Mushroom Farm, Livingstonia

Mushroom Farm Eco Lodge is situated on the Nyika Plateau and probably has the best views in Malawi. Perched on the escarpment, it overlooks Lake Malawi and on a clear day offers you views of both Mozambique and Tanzania as well.

14 years ago Micky Wild started the lodge after discovering the amazing possibilities for  adventure sports on the plateau. The camp started out as a base camp from where they used to abseil down the Manchewe falls and Chombe peak.  As things got busier, Mick set up what we now know as the Mushroom Farm.

The Mushroom Farm has now been taken over by Cameron and Maddy, a brother and sister team. Together with the help of Naomi and James, they have their own plans for the future of the Eco Lodge and have already started implementing changes in both the farm as well as the local community. They started the Women’s Group and encourage them to market the coffee produced on the plateau through a coffee shop, which is just being constructed, allowing the local ladies an opportunity to showcase their skills and giving them a place to get together.

Having spent a week with Cameron, Naomi, James, Efreda and the ladies, we got to know them all well. Learning about the plans for the future, discussing recipes for the local produce, drinking the delicious coffee and generally absorbing the vibe of “Life on the Edge” 🙂

This all sounds very complacent though. But don’t worry, we didn’t just spend our time chatting, we were active as well. We proved that the Mushroom Farm actually produces lots of delicious mushrooms, even finding Chanterelles! And yes, they were delicious in a creamy sauce with Semmelknödel 🙂

Chris took Cameron and James abseiling down Chombe peak, in what he calls “the best abseil he’s ever done”. He went mountain biking, hiking and even slack lined across the little stream running through camp.

The plateau is also home to a town called Livingstonia, named after the famous scottish  explorer, Dr. David Livingstone. A lovely town with tree lined avenues, a large university  

and  even a cathedral it is home to some very friendly and interesting characters that we got to know during our stay. Kennedy showed Chris around the plateau, taking him to see the caves hidden behind the Manchewe Falls, which were used as hiding places from the slavers. With a good knowledge of the plateau,the surrounds and it’s history, Kennedy made our stay all the better.

While Chris was off being active, I spent my time getting to know the youngsters of Mushroom Farm. While we were staying there, Naomi and James presented Cameron with an early birthday present. Named “Chipati”, this little puppy was soon everybodys favourite. Being a cat lover though, I never neglected my cats. Momma Cat (yes, that’s her name) had three beautiful kittens that had just opened their eyes the week before and last year’s kitten (named Kitten) was my favourite. We all had a great time with the little ones, deciding who gets to keep what and where Chipati and Kitten get to spend the night…

Thank you guys for all the great memories! Keep the ideas coming and we’ll see you on the way back!

P.S.: keep the climbing gear handy 😉