food. We ate there 3 days running and it was great every time. Even let us eat on credit as we had forgotten the wallet one day! Best burgers in Malawi from our experience!

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fat monkeys is definitely open and the campsite is fantastic. great for tents and roof top tents - camping under mango trees right on the beach. the restaurant serves good and cheap breakfast and staff are very helpful. clean ablutions with hot water and space for laundry and dishes. Good bar on the beach as well.

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Currently Fat Monkeys is closed for Maintenance. Do not know when they will open again.

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Sandy camping area with lots of space between the mango trees. Facilities for dish washing and laundry, small kitchen area, power points and braais available. Nice lake view, but as said before the whole village is washing and doing laundry in the lake.

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Great place and friendly staff. You can get them down in price for camping. Local art and crafts are hugely overpriced because gringos buy there.

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An ok place to stay. Good camping views and showers are sometimes warm. $6 per person per night. It is the furthest lodge down the beach so is a walk to activities. Staff and very friendly but the owners are a bit distant. Food is ok. You can pay for everything on card with a 5% fee on top. Sky band wifi.

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Nice camping area on sand beside beach . Large open air kitchen with sitting area , sinks & water . Washing line . Very clean ablution block, with hot water all day .ladies facilities a bit better than men's . Great bar with a restaurant beside beach. Beach front mainly clear of local traffic , but a few locals allowed to try and sell goods / excursion etc. Locals use beach either side to wash etc, so did not personally go into lake. Although they do provide medication for bilharziasis . Price 6 USD pp per night.was very noisy when a large group came in as it's quite a small camping area. But a good camp area if you want to be in the town .

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See 1st comment, big mango trees for shade; right of Fat Monkey traditional fishermen village, worth to walk through; we did not swim because of bilharzia

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Nice camp ground

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Shaded place at beach. Quite full with youth group tents. We were warned for noise, but that was no issue at all. It was actually quite nice to meet some overlanders since a long time. Ablutions were too few for the number of guests. Skyband WiFi must be bought separately (600 MWK per 100 MB). .

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Our experience was poot - management aren't really managing the property and we had problems. We only remained due to Skyband wifi hotspot

Cost:MK2000

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A great spot right on the lake shore, but can get busy on weekends or if an overlander truck arrives. Good vibe, but quite noisy as the surrounding village is busy. But great facilities and fantastic trips to the islands for snorkelling. 4,000MK a night.

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Camping on sand next to the beach at Cape Maclear. Nice toilet and shower block (with hot water), power, place to do dishes and laundry, WIFI if you by MB with Skyband, restaurant and bar. It was nice and secure when we were there. The only thing at Cape Maclear is that the whole village is using the beach and lake to do all their washing of pots, pans, laundry and themselves. We did not swim in the lake because of this, but many other tourists did.

3120 MK – 6 USD per person per night, so price in MK depends on the daily exchange rate.

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One if not the best camp site next to camp next to Lake Malawi. Well run camp site with a laid back feel. Many overlanders visit the place and it's cool to share stories with them.
Use the boat Shanana to do trips into the lake. We stayed there for 3 weeks. Still one of the best places we camped.

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