Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Destination Chintheche, where lake stars still shine
By Levi Zeleza Manda
As usual early September this year fun lovers from all over the world, Malawian city dwellers and local Tonga will mix and fete at Chintheche in what has been termed the lake of starts of music festival. British musicians and the best Malawi’s musicians, including those who refuse to participate in the Kuche Kuche competition, will be there to celebrate universal culture. Why Chintheche?
Chintheche is beautiful. To say that there is nothing like it in Malawi would sound like an exaggeration to some. But as I travel I make comparisons. I compare Mulanje to the Nyika plateau. Both are beautiful but the Mulanje plateau is difficult to access. The Nyika plateua is easier. As I travel I make comparisons. I compare Mangochi to Chintheche. Yes. Mangochi has a well developed tourism industry by Malawian standards. Yes. It boats beautiful lake views, particularly at Cape Maclear. But because the lake there is narrow and shallow, most of Mangochi lake waters are not very suitable for swimming as they are dark and ‘soiled”.
Enter Chintheche, a generic name given to the long stretch of land from Kachere to Sanga. The Chintheche shoreline has some of the most beautiful beaches in the country. The water depth is gradual like that of a swimming pool. The sand is sparkling white and you can easily mark out a dark object in the water from afar. Those who have attended the lake of stars music festival will attest to this fact. Mangochi beaches do not sparkle. I compare. The Chintheche beaches have natural vegetation behind them curtsey of careful harvesting of forest products.
Mangochi has a lot of hotels and tourists lodges. Chintheche, too, has over 15 lodges dotted along the lakeshore. Most of them have en-suite rooms and electricity. They are located not far away from the Lakeshore road. Access roads are in good condition. Like the Yao of Mangochi, the Tonga of Nkhata Bay are friendly and helpful to visitors.
The people of Nkhata Bay are known for their smartness and their cooking is typically clean and appetizing because most Tonga cooks and restaurant staff have international experience, mostly from South Africa, where they have worked in white people’s homes as cooks.
Seeing is believing. So welcome to Makuzi Beach resort, a “secluded paradise” at old Bandawe mission where Dr Robert Laws established the second Scottish Christian mission after abandoning Cape Maclear. Makuzi Beach offers clean accommodation in rondavels situated around the bay. As I travel from here I see a lot of spectacular surroundings and marvel at birds chirping here and there or fish eagles gliding in military formation in the blue sky over Malawi’s lake of stars.
Seeing is believing. So welcome to Kande Beach and enjoy your horse ride. Welcome to Chintheche Inn, home of the lake of stars music festival. As I travel along the beautiful beaches I choose to go swimming, wind-gliding, canoeing, fishing, diving, or I simply sit on a rock watching the colourful mbuna fish eating algae away hours on end.
But as I travel back I wonder where the hotel people bank their monies as the whole of Nkhata Bay has no commercial bank. I wonder what I will do if I run out of fuel as the entire stretch from Kachere to Nkhata Bay has no filling station.
When my French friend, Pierre Lepuissant, says next year he will come by private plane, I wonder where he will land as the airstrip at Chintheche was abandoned decades ago and it has been partitioned into several “football stadiums” NGOs and politicians hold their shows and rallies.
My French friend, Pierre Lepuissant, concludes, though that nowhere in his travels has he seen such clean beaches as those along the Chintheche shoreline. Lepuissant believes the lake of stars festival should include a display of local Tonga music and dances. I don’t disagree with him.
By Levi Zeleza Manda
As usual early September this year fun lovers from all over the world, Malawian city dwellers and local Tonga will mix and fete at Chintheche in what has been termed the lake of starts of music festival. British musicians and the best Malawi’s musicians, including those who refuse to participate in the Kuche Kuche competition, will be there to celebrate universal culture. Why Chintheche?
Chintheche is beautiful. To say that there is nothing like it in Malawi would sound like an exaggeration to some. But as I travel I make comparisons. I compare Mulanje to the Nyika plateau. Both are beautiful but the Mulanje plateau is difficult to access. The Nyika plateua is easier. As I travel I make comparisons. I compare Mangochi to Chintheche. Yes. Mangochi has a well developed tourism industry by Malawian standards. Yes. It boats beautiful lake views, particularly at Cape Maclear. But because the lake there is narrow and shallow, most of Mangochi lake waters are not very suitable for swimming as they are dark and ‘soiled”.
Enter Chintheche, a generic name given to the long stretch of land from Kachere to Sanga. The Chintheche shoreline has some of the most beautiful beaches in the country. The water depth is gradual like that of a swimming pool. The sand is sparkling white and you can easily mark out a dark object in the water from afar. Those who have attended the lake of stars music festival will attest to this fact. Mangochi beaches do not sparkle. I compare. The Chintheche beaches have natural vegetation behind them curtsey of careful harvesting of forest products.
Mangochi has a lot of hotels and tourists lodges. Chintheche, too, has over 15 lodges dotted along the lakeshore. Most of them have en-suite rooms and electricity. They are located not far away from the Lakeshore road. Access roads are in good condition. Like the Yao of Mangochi, the Tonga of Nkhata Bay are friendly and helpful to visitors.
The people of Nkhata Bay are known for their smartness and their cooking is typically clean and appetizing because most Tonga cooks and restaurant staff have international experience, mostly from South Africa, where they have worked in white people’s homes as cooks.
Seeing is believing. So welcome to Makuzi Beach resort, a “secluded paradise” at old Bandawe mission where Dr Robert Laws established the second Scottish Christian mission after abandoning Cape Maclear. Makuzi Beach offers clean accommodation in rondavels situated around the bay. As I travel from here I see a lot of spectacular surroundings and marvel at birds chirping here and there or fish eagles gliding in military formation in the blue sky over Malawi’s lake of stars.
Seeing is believing. So welcome to Kande Beach and enjoy your horse ride. Welcome to Chintheche Inn, home of the lake of stars music festival. As I travel along the beautiful beaches I choose to go swimming, wind-gliding, canoeing, fishing, diving, or I simply sit on a rock watching the colourful mbuna fish eating algae away hours on end.
But as I travel back I wonder where the hotel people bank their monies as the whole of Nkhata Bay has no commercial bank. I wonder what I will do if I run out of fuel as the entire stretch from Kachere to Nkhata Bay has no filling station.
When my French friend, Pierre Lepuissant, says next year he will come by private plane, I wonder where he will land as the airstrip at Chintheche was abandoned decades ago and it has been partitioned into several “football stadiums” NGOs and politicians hold their shows and rallies.
My French friend, Pierre Lepuissant, concludes, though that nowhere in his travels has he seen such clean beaches as those along the Chintheche shoreline. Lepuissant believes the lake of stars festival should include a display of local Tonga music and dances. I don’t disagree with him.
