Mumbo Island

The Question:  How long could you spend on a deserted island with your family before it was no longer fun?  How about if the island is a paradise with a self-sustaining Eco-system?  

The Answer for Us:  A whole lot longer than we did.  Of course, it helps to have fresh healthy meals prepared each day and coffee and tea placed outside your tent at 6:30am.

Mumbo Island is an innovative place and those who have made it a reality have accomplished something quite noteworthy. 

Some views from the island looking back toward the mainland.

Mumbo Island is a one hour boat ride across Lake Malawi from the Village of Cape Maclear which is pictured in our last post and is home to Gecko Lodge where we stayed on Sunday.  The camp on the island is a minimalist design using only what is absolutely necessary to sustain itself.   The materials used to construct the abodes and furnishings are local reeds, bamboo and grass.  

The boat ride to the island.

Local craftspeople are hired to build the furnishings and weave the canvas mats laid in the tents.  Even the trees that provide wood are obtained locally but only when roadwork requires their removal. 

The power on the island is solar generated.  We used wind-up flashlights and solar lamps after dark.  

Cooking is done with a solar hot water heater and fuel efficient wood burning stove designed for developing countries.

Organic waste is removed and transported to the village where it is first placed In fields so local goats and dogs may feed.  The field is then covered over until it becomes ready compost.

Dry compost toilets are used and the waste is placed in a decomposition field and ultimately used as fertilizer.

Water is taken directly from Lake Malawi via a solar powered pump and purified in ceramic filters.

Mumbo Island belongs to the Malawi Department of National Parks.  An organization named Kayak Africa has an agreement with the Department to administer tourism activities on the island.  They work together to preserve the natural beauty and resources of the island and its surrounding waters. 

Kayak Africa was started by a young couple who pitched a tent under a tree on rented land in Cape Maclear.   The company now employs 10 members of the family  who originally rented them the land where they pitched their tent.  When you see the poverty within Cape Maclear this fact is astounding and heart warming. 

Started as just an idea, Kayak Africa now employs 54 people full-time.   More than 95% of the employees are residents of Cape Maclear.  They hire, train and promote people from the village.  We can say that the staff is second to none that we have experienced.  

We were greeted by Juliet, the Island Hostess.  Juliet gave us a quick overview of the island and showed us our tent chalet.  One room for us and one for the boys with a separate bathroom.  

Soon after arriving, we were eating a fresh and healthy lunch of pasta with a choice of vegetable or meat sauce.  By mid-afternoon, we were snorkeling in the lake which is home to diverse marine life.  Truly, it looks like an aquarium without the glass.  The best view through my mask was that of Roman and Mabret flashing double thumbs-up as they pointed to the many fluorescent tinted fish. 

We topped off the afternoon with a hike to the western edge of Mumbo Island to watch a beautiful sunset.  Mabret and Roman had scouted out the location themselves on a kids only hike earlier in the afternoon.

The boys on a perch an waiting for the sunset.

A sunset selfie.

The day concluded with a traditional Malawian meal.  Thus far, the food here is the best that we have consumed since leaving the U.SA.

Tuesday began with 6:30am tea and coffee with the boys outside of our tent chalet. The boys then knocked out some school work before an outstanding breakfast.  We then did a further dose of school work and we were ready for a big adventure.  A kayak trip all the way around the island. 

A view from the kayaks.

The kayak adventure was priceless.  We stopped at various points along the way and jumped in the lake for some family snorkeling.  We also found a perfect spot to eat a snack and drink some sodas that we had packed. 

We returned just as lunch was being served.

After lunch, Mabret and Roman wrote essays about our kayak trip around the island. They will be posted as separate blog entries.

In the late afternoon, Dad, Roman and Mabret put on their snorkel gear and headed out to find a cave that is at the end of a huge rock formation between two coves .  We explored the caves and swam the entire way around the rocks and back to the beach. A swim of more than 1/4 mile that the young adventures handled with no problem.  We are very proud of their accomplishment.

Ok, Roman was a bit tired after the swim.

Dinner was delicious.  The chef made Roman mac and cheese rather than the beef kabobs that were the main course.  

The highlights of Wednesday were a repeat kayak trip around the island and a rope and tire climbing competition with Roman and Mabret crushing Mom and Dad.  We also spent hours playing our new favorite game - Bawo.  This is an African favorite in which each player moves beans around the board attempting to swallow the other player's beans.  Counting ahead and plotting your moves is crucial.  The strategy and basic ideas are similar to backgammon.

We needed to be packed before dark as we depart the island at 6am on Thanksgiving morning so the balance of our stay will be in darkness.  

We a enjoying a final meal on Mumbo Island.  The food here rivals the finest 5 star restaurants in the States.

Thanksgiving will offer a one hour boat ride, a 3 and 1/2 hour van ride, a two hour flight followed by a 30 minute car ride.  All served with a side of passport control. 

Hello again. We made it to the airport in Lilongwe, Malawi.  The boat ride and van ride were pleasant and uneventful with a quick stop at a roadside ice cream shop.

Again, we were struck by the vast undeveloped and obviously dry lands in this beautiful country.  Many people here are living in difficult circumstances that are hard for Americans to envision without seeing them firsthand.

A pic from the boat.

Mabret and Roman have been responsible enough that Mom (the carrier of all important documents) has permitted them to carry their own passports in the airport. 

A quick report on the currency of Malawi, the Kwacha.  Four hundred Kwacha is equivalent to approximately one U.S. dollar.  1000 Kwacha is pictured below and is worth $2.50USD.