Malewa Wildlife Lodge

THE CONSERVANCY | KIGIO WILDLIFE CAMP | MALEWA WILDLIFE LODGE

MALEWA WILDLIFE LODGE

The striking Malewa Wildlife Lodge is set within a glorious Yellow-fever tree woodland along the Malewa River which attracts over 250 species of exotic birds. Once a rudimentary lodge, it has been transformed into a stunning ecolodge incorporating a dramatic architectural style and traditional African building methods and concepts. The mess area is a beautiful double-storey structure made up of a massive thatched roof covering games and relaxation areas on the upper deck and a lovely communal sitting area with fireplaces, dining room and bar on the ground level.

A dramatic entrance to the lodge and a soaring mud clad chimney exemplifies the creativity of the designer Ben Jackson, who also designed Greystoke Mahale on the shores of Lake Tanganyika.

Accommodation is in 5 individual and traditional-styled buildings with 6 bedrooms (one is a 2-storey family cottage with 2 rooms) and 4 stunning river suites on stilts (including one honeymoon suite with outdoor bath), all offering spacious bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms within an acacia forest filled with wildlife and birds.

To comply with the eco-footprint, electricity is generated by solar power, waste recycled, water drawn using hydro power, hot water supplied by efficient 'kuni' boilers, cooking done with gas and eco-bricks from sustainable sources and food sourced from local farmers.

The lodge and the conservancy will work closely with the surrounding communities to offer wildlife courses, placements to students and assistance to schools, clinics and local enterprise.

Malewa Wildlife Lodge is a very special retreat. Here guests can enjoy an all-encompassing nature experience that includes gentle walks with expert naturalists, fishing, biking, bush breakfasts or lunches besides day or night game drives. A minimum of 2 nights stay is recommended but many guests would have preferred to stay much longer.


ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A UNIQUE CONFERENCE, PARTY OR WEDDING VENUE?
On behalf of our Regional Management Team, I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you for taking good care of us at the lodges during our meeting. The response I received from our Directors' was overwhelming with praises for your wonderful staff both at Kigio and Malewa. They were very impressed with the place, the space, the animals and special compliments to the chefs. We thoroughly enjoyed our conference and the manner in which the arrangements were done was EXCELLENT! and to the letter.
SNV - 22 Sept 09

Malewa Wildlife Lodge - Cottages
Malewa Wildlife Lodge has four single-storey cottages and one 2-storey cottage with 2 bedrooms (suitable for a family). All cottages are ensuite and can have twin or king size double beds with warm duvets. Each room has a uniquely designed shower with a roof light, flush loo, safe, 24-hr solar power and a battery charging socket.

FACT FILE:
*4 single-storey cottages
*1double-storey cottage with 2 bedrooms
*Large twin or king-size beds with duvets
*Flush Loo
*Shower
*Solar Power
*Safe
*Battery Charging Socket

Malewa Wildlife Lodge - River Suites
Malewa Wildlife Lodge has four River Suites that overlook the Malewa River. Each suite is 72 Sq Mtrs and is fronted by large glass windows and a balcony. All suites have ensuite shower and flush loos, large twin or king-size beds, sitting area, desk, 24-hr solar power, battery charging socket. One of the four suites is a honeymoon suite containing an outdoor bath and 2 wash basins.

The suites are secluded and enjoy excellent views and birdlife. Over 200 species have been recorded near the river.

FACT FILE:
*FREE WIFI
*4 x 72 Sq mtr River Suites with sitting areas
*Large twin or king-size beds with duvets
*Flush Loo
*Shower (honeymmon suite also has a bath)
*Solar Power
*Safe
*Battery Charging Socket

Malewa Wildlife Lodge - Sitting Areas
The beautifully decorated double-storey mess, framed by Yellow-fever trees and fronted by the Malewa River, has several sitting areas. Upstairs there is the reception and 'chill room' for children, downstairs there are 2 circular sitting areas with fire places, dining room and a bar.

50 meters from the mess is the 'beach' by the river where lunch barbecues and bush breakfasts are occasionally taken.

How Malewa Wildlife Lodge was built
The original lodge had 5 basic traditional huts with no windows and an open mess area which was dark and dingy. Ben Jackson, who built Greystoke Mahale on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, completely remodelled the lodge without disturbing the original footprint . He employed local artisans and materials to create striking spaces and architecture.
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Malewa Wildlife Lodge offers a new feeling to living wild in nature, with simple rooms mainly built with materials collected from around Kigio sanctuary. Using the ancient adobe building technique, different soils have been combined with as little cement as possible to make solid and enduring building material for the lodge's eco-friendly structures. The elegantly designed structures have been enhanced by modern features such as glass to create stylish buildings.

During the design stage, our mission was to minimize the carbon footprint of our buildings. This was achieved by using very little cement (world's second largest contributer of CO2 gas) and metal and using as much material as could be gathered within the conservancy without disturbing wildlife habitats (grass, stone, clay, sand and dead wood). All the new extensions have been built on dry stone wall foundations set deep into the ground. Thus, the foundations have no concrete base and are protected by a wide rain water collection trough which diverts ground water away from the foundation base. In future the rain water will be collected for reuse.

The construction team consisted of a core group of local artisans who worked with the local community in all areas of construction, teaching them along the way how to combine ancient techniques with modern methods. Over 100 local workers were involved as stone masons, plasterers, carpenters, thatchers, electricians and plumbers.

Other important environmentally friendly features include use of solar power for light, low energy bulbs, dual-flush cisterns, recycled fixtures and fittings (such as blinds).

Unfortunately, solar power could not be used to supply hot water due to the distance between the panels and the bedrooms. Instead, efficient 'Kuni Boilers' have been used. The essential design of the 'Kuni Boiler' is based on a barrel sleave, where water is gravity fed into the water jacket and the firewood set in the barrel heats the water all around the chamber and through the L~shaped chimney flu. Within 10 minutes, the water is hot and passes to the insulated storage tank through convection.The close proximity of the heater limits the wasted water expelled when taps are left running waiting for hot water. The boiler uses very little wood to provide hot water and only dead or sustainable wood is burnt for limited time during the day.

We believe we have an outstanding Ecolodge. Please help us sustain it.

THE CONSERVANCY | KIGIO WILDLIFE CAMP | MALEWA WILDLIFE LODGE