The Tongole Wilderness Lodge in Malawi
In 2017, over 250 elephants were air transported to the Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve from the Liwonde National Park – over two hours’ drive away. Hundreds of elephants who can now happily call the area home.
It seems strange, with all the talk of them being endangered, but in some areas of Malawi there are actually too many elephants to cope with, mainly thanks to the success of their efforts with the evil poachers.
Cue: this great Malawi elephant migration.
So now the Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve is apparently seeming with elephants. But, with 1,800m squared of land, the elephants still have their privacy and it can be a little tricky to spot them. I was assured that you often see herds of them gathering on the paths. Not us though.
Unfortunately over the two days we stayed at the Tongole Wilderness Lodge in the Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve we only had a quick sighting between the trees on the way out. Still though, magical.
Check out my video to see them in action (hiding from me).
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MORE blog posts about MALAWI
This one time, I went to Malawi, and stayed at the fancy Pumulani Lodge. That same time I went on an amazing Malawi Safari and then also went and showered with Elephants at Mvuu Lodge, in Malawi.
The Tongole Wilderness Lodge idea
The Tongole Wilderness Lodge was borne from tragedy, and a desire for it to have not been in vain. After the death of 15-year-old Vitu Kallanga, in a car accident, his father and his girlfriend’s father decided they wanted to set something up in memorial, to create a project in his son’s name that helped the neighbourhood.
And so the Tongole Wilderness Lodge, and the Tongole Foundation began.
The founders received a loan to make this vision a reality, thanks to the government who wanted to increase tourism levels and saw the potential for the lodge to help the animals in the area feel safer. Where the wild animals see light they see safety, as poaching has been a big problem in Malawi for years and having the protection of the lodge would help their survival.
They envisioned a rustic lodge that:
– employed local people
– brought tourists to the area for a rustic holiday