Butterfly Space

Butterfly Space

Nkhata Bay, Malawi

  • Waterside
  • Nature
  • Culture
  • Family friendly
  • Watersports
£pp / nightVisit website

Eco-chalets and community projects on the shores of Lake Malawi

Set among natural fruit trees on the rocky cliffside of Nkhata Bay, Butterfly Space is a non-profit ecolodge and community hub overlooking the clear waters of Lake Malawi. Founded in 2007 by two friends seeking to bridge ethical travel with grassroots empowerment, the lodge features hand-built chalets, dormitories and shaded lakeside camping constructed from natural materials, with compost sanitation, solar showers and permaculture gardens.

Spend relaxing days swimming, paddleboarding, snorkelling with endemic cichlids, or sampling homemade meals on the overwater deck. Every stay directly finances the registered charity's 16 community initiatives, which range from disability support and women's workshops to nursery schools and rural tree planting clubs.

Sustainability

Climate & conservation

  • Low-impact build, budget chalets are built from local natural materials, and the lodge uses compost toilets
  • Permaculture, the grounds are planted as permaculture gardens, and permaculture clubs run in 22 local schools
  • Tree planting, the organisation runs tree-planting projects around Nkhata Bay

Community & culture

  • Schools, Butterfly Space built and runs Stepping Stones primary and nursery school
  • Community services, it set up an IT and media centre, a community radio station and a disability centre, and supports women's groups and HIV nutrition groups

Commercial

  • Non-profit lodge, a registered UK charity whose lodge is the hub for its community projects

Sustainable Development Goals

  • Quality Education (SDG 4)
  • Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10)

In brief

Price bracket
£
Type of property
Non-profit eco-lodge
Activities
Watersports, Diving, Yoga
Setting
Lake

Nkhata Bay, Malawi

£pp / night Visit website

Guide price · £ <£100 · ££ £100–300 · £££ £300–800 · ££££ £800+ pp / night