Getting here...
Getting to Gecko is part of the adventure and the sunset and cold drink on arrival your reward… check these photos for a guide as to what to look out for - scroll over the “notes” icon in the bottom right of each picture for more details - and then underneath see our advice on getting here from Lilongwe (about 350km)& Blantyre (about 300km). For info on getting to Malawi itself then pls see the travel & Malawi links section for info on airlines, car hire & bus links.
Getting here by road from Blantyre
• From Blantyre - drive out of Limbe on the Zomba road - pass through Zomba and on through Liwonde around 53km to the turning on the right for the Mangochi road (a lot of carvings sold here & Total Garage opposite as well).
• Then you drive straight on this road, on through Mangochi (unless you need the bank - if so turn left at the main cross roads & follow blue signs for Stanbic) and then further on past the first turning on the left at Ntaka Nataka trading point and on until you see the turning for the Cape on the left before reaching Monkey Bay.
• At the turning You will see with signs for Gecko, Kayak Africa (Green) and Emmanuel’s among others - there is also a inset on the turning there is a yellow and black painted Energem petrol station here as well. If you miss it you will end up in Monkey Bay and that’s too far.
• From here it is 20-18km from the turning - it is an off-road type of track - the half way section is tarmacked that takes you through the brow of the hills - then it turns back into dirt track that will take you on into the bay and to the village. Again go steady - there’s some interesting road formations - we really love this road though and hope it never changes - it’s an adventure in itself!
• Coming into the bay, drive past the first turning on the right for Chembe Eagles Nest - continue straight on the road and over a small hill and then over the brow of this hill you will see the clinic buildings on the right and just before this there is a turning that takes you into the village. There are various signs for lodges at this turning and you will see one for Gecko (wooden carved & white writing) .
• You should follow this trail/road into the village, past the phone mast on the right, until you see the lake - and a sign for Gecko pointing left next to the small local bar - then drive up through the village 400m along until you see the thatched fencing on the right and Gecko lounge sign pointing to our gate - beep the horn at the gates and job done!
• Pls don’t agree any boat trips or barbecues with any of the people from the village upon entry - we will help you organise that with the local community upon arrival if you are interested - doing so beforehand can lead to business with guides from outside of Chembe Village & people not approved by the local lodges and village chiefs.
Getting here by road from Lilongwe
From Lilongwe drive to Salima (the helpfully un-signposted turn off for Salima is on the right leaving town towards the airport where you see a blue sign for Kanengo - it’s at the bottom of a hill before the Malawi Institute of Management building - take this right and then at the roads end turn left - this will take you to Salima) - this drive usually takes me about 1 hour 1/2 or so.
• As you are heading towards Salima (getting quite close - about 3 or 4 km) you need to take the right turn along the lakeshore road towards Balaka which is next to the Yellow Petroda garage (which also has an icecream cafe situated in it).
• Then you head along that lakeshore road about 60 or 70 km and you’ll see a sign & turning on the left for Monkey Bay DON’T take this turning - the road is narrow and very poor - head onwards another 10km or so and then on the left you will see a large wide road, tarmac entrance, signs saying under construction - there is a caravan park on the opposite side of the road nearby as you approach this turning too.
• There should be large black sign on the left of the entrance to this road instructing that it is being built by the European commission and that it can take you to Monkey Bay.
• This road is under construction but has been getting better by the week - once it leaves the tarmac to graded surface, take it easy, 55-60kmph or so - should take about an hour to drive it - it’s about 60km in total I more or less.
• At the end of this road you’ll meet the Mangochi-Monkey Bay road - there’s a enclave of shops/village/mini-buses called Ntaka Ntaka - turn left here (right goes to Mangochi).
• Once turned left and heading straight 5 or 6km from here, you will come to a turning on the left (the only option along the road) which will take you all the way through to Chembe village. • At the turning You will see with signs for Gecko, Kayak Africa (Green) and Emmanuels among others - there is also a inset on the turning there is a yellow and black painted Energem petrol station here as well. If you miss it you will end up in Monkey Bay and that’s too far.
• From here it is 20-18km from the turning - it is an off-road type of track - the half way section is tarmacked that takes you through the brow of the hills - then it turns back into dirt track that will take you on into the bay and to the village. Again go steady - there’s some interesting road formations - we really love this road though and hope it never changes - it’s an adventure in itself!
• Coming into the bay, drive past the first turning on the right for Chembe Eagles Nest - continue straight on the road and over a small hill and then over the brow of this hill you will see the clinic buildings on the right and just before this there is a turning that takes you into the village. There are various signs for lodges at this turning and you will see one for Gecko (wooden carved & white writing) .
• You should follow this trail/road into the village, past the phone mast on the right, until you see the lake - and a sign for Gecko pointing left next to the small local bar - then drive up through the village 400m along until you pass our shop and see the thatched fencing on the right and Gecko lounge sign pointing to our gate - beep the horn at the gates and job done!
• Pls don’t agree any boat trips or barbecues with any of the people from the village upon entry - we will help you organise that with the local community upon arrival if you are interested.
Travel via Mini buses "Matola" Style...... or SPEEDBOAT FROM SENGA BAY!!!!
Should you wish to organise private hire mini-buse you could call Liliongwe based “Wilfred” on +265 (0)8822513 for group transport from either Blantyre or Lilongwe - This is not a Gecko Lounge Service or affiliation - but as far as we are aware he runs a respectable business at fair rates when considering petrol, service charges, driver hire and general maintenance of the vehicle. He has a selection of various car types from16 seater to 10 seater buses, 4x4 & general car hire. Alternately we may be able to arrange something via our contacts in Blantyre & Lilongwe as well - just give us a call and inform numbers and date and we’ll do our best - if we are in town we can always collect a few extra passengers in return for assistance with petrol costs.
Should you wish to organise private car hire then you will be looking at around 5000kw per day for the vehicle, a per km charge of around 50-80kw, various insurance add ons and a driver fee of around 1000/2000kw (if you aren’t sure of the roads / the way) - if you haven’t driven on African roads before then it is recommended to get a driver just because the ways and means of travel over here don’t really follow the rules and regulations of other continents on the whole! (ps $1 is about 140-50kw at time of writing).
Transport from Lilongwe & Blantyre via Traditional local matola methods means that - depending on the condition of the vehicle you travel in, the weather, the state of the roads, how long between stops while people get off & on - it can be anything from 4 to 5 hours or a good portion of the days worth of travel (7 to 8 hours). The general rule being that people travel early over long distances & therefore the trucks & buses fill up quicker and move on quicker than later in the day - so a 6am start can save you far more hours than a 9am start as there will be less waiting around.
Along the way you will see many local villages, meet plenty of characters & see how trade works along the road along with the chance to stop and buy food, clothing and crafts in the markets - Sometimes, depending on what’s available and how quick you want to get to your destination, you’ll end up under the sun in the back of a flat-bed truck sitting on a mattress rather than mini-bus with comfortable seats! - so be advised to stock up on water, sun cream & patience before you travel.
Blantyre buses & mini buses will usually leave from the station next to Doogles backpackers lodge which is reached via traveling on the road out towards Chirimba off the clock tower roundabout, under the bridge and then taking the first left turning - mid range long distance buses (unpredictable timings) & mini buses are available here and the general path is to get from Blantyre at around 6.30am (with AXA) on to the main station in Limbe and then all the way to Monkey Bay (at time of writing this should cost around a local price of 850kw July 2008) - it is possible to go to Mangochi and then connect on to another transport to Monkey Bay and then on to Cape Maclear as well should you find a vehicle leaving at the time and want to get moving before a direct route becomes available. The Road between Mangochi & Monkey Bay is undergoing heavy construction work and there are large parts which are now diversions - this does make the journey a lot less smoother & perhaps going past the turning and on up the lakeshore road, past the turning at Balaka and then on to join the road at the Golomoti/Ntaka Ntaka turning may be more of an idea (see the Lilongwe directions)
For Lilongwe the journey is a little bit more convoluted - generally Minibuses will follow this path:
• Lilongwe to Salima.
• Salima to the Golomoti junction.
• Golomoti junction across to Ntaka Ntaka (60km of road under construction).
• Ntaka Ntaka to Monkey Bay.
• Monkey Bay to Cape Maclear.
SPEEDBOAT!!!! - now another way to go would be to follow the minibus route to Salima (which is just one journey & roads are good so not really that much of a mission) and then go on to Senga Bay and get in touch with Sam of Cool Runnings (+265 (0)9915173) who runs a lakeside lodge there (see our links page for further info) - she owns the Bad News Speedboat which, if available, can take up to 7 people across to Cape Maclear & Gecko in around 1 hour & 1/2 should waters be flat and calm - all for a total of $190 (as of July 2008) - The boat usually leaves around lunchtime as this is when waters are calmest at Senga Bay side. If you are just off a plane in Lilongwe around lunchtime or afternoon, then an overnight at Cool Runnings would be recommended before making the onward journey to the Cape the next day. The Speedboat can also be booked to collect here in the Cape if you are heading in the Lilongwe direction as well.
There will also be buses (try AXA on 01876000 for more info - good quality buses that leave on time (ish) - goes at 9.00am from main bus depot in Lilongwe to Mangochi for 950kw as of July 2008)leaving from the stations in Salima & Lilongwe to go to Mangochi from where you would have to then come back on yourself to Monkey Bay and then on to Cape as if you came from Blantyre direction.
As to times / price / reliability etc we can’t really say as it all changes depending on the days, availability, price of petrol & laws on amount of passengers in vehicle and how this is observed & of course how much you haggle with the drivers! - foreigners are usually asked several times more than everyone else - trick would be to quietly befriend someone else traveling and ask them the price before you get to the driver and then stick to your guns - remember that there’s plenty of buses & all the drivers will want your business - in the end pay what it’s worth to you but make sure you don’t get ripped too much - check to see the vehicle is in reasonable condition (ie: not too many windows made of cellotape & has actual doors), has it’s relevant insurance stickers etc and that the driver seems moderately awake. As a rough guide you should spend anything between 2500kw and 2900kw one way to get from either Lilongwe or Blantyre to Cape Maclear - and the cost between Cape and Monkey bay is around 250-300kw & Monkey Bay to Mangochi is around 500-700kw. (as of July 2008).
