Chimwala Camp
Meru safari tents in local stone and thatch, perimeter-fenced · Against Chinguni Hill in the southern sector, 15 minutes from the main gate · Liwonde National Park (African Parks / DNPW)
Mid-range
Inside the park
Park-run (African Parks)
The park's own tented camp, and the only mid-priced full-board option inside Liwonde. It reopened around June 2025 after an extensive renovation, so ignore older descriptions of a 2020-vintage camp. Solar power, gas geysers, two camp hands and a straightforward promise: what you pay funds the park.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Pool with floodplain views below Chinguni Hill
- Self-drive access, 15 minutes from the main gate
- Full board plus a daily activity at a mid-range price
- Family unit has two en-suite bedrooms and a veranda
- Park-run, so your money funds conservation directly
Cons
- 4x4 recommended December to April in the wet season
- Camp is unfenced, with intermittent phone and data signal
- Single supplement of $50 for solo travellers
- Only one activity a day included in the rate
What's here
- Swimming pool
- Family rooms
- En-suite bathrooms
- Solar or 24h power
- Self-catering
Arranged from the lodge:
- Game drives
- Boat trips
- Guided walks
Read from Chimwala Camp's own website in July 2026. Anything not listed we could not confirm, which is not the same as it being absent.
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. Liwonde National Park charges its own entry fee for every day you are inside. Here is what that adds up to.
- Park entryPriced per night here, which most parks do not do.
- $30per person, per night
- Vehicle
- $5per vehicle, per day
Two adults sharing one vehicle staying three nights pay $195 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
The full fee schedule for Liwonde National ParkRates at Chimwala Camp
From $150 pppn. International $200 adult, $100 child; Africa citizens and residents, and Malawian citizens, $150 and $75. Family cottage $720 per unit international. Includes all meals and one activity per day; single supplement $50.
What the rate covers is not confirmed. We do not know yet whether meals, drinks and activities are included, so read this as the bed only.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Indicative rates gathered July 2026 from operators' own sites, the official African Parks rate sheet and, for Mvuu, third-party rate cards, since the operator publishes none. Always confirm with the lodge. Park fees of $30 per international adult are generally extra, and note that the park prices fees per person per night.
Questions about Chimwala Camp
Can you self-drive to Chimwala Camp?
Yes. Chimwala Camp's own site confirms self-drive access, with a 4x4 recommended from December to April in the wet season, and a community guide can be hired at the main gate. It sits 15 minutes from the gate, about 3.5 hours from Blantyre or 4 hours from Lilongwe.
Is Chimwala Camp good for families?
Yes. Chimwala Camp has a dedicated family unit with two en-suite bedrooms, an open lounge-kitchen area and a large veranda, confirmed on the camp's own site. The international child rate is $100 against $200 for an adult. Neither the site nor the record states a minimum age, so ask when you book.
What does the rate at Chimwala Camp include?
Chimwala's rate includes all meals and one activity a day. International guests pay $200 an adult and $100 a child, Africa citizens and residents and Malawians pay $150 and $75, and the family cottage costs $720 per unit internationally. A single supplement of $50 applies to solo travellers.
Does Chimwala Camp have power and phone signal?
Chimwala Camp runs on solar power with gas geysers for hot water, and the camp's own site describes cell phone and data coverage as intermittent. It is unfenced, with two camp hands on site, so treat connectivity as unreliable and plan accordingly rather than relying on it.