#makokola

[afrourbanbeat]

(Lake Trip to Mangochi with Aeysha 2019)

Take a trip with me down memory lane, to one of my favourite beach vacations that I ever went on, it was with my friends and we stayed at one of her friend's family cottage by the lake in Mangochi. Just a few picturesque shots from my archive. I really miss my tumblr girl era, I think I'm gonna just get back at it. I used to love blogging about spots I went to and trips I enjoyed. Looking back at these photos just kind of reminded me of that era of my life and how much I loved it. Returning back to who you were after you've been lost is a funny thing. Cheers to finding me again.

But yeah, if you're ever looking for an amazing beach vacation, I highly recommend The Makokola Retreat, Mangochi, Malawi.

P.S.

I love that boat photo. Definitely one of my favorites.

[faithtales]

2022: Yearly Round-Up

First things first: Happy New Year!!! Look at you, you made it through to tell the tale! And what a year 2022 was! For me, the highs were very euphoric, and the lows were the absolute worst. From January 2022, I wished the year would just end already. I had a very painful start to the year. In February, my only surviving grandmother passed away, and the day I got the news will go down as one of the worst days of my life. I miss my gogo dearly, but I’m also happy she is finally resting. The last long conversation I had with her was very deep, and left me inspired to live a life she would be proud of. 

This was also the year we experienced devaluation, inflation, a fuel crisis, persistent blackouts and the list goes on and on. I couldn’t have picked the worst time to move out. Prices skyrocketed, and Little Miss Independent here called mum, dad, and her big sister Charity when she met any inconvenience (baby steps, guys, baby steps). But despite all that, I have really enjoyed living alone and the peace that comes with it. Honestly, it is not as scary as most people portray it. I truly love it here - highly recommend.

The good parts were really good, too. I loved quality time with family and friends, and the wins were nothing short of miracles. I significantly reduced the time I spent on some social media sites and deleted some apps while at it, and I'm glad I did. I also had a fairly great year at work, mainly because I enjoy the work I do, and I am surrounded by some really awesome workmates. It was a year of lessons, too. The biggest lesson is that when God says His mercies are new every morning? He means just that! That He loves you unconditionally? Never ever doubt it. I am walking into 2023 with all the lessons in mind and asking for God’s grace to take me through.

So, as per tradition, before we move on completely, here is my round-up for the year 2022:

Top 5 places visited:

1. Zomba Mountain - William Falls and Songani Lookout

Took a hike very early on in January, and got to see the amazing William Falls and went all the way to Songani Lookout with my girls. Zomba views will never ever get old.

2. Rumphi

This year was my first time going up north beyond the city of Mzuzu. All I can say is, the north really is underrated. I went all the way to Karonga, and Chiweta was a marvel. This was a work trip so I didn’t get to do much, but it just made me itch for a proper Rumphi trip. I have always wanted to visit Mushroom Farm and Nyika Plateau… What I saw of Rumphi made me realise this is one of the most beautiful districts in Malawi (by far, too!).

Photo credits: Adventures with Colby, and Herman Is Out of The Office

3. Makokola Retreat

I remember going to Makokola Retreat when we were younger during school holidays (called Club Makokola back then). When I visited this year, I felt so nostalgic! It is still as amazing as it was, and I’m so glad the standard keeps going up. This is truly one of Mangochi’s finest establishments.

4. Kefi  Hotel Café

The newest Instagrammable location in my beautiful hometown! Kefi is located near the Zomba Botanical Gardens. They have really great food, and I love that they maintained the good old Zomba colonial style exterior and blended it with aesthetic interior design. I truly enjoyed the calm and quiet here.

I don’t know if you can just show up now, but last I checked, you have to book ahead, so plan accordingly if you ever want to visit.

5. Maravi Coffee 

I finally fulfilled my promise to check out this place inside the Nature Sanctuary, right in City Centre. Such a cosy place, surrounded by trees and cheeky monkeys. For a second, you forget you are in the middle of dusty Lilongwe.

Top books Read

Let me not even lie guys, I did not read enough interesting books to come up with a list for this year’s round-up. What I did do though, was get into podcasts so that’s how I am making up for not coming up with a list of my top reads.

Fav Podcasts

I discovered that a very great way to spend time in slow Lilongwe traffic is a good ol’ dramatic story by Wondery! Wondery is by far, my fav publisher of podcasts. The drama. The scandals. The history lessons – oooh yes!

Here are my favourites, with my personal rating

American Scandal:

Edward Snowden (4/5)

Watergate (3/5)

The Clinton-Lewinsky Affair (4/5)

Tuskegee Syphilis Study (5/5!)

British Scandal:

Spy Cops (5/5)

The Coughing Major (5/5)

The Litvinenko Affair (3/5)

The Canoe Con (5/5!!!!)

The Murdoch Phone Hacking (3.5/5)

Business Wars:

McDonald's vs Burger King (4/5)

15 songs that were stuck on replay in 2022

Since Spotify decided to discriminate us this year and not give us our well deserved Wrapped, I had to come up with this list manually, so I hope I'm not too far off.

The one thing I have loved about this year is the amount of Malawians putting out quality music on streaming platforms. It gives me so much hope for what's to come.

1.     Jehova – Ryan Ofei

2.     Somebody Knows – ELI-J

3.     The Commission – CAIN

4.     Bwenzi Langa – Free Worship Malawi, Simplice Bless

5.     He’ll Be There – Lynual Younce

6.     I Am Yours – Terry Clark

7.     Standing By The Bedside – Cox Family

8.     Shall Not Want – Elevation Worship, Maverick City Music, Chandler Moore

9.     There Was Jesus – CAIN

10. No Words (ft. Leon Timbo) - Jason Nelson

11. Never Lost - CeCe Winans

12. You're Gonna Be Okay - Jenn Johnson

13. Capable God - Judikay

14. You I Live For - Moses Bliss

15. Alipo - Kelvin Sings, Beracah  (why is this song so short tho? 🥺)

You can find this playlist on Spotify 

Honourable mentions - songs I replayed on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/oF7EUyQArPQ

https://youtu.be/WZAzTGsEnHI

https://youtu.be/PJDRmhaPAaQ

 And that’s it! I wish you a great new year, until the next round-up, God willing, enjoy 2023!

-Fai

P/S: My website is down at the moment, so I’ll use Tumblr till it’s up and running again.

[danniegp-blog]

Meeting at @the_makokola_retreat. As I was paying my bill at the temporary reception area, in came Atupele. He beamed at me and I beamed back as we shook hands. "Have you come for ...?" He wanted to know. Instead of answering his question, I said, "I think I know you." That's when he knew I wasn't at The Makokola Retreat for whatever he thought I was there for. I also exchanged pleasantries with his wife and the kids when they joined him. I must confess the brief meeting was way more pleasant than one I had with his father the day I first met him, two weeks before he was elected first post #Kamuzu President. #UDF #UnitedDemocraticFront #makokolaretreat #makokola #LakeMalawi #lakemalawi #Mangochi #Malawi #sunsetlandscapes #sunrise_sunset_photogroup #instagram #Kamuzu #HKB, https://www.instagram.com/p/B9WfAjgB_6d/?igshid=1ekxv7so435n0

[biomedgrid]

Biomed Grid| Status of Fisheries in Republic of Malawi, Central Africa

Editorial

David Livingstone first saw Lake Nyassa, now Lake Malawi, in 1859 and was bewitched by its beauty. “The lake of stars”, he called it, as a myriad winking galaxy glittered from the crystal facets of the water. The lake gathers most of its water from rivers to the west, and has only one outlet, the Shire River. The Shire drains the lake at its most southern point, opposite the town of Mangochi. Established on the east bank in 1891, the little town was a garrison against slave traffic. Boadzulu, a rocky island off Club Makokola, mentioned by David Livingstone in his Narrative of an Expedition to the Zambezi and its Tributaries and the Discovery of Lakes Nyassa and Chilwa (London, 1865), is well worth the short cruise to see giant monitor lizards basking on the rocks. The population of fish eagles on this shoreline is said to be the densest in Africa and their haunting cries are heard everywhere, dawn till dusk. The third largest lake in Africa, and one of the deepest in the world,  its  water  is  particularly  pure.  Fish  prefer  the  shallower,  southern  end,  so  it’s  no  surprise  that  the  human  population  is  denser in the south. Here too, the brightly coloured cichlid fishes, mbuna, abound, making rocky island shores an open-air aquarium for snorkelers and scuba divers. Long and lithe, Lake Malawi was once known as the “calendar lake”, measuring 365 miles in length and 52 miles across at its widest point. Tropical Lake Malawi is the southernmost of the East African Rift Valley lakes. It is 560 km long, 40–70 km wide and 22,490 km2  in  area,  with  a  terrestrial  watershed of 75,300 km2 and a maximum depth of 700 m. It is a popular hot location with the cleanest beaches on Lake Malawi with its deep and crystal waters that boast a beautiful fish sanctuary and a delight to divers.

Read More About this Article:https://biomedgrid.com/pdf/AJBSR.MS.ID.000576.pdf

For more about: Journals on Biomedical Science :Biomed Grid

[malawi-places]

Beach, lake & so much blue sky on the shores of Lake Malawi. 📷 Jacbosser (Instagram) took this one at the Makokola Retreat (known as Club Mak to old timers). I like the picture composition. Club Mak is on the southern lakeshore & is very nice. #ClubMak #LakeMalawi ..... .............. #Malawi #fbp #tw @jacbosser #MakokolaRetreat #BeachView #PlacesToStayInMalawi https://ift.tt/2NucfmT

[sol-lunas]

891 Blue waxbill (Uraeginthus angolensis) Makokola Retreat, Malawi by Tim Randall Via Flickr: A female red-cheeked cordon-bleu is very similar but I think that the ID I've given is correct.

[minitravellers]

So what did you think of our Malawi trip? Was it how you imagined it to be? Here is a short video of some of our favourite moments. We have so much more to show you, but here is a taster of what's to come! Thanks to everyone involved in hosting us, including The Responsible Safari Company Game Haven Lodge Zomba Forest Lodge Mvuu Camp & Mvuu Lodge The Makokola Retreat Domwe Island Kayak Africa Robin Pope Safaris Huntingdon House, Satemwa Tea Estate satemwa_tea_coffee FlySAA UK https://ift.tt/2JaJaJX

[ravisharmaahstudio]

Wedding Season Beard & ........................... Church Makokola Katholik . Photographer @sam6.1photographer . . Shots @jobu255 & @ravisharmaah . Visual @sam6.1studio . Make up @hasina_salon . @the_mafik_crew . #weddingdress #wedding #daresalaam #city #dar #bongo #weddingmakeup #groomsmen #weddingphotography #weddingfilm #weddingvideography #tanzanianweddings #weddingtrends #kenyaweddings #bellanaijaweddings #weddingguest #instagram #instagood #instamood #ravisharmaah #vumbi #yopechallenge #yoperemix #cinematicwedding #groomsmen #lit #verylit #pepeta @tanzanianweddings @eastafricaweddings @kenya_wedding @weddingdigestnaija @bellanaijaweddings @bridaldiaryy @myweddingnigeria @rwandan_wedding_ @asoebibella @asoebiafrica #Taboraweddingvideographer https://www.instagram.com/p/B4UxDtbAM4W/?igshid=15b5hq7a0nool

[tripstations]

Lake Malawi – the jewel in Malawi’s crown

Having given an overview of Malawi’s unique variety of attractions in last month’s blog (lake, landscape, wildlife and culture), this month we will focus in on what is probably the best known: Lake Malawi. Widely viewed as Malawi’s primary tourism asset and also known as the Lake of Stars, Lake Malawi is a wondrous inland sea of crystal-clear waters fringed by beaches of golden sand.

A shimmering jewel in the crown of one of the most naturally beautiful corners of Southern Africa, Lake Malawi’s great expanse of fresh water stretches across approximated one fifth of the country, providing in many ways the lifeblood of this tiny nation.  Ebbing and flowing into every part of Malawian life, the Lake brings sustenance, livelihood, tourism and leisure and forms an integral part of Malawi’s cultural heritage. Sometimes known as the ‘Calendar Lake’ because it is 365 miles long and 52 miles wide (i.e. number of days in a year by the number of weeks in a year) and easily qualifying as an inland sea, Lake Malawi also borders Mozambique and Tanzania where it is known as Lake Nyassa.

The Lake Malawi National Park is the world’s first freshwater national park. The aquatic wonderland at Cape Maclear and its surrounding areas has earned a UNESCO World Heritage Site status, which encompasses the land around the cape and bay, as well as the Lake and a number of islands off shore.

Swimming with the fish is a favourite pastime in Lake Malawi; dubbed ‘God’s Aquarium’ it offers an incredible kaleidoscopic display of spectacular coloured tropical fish. The lake is home to almost 1000 species of fish around 80% of which cannot be found in any other lake in the world. The Cichlidae (cichlids) dominate and the lake which is said to contain over thirty per cent of all known cichlid species. Among these are the small highly coloured mbuna rock fish which frequently grace the aquariums of many a home in the western world. The abundant fish populations have made the lake a global ‘hot-spot’ for studies of biodiversity, and it is also widely recognised as one of the best freshwater diving locations in the world with visibility reaching 30m at the best times of year (August to December).

Lake Malawi’s clear, calm, warm, shark-free and tideless waters provide an opportunity for almost any water sport and the beautiful palm fringed shores and immaculate beaches make it a magnet for those seeking an all-year round location to swim, scuba dive, snorkel, water-ski, sail, kayak, parasail or simply potter about in boats, and the salt-free water is a bonus. Some of the best diving is available in the waters of the Lake Malawi National Park at Cape Maclear to the south, but there are a handful more dive schools dotted along the Lake’s shore. One to six-day courses are available with professional tuition and PADI or NAUI certification. Alternatively, sailing tours can be taken to incorporate day or night dives.

Offering a rich fish harvest, the Lake plays an important part in the economy. Fishing villages are scattered along the shore and the traditional industry and practices are also an attraction to visitors.  As well as being able to visit the villages and experience the friendly cultural interaction for which Malawi is famed, visitors can also try their hand at fishing if they wish.

For sailing enthusiasts, the Lake Malawi Yachting Marathon takes places annually in July. Described as the longest freshwater yachting race in the world (over 500km), this event is not for the faint-hearted sailor. It is during July that the mwera blows strongest up Lake Malawi from Mozambique, creating some rough water and challenging conditions. The event is popular with yachts and crews in southern Africa and has attracted international entrants in some years.  Starting at one of the resorts on the southern lakeshore, the event takes entrants northwards over a number of days.

Many of Malawi’s most high profile events take place on the Lake’s palm fringed shores, including the Lake of Stars – an internationally renowned music & arts festival which now forms part of the global festival circuit. Lake of Stars has been going for over 15 years and this year will run as a boutique festival on the lakeshore in North Malawi from 27 to 29 September.

There is a good range of accommodation along the lakeshore, with excellent lodges expertly placed for guests to enjoy the areas of outstanding natural beauty. Between Mangochi and Monkey Bay is a long line of wonderful beaches with a wide variety of accommodation.  The Mangochi Lakeshore has the Lake’s largest concentration of lodges and hotels, varying from sophisticated properties, with golf course and airstrip, to more simple resorts. Best known is the long established and ever impressive Makokola Retreat, with Zaburi Beach by Serendib a very welcome new addition to this stretch. For a more intimate place to stay, Norman Car Cottage nearer to Monkey Bay is a charming family-run lodge.

Cape Maclear and the Lake Malawi National Park boast an excellent choice of accommodation including two on deserted tropical islands: Mumbo and Domwe, the luxurious Pumulani by Robin Pope Safaris and the great value Warm Heart Adventure Lodge. Most accommodation gives very easy access to the beaches and offers a wide range of activities on the Lake.

Senga Bay is another place where there are a number of good lodges and hotels, and it benefits from being the closest point on the lake to Lilongwe. Serendib has two more beach hotels here: Kambiri Beach and Blue Waters, with Kumbali Lake Retreat (sister property of Kumbali Country Lodge in Lilongwe) the pick of the smaller lodges. Blue Zebra Island Lodge is an idyllic retreat on its own island just off shore.

The stretch of Lakeshore between the historic Nkhotakota and the sugar estate town of Dwangwa has a smattering of lodges, with the best being the northernmost, Ngala Beach Lodge.

Another concentration of accommodation is found on the Chintheche lakeshore, which has some stunning beaches. Chintheche Inn, run by Central African Wilderness Safaris, has had some exciting new developments this year and family-run Makuzi Beach remains as popular as ever. For large families or small groups, The Beach House offers an opportunity to occupy an entire house, whilst The Stables Guesthouse at Kande Horse is set back from the beaches and, unsurprisingly, concentrates on horse riding experiences.

Venturing across Lake Malawi, Likoma Island has the Lake’s best known and most luxurious lodge, Kaya Mawa, as well as being the main access point to get to the barefoot luxury of Nkwichi Lodge in the Manda Wilderness area on the Mozambiquan shores of the Lake.

Whether guests choose a stay that is relaxed, or action packed, Lake Malawi has a huge amount to offer any visitor to Malawi. This immense and beautiful ‘Lake of Stars’ that entranced the explorer David Livingstone over 150 years ago has lost none of its allure, and the impressive hotels and lodges now dotted along its shore make it all the easier to succumb to Lake Malawi’s charms in wonderful, relaxed comfort.

Kelly White is Director of the Malawi Travel Marketing Consortium. Malawi Travel Marketing Consortium aims to provide you with the best information to make Malawi your tourism destination.

If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.

The post Lake Malawi – the jewel in Malawi’s crown appeared first on Tripstations.

from Tripstations http://bit.ly/2xgm6pf via IFTTT

[casbear7]

Tweeted

ifb

— Mr Gerald Makokola (@Mr_Khanya) March 10, 2019

[minitravellers]

Club Makokola, Club Mak, The Makokola Retreat – it’s had many names but this Malawi beach resort situated right on Lake Malawi is popular with visitors to Malawi due to its airstrip, beach front location and its large size. With 50 plus rooms it’s one of the largest of the Malawi Beach resorts... https://ift.tt/2s1QOiw

[minitravellers]

So what did you think of our Malawi trip? Was it how you imagined it to be? Here is a short video of some of our favourite moments. We have so much more to show you, but here is a taster of what's to come! Thanks to everyone involved in hosting us, including The Responsible Safari Company Game Haven Lodge Zomba Forest Lodge Mvuu Camp & Mvuu Lodge The Makokola Retreat Domwe Island Kayak Africa Robin Pope Safaris Huntingdon House, Satemwa Tea Estate satemwa_tea_coffee FlySAA UK https://ift.tt/2JaJaJX

[casbear7]

Tweeted

ifb

— Mr Gerald Makokola (@Mr_Khanya) March 10, 2019

[casbear7]

Tweeted

follow back pls

— Mr Gerald Makokola (@Mr_Khanya) March 7, 2019

[minitravellers]

Club Makokola, Club Mak, The Makokola Retreat – it’s had many names but this Malawi beach resort situated right on Lake Malawi is popular with visitors to Malawi due to its airstrip, beach front location and its large size. With 50 plus rooms it’s one of the largest of the ... https://ift.tt/2s1QOiw

[minitravellers]

Club Mak now The Makokola Retreat | Malawi Beach Resort

Club Mak now The Makokola Retreat | Malawi Beach Resort

Club Makokola, Club Mak, The Makokola Retreat – it’s had many names but this Malawi beach resort situated right on Lake Malawi is popular with visitors to Malawi due to its airstrip, beach front location and its large size. With 50 plus rooms it’s one of the largest of the Malawi Beach resorts.

*Trip and Transfers arranged by Responsible Safari Company and Malawi Tourism

So what did we think…