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Chelinda Camp, Nyika | Timbuktu Travel
Nyika

Chelinda Camp

Travel and Leisure Worlds Best Awards for number 1 tour operator in the world 2024 and number 2 tour operator in the world 2025
We're one of the World's Best Tour Operators!
Named three years running in Travel+Leisure World's Best, including No.1 in 2024

About Chelinda Camp

Basic, cosy lodging in the remote highlands of Malawi's Nyika Plateau.
Chelinda Camp in northern Malawi's Nyika National Park offers a safari with a difference. The camp sits 2300 metres above sea level, next to a large pine plantation and a trout dam with rolling grasslands beyond. The old, colonial Chelinda Camp is about a half a mile down the road from Chelinda Lodge, and is the substantially more basic of the two, with self-catering options available. Enjoy the plateau's enchanting landscapes, reminiscent in many ways of the Scottish Highlands. Temperatures can get chilly, though the log fires and friendly hospitality are bound to keep you warm.
Nyika , Malawi
From $650 per person/per night
Safari
10 Rooms
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Property details

The property

A cosy lounge and dining room are divided by a large fireplace that opens onto both rooms. Décor is simple with cushioned wooden chairs and polished concrete floors, though there's a warm atmosphere enhanced by lanterns and candlelight. Dining usually takes place at separate tables or in the private chalets. Large French doors open onto a stone patio and some picnic tables on the grass, and a wooden jetty juts out over the dam, making for a convenient fishing spot.

The rooms

There are two different accommodation options at Chelinda Camp. Four chalets have two bedrooms each, sharing a bathroom with a bathtub and a shower. Each has a private lounge with a lovely, stone fireplace, dining table and small kitchen, where your host can prepare meals for you. Alternatively, there are six simple, semi-detached rooms down by the dam, with twin beds and small en-suite bathrooms. These all share a bar, dining and lounge area, and fireplace for cosy communal gatherings.

Activities

Walking with a professional guide will unlock the Nyika wilderness for you, revealing the incredible variety of plants (grassland, Miombo woodland and natural forest) and wildlife (Crayshaw's zebra, roan antelope and eland to name a few). Game drives can yield elephant, hyena, leopard and side-striped jackal, and Nyika is a birding Mecca, so bring a good pair of binoculars. A meandering network of dirt tracks means boundless mountain bike exploration, and fly fishing in the trout dam is often rewarding.
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Malawi’s highlands & islands
Malawi

Malawi’s highlands & islands

8 nights from $4.1K per person

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How to book Chelinda Camp

How do I book Chelinda Camp?

Chelinda Camp can be booked with Timbuktu as part of a tailor-made Malawi trip, rather than as a standalone room reservation. Start online, customising one of our recommended Malawi trips featuring Chelinda Camp or get advice and suggestions from one of our Malawi specialists who will design the trip around your dates, check availability and handle every booking for you.

How much does it cost to stay at Chelinda Camp?

Stays at Chelinda Camp start from around $650 per person per night as part of a tailor-made trip. The exact price depends on your travel dates, room type and the shape of the rest of your itinerary. A Timbuktu travel specialist can give you an accurate quote for your dates.

Chelinda Camp

Malawi

Nyika National Park

Add something different to your trip with world-class walking and hiking in this bucolic plateau.