On the Shores of Lake Niassa
Who They Are
Nkwichi Lodge hugs the eastern shore of Lake Niassa, the ninth largest freshwater lake in the world – 560 by 80 kilometers and up to 700 meters deep – and more commonly known as Lake Malawi outside Mozambique, which only has a small portion of the lake.
A Water Safari
With place for only 14 people in its six sumptuous, privately situated chalets, each with a different design built around trees or rocks, the bedposts have been hewn from old tree trunks and the large secluded bathrooms include outdoor showers under the trees. Nkwichi is one of the few places where you can either snorkel or go for a safari, the latter taking you into Manda Wilderness, which, although it doesn’t have the Big Five, is a success story worth telling.
What They Are Doing
Started in 1999, Manda Wilderness Community Trust has actively involved 20,000 local Nyanja people in carving out a huge conservation area along the shores of Lake Niassa and has helped build primary schools, a clinic, and roads in what it describes as “one of Africa’s last true wildernesses.” One of the most significant achievements of the close cooperation was that villagers were able to register their communities’ land as their own and to declare a conservation area of 120,000 hectares – the size of Greater London.
One of the Six Chalets
At least 15 villages are involved in, and benefit off of, the Manda Wilderness project. In 2008, they negotiated vigorously with the government and the World Wildlife Fund on the details of a new aquatic reserve for Lake Niassa.
Manda itself lets you know off the bat how your visit makes a difference. The game reserve protects 1,200 square kilometers of savanna, streams, forest, mountains, and lakeshore.
In a Local Village
The lodge employs 75 local people who directly support over 1,000 family members. The trust has built five schools, a maternity clinic, a maize mill, and two church roofs. Its agricultural project, which aims to improve nutritional habits and farming practices, has assisted over 350 farmers.
In Their Own Words
“Carefully introducing international tourism to a beautiful yet undeveloped part of Mozambique, we offer many local people an alternative income to subsistence farming and fishing, whether through direct employment, the production of food and supplies for the Lodge, or the preserving the unspoilt environment.”
Eve, Richard’s mother, spearheaded 
The idea was that tourism could and should pay for conservation. After the project was completed, in 2007, Africa’s Eden started to offer fly-in safaris to its Loango and Evengue lodges and three other camps in Gabon, giving outsiders the chance to experience the unique, diverse, and intact ecosystems in and around the park. Africa’s Eden also offers a range of tours and exclusive accommodations in the islands of Sao Tomé and Principe. Profits generated by Africa’s Eden are reinvested in the area to ensure continued and economically sustainable protection of the national parks.
