Mumbo Island
Mumbo Isand, Malawi, Cape Maclear, Lake Malawi National Park 48 Malawi
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Set on a pristine, practically deserted tropical island, the eco-friendly Mumbo Camp is surrounded by crystal-clear waters. Lake Malawi National Park is the first in the world set aside for the protection of freshwater fish and therefore, not surprisingly, one of the best freshwater diving locations on the planet. To set the scene, your accommodation – one of six en-suite tents – is perched on rocks high above the water and shaded by lush foliage. With an idyllic lake view, you can while the hours away on the hammock on your private deck. Refreshments are served in the dining area and pub. Be warned, this lazy island lifestyle is contagious!Did you know?Mumbo Island Camp has partnered with Malawi's Department of National Parks and Wildlife to put an end to illegal fishing operations in this sanctuary.Lake Malawi is Africa's third largest and second deepest lake. Mumbo is just one of the miombo woodland islands that pepper the lake. Your activities include scuba diving and snorkelling, while kayaking and boating allow you to explore the surrounding granitic islands.Over 2 000 species of colourful freshwater fish grace our lake. Spotted-necked otter are often seen while the rarer Cape clawless otter, less so. On the island you can see rainbow skinks and large water monitors. Bird life is abundant, dominated by the ever-present African Fish-Eagles.
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Property amenities
Free breakfast
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Beach
Diving
Mosquito net
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
HOTEL STYLE
Lake View
Location
Mumbo Isand, Malawi, Cape Maclear, Lake Malawi National Park 48 Malawi
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195Reviews10Q+A53Room tips
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Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
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This is the paradise on Earth. To go to sleep with nature sounds and to wake up with the same sounds at sunsire is just incredible. Staff is very friendly and rooms are super clean. Very easy to cook for who chose self catering. YOU MUST GO AND VISIT THIS PARADISE!!
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Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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+1
Mumbo Island is a unique piece of paradise on Earth that has been lovingly preserved by Ms Bee and her team including Vincent the boatman, Twiston the sports instructor and Patrick in the restaurant. The facilities are comfortable and extremely sensitively designed completely with local and natural material. The cottages seem to have grown out of the rocks that they are perched on. The hospitality provided is superb, the sunset cruise by Vincent including feeding the fish eagle as well as snorkelling with Twiston's instructions to see the Malawian Cichlid at close quarters is amazing and memorable. The stars in the African night and the sound of the waves lashing the rocks make for memories for a lifetime. The wonderful variety of bird and animal life including the monitor lizard and multicoloured chameleons add to the unique experience. My only regret is that I travelled to Malawi for work and stayed back a few days for leisure. I hope to be back with my family soon.…
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Date of stay: June 2023Trip type: Travelled solo
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Room Tip: Do opt for a lake facing room although it is considerably more expensive. Trust me , the views...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Kayak Africa have made such a special place on Mumbo - here you will have a private island to yourself only to be shared with the water monitors, African fish eagles and cichlids. The rooms are stunning, luxurious and very private, all with lake views. You can snorkel almost right from your room and see the amazing fish of Lake Malawi. The staff were incredibly hospital and making vegetarian food was no problem at all. The food was absolutely delicious. With a sunset cruise, walks and kayak around the island and snorkeling there is more than enough to keep you busy. I'm already planning my next trip!
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Date of stay: June 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
We spent 2 nights on Mumbo, one night in the forest and one on the Lakeshore, the Island is beautiful and Lake Malawi is amazing, the staff were very friendly and helpful, the rooms are basic and the facilities as well, a great place to get away. We enjoyed the walking trails around the Island and there is some wonderful vegetation and trees. That been said the Lodge is in need of Maintenance work, a lot of small things broken and not working, on the first night we had to find a staff member and ask for Hot water for the bucket shower, we naively thought that on the 2nd night someone would come along to fill the bucket shower or at least ask what time we would like hot water, neither of these happened, some basic things that we feel should be in place but are not. We did however enjoy our stay at Mumbo…
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Mumbo Island is the best of Lake Malawi, what a paradise! The whole setting offers a kind of luxury that no aircon, flatscreen tv and jacuzzi could ever beat. The water is crystal clear and so clean. The chalets are very cosy and comfortable, the food is great, and the team is awesome. So helpful and friendly, without intruding on your privacy. Can't wait to go back!
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Date of stay: December 2022Trip type: Travelled with friends
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
We stayed on the Island for 4 nights. Thoroughly enjoyed it. It is an island made up of mostly rocks and trees. The only wildlife are non venomous snakes and LOTS of birds (inc Fish Eagles). My husband counted over 50 varieties of bird. Each chalet has a veranda where you can watch the birds and look at the wonderful scenery. During the the last evening we went on a boat round the island when the boat driver called the fish eagles down, there were several. There is no electricity on the island, you are given a very bright solar powered torch each evening.
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Date of stay: November 2022
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Room Tip: All room have excellent views and amenitivies.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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We absolutely loved the place. Lovely staff, gooed but simple food, tea and coffee at 6am at your doorstep. The view from the hut, especially in the morning, the sky full of stars. Actually everything was fantastic. No fishermen or noose at all during our 3 days
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Date of stay: September 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip: Chalet 4 is great for sunrise views
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We visited from UK as part of a longer tour of Malawi, and our experience did not compare well with our other stops. I have seen reviews that mention superb service and a luxury feel to the island and, in case you have too, I should just note that such things (post pandemic?) did not apply in June 2022. The resort is run by three staff, all of whom stay absent from the restaurant once the food is delivered (e.g. not even stopping to offer an accompanying drink) and were not really evident at other times. The bar operates on an honesty basis but glasses aren't available and although there is ice on the island it isn't available for help yourself drinks. There was no white wine! Food is adequate. One course for lunch, 2 courses for dinner -no choice (or explanation!) There is "free" tea and coffee that you can make yourself, but the equipment is not refreshed often - so that tea spoons are reused, coffee grains coagulated etc. and sometimes the hot water just isn't (sometimes not hot, sometimes not water). We were told there was afternoon hot drinks and cake time, but this wasn't really prepared explicitly (and biscuit availability wasn't 100%!). Every morning a hot flask is delivered outside your room so that you can make a drink, but there is nothing like a turn down service to prepare your mosquito nets in the evening, help to get back to the room in the dark etc. One towel per person per stay. Snorkelling equipment ('included') was very old,damaged and unusable These kinds of thing might all sound like niggles, but they did combine to give the feel of a campsite, while we had been expecting a luxury resort. We were not paying camp site rates. We were the only guests during our stay who were not self-catering. I expect it is difficult to maintain a level of service that is both relevant to a hotel and, essentially, a camp site at the same time. Return visitors told us that the atmosphere is very different now and a lot cheaper for them than prepandemic. The island itself is beautiful and it could have been a highlight of our trip. A really great place to sample freedom and adventure with a real "back to nature" feel. Rooms are huts with no electricity except for the single solar powered light bulb they provide-(Make sure you take your own torch!!), a composting toilet and a bucket shower (hard to find staff members to fill the bucket!). Most are perched on a rocky outcrop just off the island accessed via a wooden causeway,and blessed with incredible views. There are a number of short walks around the main island, incorporating caves, viewing rocks and one that descends steeply to a rocky (beachless) bay where you can swim or snorkel. Wonderful vegetation and butterflies and there are lizards (including Nile monitors) everywhere along with a huge array of birds (such as hornbills, fish eagles and hammerkop). Cichlids in myriad colours are in the lake and also otters although we didn't spot one. Sadly fishermen/poachers camp on the island and there is an issue with waste. National park rules are not observed. In the evenings it was possible to go around the island in a catamaran for "sundowners" - where you can pause to drink your Malawian Gin and Tonic (MGT) as the sun sets - which was magical. We did a couple of scuba dives which were very enjoyable. Thankfully we had brought our own fins. Perhaps a pedantic niggle when carefully following a dive master, we did find the fact that the supplied equipment featured broken depth gauges a bit disconcerting.…
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Date of stay: June 2022
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
2 Helpful votes
Helpful
My partner and I stayed on Mumbo for 5 nights and we absolutely loved it. The island was small and secluded, it was the clearest water and the most stunning rooms. I loved how basic and natural it was. We were given lamps in the evening as there were no lights on the bridge to our rooms, our pathway or in our rooms, but I enjoyed that. We requested warm buckets of water when we wanted a shower, which they fitted into the shower part of the bathroom, so we had a lovely shower. The staff, particularly Christian and Grieven were super friendly and helpful. Christian worked so hard and helped us with anything we needed. The island was just stunning and without wifi, I could fully relax. We used the snorkels, we went kayaking around the island in the warm water and we hiked to an excellent spot called Pod Rock to watch the beautiful sun set. It was something so special, On the map of where to hike to, unfortunately not all of the places are worth hiking to as some are just signs with not much to see, so I would definitely recommend asking the staff where is worth going to. There was a chill out area where we played chess and read. There were sunbeds on the beach and a hammock. The room was small, no plugs, lights or wifi but perfect. We moved to room 4 after a couple of nights which was great as it faced the sun in the morning. We watched the sun rise and chilled on our hammock and chairs on the rock outside our room during the day in the sun. Instead of flushing toilets, they used sewage for compost and the toilet did not smell, so I loved that eco-part of it. Every morning at 6 a tray was left outside our room with tea, coffee and biscuits for us which is such a great extra we enjoyed every morning. The food was fantastic. Tea and coffee were there every day to help yourself and there was a bar too. Breakfast was served every morning at 8am and was great for vegetarians. We had a fruit salad, followed by bread, butter and jam, eggs and vegetables and fruit juice too. Lunch at 1 was varied and great too. It ranged from pizza to pasta with sauces, burrito wraps with avocado and beans and sandwiches. We had a different and excellent lunch each day. Tea at 3pm was great although usually something plain like a plain muffin but was great either way. If we wanted, we could have a fire in the evening which we sat by on 2 nights and the staff made the fire for us. Dinner at 7pm was also inventive and delicious and there was loads of it. We had lasagne, mushroom pasta sauce, aubergine dishes and much more. I really loved the food. The only reason I can't give it 5 stars were because of the fisherman who illegally came to fish far too close to the island for three days in a row. Not only did they invade our privacy, with around 20 boats outside our room at 6am so we had to hide from opening our room doors, but they were leaving dead fish and rubbish in the water which Christian had to clean up in the morning. They shouted at each other very loudly which was invasive and affecting the eco-environment of the lodge. Neither the managers who are not at the island, neither the (probably corrupt) park rangers seemed to car. Fisherman slept on the island which made me feel unsafe, as there were no lockes on our rooms or safes. Another downside is that they could have perhaps put a little more lighting around the rooms and on the bridge so we could see better in the evenings, as although I enjoyed it, we did have to rely totally on our lamp. However it was an unforgettable island which I would recommend to anyone who wants to chill out, read a book, explore the amaziing waters and a secluded island.…
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Date of stay: June 2022
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from live Bester, Owner at Mumbo Island
Responded 6 Sept 2022
Clive here from Kayak Africa - thank you for the feedback. We are the operators of the camp on Mumbo Island. The island is part of the Lake Malawi National Park, which means that any fishing activity or fisherman presence on or near the island, is illegal. That said, we must all also always appreciate that fishing is about food, and scarcity of food is a real issue for many of the people living around this, and indeed most, of the National Parks in Africa. We do care, and Kayak Africa is committed to handling the issue in a sensitive manner and continuously working on the problem with the Malawi Department of National Parks and Wildlife. Fishing activity at any particular location varies considerably depending on the weather, phase of moon and other esoteric factors known only to fishermen. We are well-aware of the unacceptable level of disturbance that occurs on occasion; along with the problems of litter and damage to the protected environment. We are fortunate that these instances - although never acceptable - are not what is happening most of the time. Our apologies for the negative effect that this had on your experience. We regret it and wish it were not so, as Mumbo Island is a truly unique and beautiful place. We promise that we will raise this with the Parks authority. As a company we will also continue to try and be a positive impact on the protection of the environment in Malawi and on the lives of its people.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We (my partner and I) stayed at Mumbo in June 2022 for 5 nights. Mumbo on Lake Malawi is a visually striking and stunning place. It's really beautiful and peaceful (at times). The biggest issue we had with it all is the fact that for the first 2.5 days about 100-200 fishing boats were surrounding the island. Baring in mind you pay $10 per person per day for national park fees (as an international)! This completely ruined the serenity of the place, they were shouting and using their motors from 6:30 am to 4 pm all around the Island completely pillaging the protected Island of its fish. Some were even staying on the island permanently! Every spot we hiked to along the coast of the island there was a fisher vessel moored or active they even at one point came into the bay. I don't blame these guys, they are just trying to feed their families but the park rangers who were called out by previous guests to deal with the issue did nothing and after promising to stay for 5 days to deal with the issue left the same day the guests who called them out left! In a place with no safes for valuables, it was not a good feeling! Now, this isn't Kayak Africa's (Mumbo's Parent Companie) fault but it ruined the experience for the first few days until the third day when most of this hoard left (there were still a few that stayed and continued to disregard the boundary of the national park even continue to stay on the Island at Impipi beach. The worst part about it all is these fishermen are not friendly at all. The other big concern it generated is the Island is professed to be "Bilharzia free" however with hundreds of fishermen coming from the villages that have bilharzia and littering and wasting in the water (much of which washed up on the beach!!!!) The risks of bilharzia shot through the roof, making us very uncomfortable to get in the water! Kayak Africa needs to do more to work with the park rangers to solve this issue. Food & Drink: The food was okay, they catered for us as vegetarians for 5 days and it was a bit hit and miss. The service was excellent; Grevin and Christian are really helpful and lovely! Rooms: The rooms are nice with amazing views but simple. It wasn't great that there was no double bed - this would be fine if the two singles were pushed together (they were) but there was no double duvet, only two singles. The toilets are compost toilets which we were fine with and there's no power in the room but they give you a light which we were also fine with. There's no wifi on the island - we liked this. Activities: The hiking is great there are some amazing viewpoints. However, some spots have fishermen permanently living there. Snorkelling is fantastic but I imagine it would be even better if the island wasn't constantly pillaged of its fish. The Kayaking was great, particularly in the mid-afternoon. Hikers, kayakers, twitchers and snorkellers will love it here. The lodge itself is nice and has great space for dining and some games and books too. It's a bit dark at night in the main eating area and could do with a little more light but it's a very minor issue. The solar panels to charge your stuff do not work so you will have to give anything to the guys working there to charge via generator - not very eco-friendly! I reckon many of these issues may be solved if there was permanent management on the island but there isn't one! We really enjoyed the latter days of our trip, even though a few fishermen remained the island is like paradise when it's quiet and a fantastic place to chill out for a few days.…
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Date of stay: June 2022
Cleanliness
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Sleep Quality
Room Tip: Room 4. It must be room 4. We moved here based on recommendations of someone leaving the room and...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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LOCATION
MalawiLake Malawi National ParkCape Maclear
NUMBER OF ROOMS
6
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Claim Your ListingMUMBO ISLAND - Updated 2023 Reviews (Malawi/Cape Maclear)
Frequently Asked Questions about Mumbo Island
What are some of the property amenities at Mumbo Island?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free breakfast, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge.
What food & drink options are available at Mumbo Island?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge during their stay.
Does Mumbo Island have any great views?
Yes, guests often enjoy the lake view available here.