Sleeping, Eating and Relaxing at Nkhotakota Pottery & Lodge

Where you will stay
The pottery has its own fully furnished chalets on the beach. Each room has its own en suite bathroom & hot shower. Bed linen, mosquito nets, towels, soap, fans, a mini-bar and electric mosquito killers are provided. There is mains electricity at U.K. voltage (220 - 240v) and U.K. type square pin plugs in all the rooms.

Clothes Washing
A daily laundry service is provided free of charge for guests on 2 and 3 week pottery courses and safaris while staying at Nkhotakota Pottery & Lodge. There may be a small charge for laundry when guests on safari stay at other lodges.

Eating
The restaurant at Nkhotakota Pottery & Lodge has been serving our visitors, from all over the world, since 1998. It is positioned right on the beach overlooking the lake. The following are some of the dishes from our current menu and we ensure there are always several choices for vegetarians.

Mousaka, Chicken Lasagne, Mushroom Noodles; Ploughman's Lunch, Fried Lake Fish, Omelettes, Home-made Soups, Humus, Pizza, Beef Stroganoff, Greek Green Beans in Olive Oil, Coq au Vin, Italian Aubergines, Chicken Curry, Roast Goat, Roast Guinea Fowl, Spaghetti with Italian Meat Sauce, Cheesecake, Apple Pie, Coconut Tarts and Rich Fruit cake.

Our senior chef has worked for over 20 years serving European and Malawian food and will be happy to try any suggestions or requests from guests.

Drinking
The Coffee Shop serves a wide range of soft drinks, juices and bottled water, as well as Carlsberg beers (Danish quality), Malawi Gin and Brandy, Scotch Whiskey, and some fine South African and French wines. Full bar service is available just ten minutes walk away at Nkhotakota Safari Lodge. A brisk 40 minutes walk along the beach will take you to Sani Beach Resort which has a spectacular bar on a large rock overlooking the lake. Beers, Soft Drinks and Malawi Gin are produced in Malawi and are much cheaper than U.K. prices; imported wines have similar prices to U.K.

Swimming
Lake Malawi is the 3rd largest lake in Africa , about 550 kms long and up to 70 kms wide. It is fresh water, and probably one of the cleanest bodies of water in the world; no oil; no chemicals; no sewage discharge. Nkhotakota Pottery was sited away from any village and our beach often has breaking waves and no reeds which means it is very unlikely to harbour any diseases. Resident doctors and their families regularly swim from our beach. The beach is sandy and slopes gently so is ideal for swimming. When the lake is very rough there are no strong currents but care should be taken as the large waves can knock over a child or inexperienced swimmer. Snorkels and flippers are available at the pottery.

Walking
Walking along the neighbouring beaches is always interesting, there will be children playing, fishermen mending nets, ladies washing clothes etc. Inland there are numerous paths connecting villages.

Birds and Wildlife
There is an abundance of birds in the countryside around the pottery. Monkeys often visit the quieter parts of our site and several smaller mammals, including nocturnal bush babies, can sometimes be seen.