The Mushroom Farm | Established Campground

As said before, it's a very special place. Amazing views, chill atmosphere. The camping spot on the edge of the cliff is spectacular. Wide variety of things to do (hiking, massage, bath, woodcarving), community driven, they really try to create opportunities for the local people.
We were there during Easter weekend, which was very crowded. Great to chat with other travellers, but make sure you order your food ahead of time. Most meals took 1.5h+ to arrive. Meals on the menu were very good. They serve vegetarian set dinner, which was great one evening, the other 2, not so much.
Hot shower is great. (We are not a big fan of the compost toilet :))
We drove up from the lake, fantastic, exciting road to drive with the right car and driver. 11.000 pppn, kids halve price

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As all the other reviews this place is excellent. The food , camping, ablutions and staff. Would highly recommend.

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Too expensive for us so we were going to Livingstonia lodges and got a room for 11000 zk per night for 2 people ! ;-) here it is 11000 pppn for camping :-(

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amazing place, clean, and perfect spots to camping.
but...
i asked for 2 sílice of bread (to breakfast becouse mine was finish) and they charged an entired breakfast. come on guys? is necesary?? i want to pay of course, but a fair price.
other problem.with money, i payed to guide for a walk, never came with the change... and was a quite money.

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nothing to add to the previous description except that the placecis also suitable fir big rigs and there are new prices for camping since the devaluation of November 9. It is now 11 000 MWK pppn.

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Beautiful and dreamy place to stay! Overlanders can park next to the cliff, which offers beautiful views. In August, two new donkey showers and a new compost toilet have been build right next to the overlander spots, so no need to walk that far anymore. Compared to other campsites in malawi, mushroom farm is cheap! 6000mwk pppn for camping. 8000mwk pp for an incredibly tasty vegetarian dinner. We also did the cooking class, which is recommended! We took the beautiful tar road from Mzuzu up to Livingstonia and the hairpinned dirt road down to the lake, which was very doable in our Landcruiser, just take it slowly (but not for big rigs).

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Views are spectacular. Took the windy road up. Doable but very rocky. Great hot showers.

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Very unusual and romantic site on a steep hillside with stunning view down to Lake Malawi. Caring hosts, nice bar and good vegetarian restaurant. Simple ablutions with long drops – some open to the slope :-) – and showers, some with warm water. Overall highly recommended. (Rough descent eastward with rocks, coarse gravel and sharp u-turns sometimes requiring backing up depending on your wheel base.)

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We came up here by scooter taxi for lunch only. We are very glad we did not attempt the road up. After the rains this season the road is in a terrible state. Def not for big rigs. A Land Cruiser ambulance passed us going down so that is doable. Switchback roads. There is another road from Livingstonia. But saying all this it’s def a place to visit. There are many tourists snd very popular. Lunch was lovely. Vegetarian. The bike taxi drivers are brilliant!

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Unfortunately for us, Mushroom Farm didn’t live up to the hype. The location is awesome and the views as well. But during our stay we did not feel very welcome. The staff was very busy preparing a music festival and we felt like we were in their way. The place was booked out over the weekend so we just stayed for 2 nights. Nevertheless everyone was still very friendly.

Very nice place to meet other travelers and to enjoy some good veggie food. Perfect place for backpackers. This place also organizes lots of activities to go out and explore.

Keep in mind, you’ll do lots of walking. Ablutions are more or less 100 steps from the car park (overlanding camping spots).

We took the road to/from the lake. A little challenging and high clearance is a must. A fun road to drive if you like off-roading!

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An idyllic spot. Incredible views over the valley and lake, we stayed in the cliffside cabin which is cosy with direct views and balcony. Food is delicious, excursions and activities are good value. Worth doing the waterfall hike and permaculture tour, both were super informative and the waterfall is beautiful. Great place to meet other travellers. The longer, new tar road from Mzuzu is a beautiful drive and much less treacherous than the rocky, windy road that’s direct from the lake. Other 4x4s did the rocky road but we chickened out as we’re told it was very challenging. A watch out if you’ve a big rig or not as experienced 4x4 driver.

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Lovely place, stunning view, good food.

I cycled the road up with no problem, took me 2hr with a heavily loaded bicycle. I could ride more than 90%. The difficulty is just that it can be steep, but at parts, and when you're out of breath you might have to push a bit.
The road is mostly stones and gravel the top third tarmac. Since there is little dirt and sand, the road is also good during rainy season, when I went up.
So it should be no problem with a bike or motorbike.

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Beautiful and peaceful place!
We planned to stay 2 nights but stayed for 4.
Food is great!

Airtel signal is actually okay in certain areas. it's a bit inconsistent, but was good enough for us to do planning and research online, watch YouTube videos, download music etc.

I have added a photo with up to date prices for all accomodation options.

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We enjoyed our stay at the Mushroom Farm a lot. The setting on the cliff is quite bizar with a nice view. The staff are very friendly and welcoming, as are the owners. The place has a nice backpackers vibe. Food and activities are good and nicely organised. Surroundings are beautiful to keep your days filled with activities if you want to. If you camp, it is good to know that the (relatively small) campsites are beneath the parkinglot, and are exposed to the sun in the dry season. Though they have a great view it has a dry feel to it compared to the rest of the lodge. This made it less attractive (to us) so during the day we mostly stayed at the lounge area. There are two (hot) showers for the whole lodge and they are at the other end of the property. So with all the stairs quite a workout from the campsite 😉. If you take these things into account, you will have a wonderful stay here. The new road is very good and fastest route coming/going to the south. The hairpin road down to the lake is doable with 4x4. But narrow and very rocky.

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The mushroom is deserved but how beautiful it is!
The restaurant is good and the excursions are not expensive.
Not hot water.

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Nice Place and it is possible to go down with ou Overlander Truck, but not too much space...

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Good place for relaxing, not so good place for digital nomading or extended stay in a camper. Its super chill and a good place to meet other travellers. Hot shower decent, 5 minute walk up and down a hill to get there from the campsite for campervans. No power on sites meant we needed to run the engine daily for the fridge and freezer. Also couldn’t charge laptop or phone in the early morning or evening (solar). No wifi. No airtel reception indoors, 2 bars outdoors. Working here as a nomad was tough but overall enjoyed the stay. Food was ok but a bit expensive compared to local (vegetarian dinner at 7600 mkw versus a 2-3000 local dinner). Good coffee and kombucha

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Friendly reception, different accommodation options available. Organized activities with support from local community. Recommended

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Fantastic place. We camped with our car with a rooftop tent. Three campsites. Big lunch portions. All organic and vegeterian without connection to the grid. Really worth a visit.

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A stunning location perched on the cliff with spectacular views down to Lake Malawi. We came from Nyika and uses the new tar road which is still under construction and only the last 3km was bumpy dirt road. There r 3 big pitches and 1 smaller pitch all with an amazing view. It is an eco site so compost toilets which r clean, there are 2 showers with constant warm water, fairly slow flow but fine to wash in. Activities offered such as guided hiking, full body massage and yoga, all by local community. the bar and restaurant is fab, we had dinner once which was 7500 mkw each and deliciousalso great drinks on offer at the bar. laundry service for 1000kwc per kg. This place has a lovely vibe and was also somewhere we met quite a few other travellers which we found nice as most other places have been really quiet.

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fantastic place
spectacular views on lake Malawi
campsite is 6000 mwk/pppn
very good restaurant.

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As before . Moving North on M1 we turned off after Jalawe On the D9 . Definately only attempt of very dry . Would not recommend for big trucks. Road was newly done when we used it. It goes to Lweni. Here you get on a tar road . And we then proceeded past Livistonia. Do not miss the waterfall . After waterfall road is not tarred anymore. Do VUSI Mushroom farm. Try and stay at Mushroom farm - the scene is incredible . Small campsites. Extremely clean eco pit toilet .Road going down zig zag from here . A lot of sharp turns but also not big rig friendly .
Whatsapp Fiskani 2650888583323.
They even do Yoga on the cliff face .

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As others say, the road is not meant for a bicycle! Allow 4h of pushing your bike through rubble and don’t try when tired. I did 3km in just over an hour (it’s 10km) and then it was dark so gave up and got 2 motorbikes. So definitely stay at least 2 nights! But you should, regardless of the road.

The place is worth the road trauma though. Great food. Great atmosphere. Great views. Great vibes. The fire bath is magical- have you ever sat watching the sunset from an outdoor bath on a hillside overlooking a lake to another country? You should!

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Fantastic place for relaxing. Great people around, phenomenal food, stunning location.
The road up from Chitimba is not meant for bicycling. Had to walk our bikes at least 60% of the way. Took us 3, maybe even 4 hours. There are fairly frequently boda-bodas going up the hill, so in an emergency you can transport you bike up with them.
There was an incident recently of someone getting robbed on the way up. The robbers were caught and got heavy penalities. Don't get scared of by locals telling you about robberies here and advising you to get a guide/protection for the road.

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This is a stunning and stylish place. Amazing views from the campsites and the communal areas. We camped but also enjoyed one night in the Cob House, which for Kw55,000 is amazing value for an exceptionally beautiful spot and what must be the world’s most stylish composting loo with a view.
Meals are mostly great and huge portion sizes - I’d recommend the chefs salad.
The switchback road up is very easy really - the steepest sections have tarmac, so easy going in a 4WD and probably possible in 2WD. Some corners are very tight though so you might struggle in a big rig or with a trailer.

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This is definitely a good place to visit. Met people from all over the world. Food is delicious and owners very friendly and helpful.

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As described, very nice place. Lovely food, lovely staff. We did wood carving, some hikes and just relaxed with the other guests (there were plenty)

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As described! Amazing!
Don’t forget to ask Paul or Katlyn if you can do wood carving (have to ask in advance) so much fun!

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Truly amazing vista over the lake from the campsites. All are leveled and have a small fire pit. Food is good but you have to like vegetarian with spices, beans etc. so maybe not for everyone but we liked it especially the coffee. This place is definitely true eco friendly. Overall one of the campsite gems in Malawi and hence well known to all backpackers and overlanders. Access via Livingstonia is easier with a partially tarmac road and nice gravel road. The windy road directly from the lake is the more adventurous one but 4x4 is advised because there are areas with bigger rocks. Nothing a Toyota Hilux or Landcruiser couldn’t handle but the other road is safer.

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There area few camping spots for rooftoptents/no rigs close to the parking lot. The hot shower is a walk down the stairs. Restaurant and social area are als down the stairs.
Almost all spots will have a view to the valley and lake Malawi. There is a backpackers atmosphere. If you are here for the nature you should consider going to Like farm which is more green.
Camping: 5000 pppn, children half price

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nothing to add except that they offer laundry for 1000kw/kg (can be important for long-time travellers 😁)

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We spent 4 nights here, 3 in a simple but idyllic cabin and one night at the campsite. Great restaurant with good vegetarian food and attentive staff. Bit of a backpackers vibe and a great place to meet some new people. The drive there is an experience in itself. Don't forget to visit Livingstonia on top of the hill.

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Great overlanding spots at the top of the site overlooking the cliffs. beautiful bar and great dinner every night. The new owners Paul and Caitlyn are lovely and made sure we had an enjoyable stay.

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Paul, Katlyn, and their team are fantastic; they have great goals and have made a quick start them. We managed to setup our rooftop tent on the cliff edge (5,000mkw pppn). As previously said, there are compost toilets, a washing up area, showers are slightly further away but they’re working on that. There’s a stunning restaurant/bar area with places to hangout (hammocks, couches etc.) with a view over the rolling hills and of Lake Malawi. The team make delicious burgers and kombucha (we tried flavours of ginger, hibiscus, mint - couldn’t get enough so had some everyday!) sold at reasonable prices (5,300mkw and 1k mkw per glass). Katlyn showed me around their permaculture garden as she picked us some lettuce/herbs (1k mkw per bunch - depends on the size); the large garden was impressive - worth a visit. The route to The Mushroom Farm was reminiscent of Leopard Hills in Zambia, or Sani Pass in South Africa/Lesotho - if you’re keen for a fun drive, head on up!

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A stunning place :
very clean, well organised, warm, efficient and welcoming staff!
What else?
An incredible view from this nest on the lake shore 1000 m below

Access road from the lake in winding, steep and bad, access road from Livingstonia (And Mzuzu by the back road) is only bad on the last 5 km.

poor Airtel phone reception.

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As written in the other reviews a must to visit the Mushroom Farm.
The views are stunning! The food is great! And their permaculture garden is very interesting and inspiring. Go for a garden tour with Alec! Alec is amazing!

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Amazing campsites on the cliffs edge with stunning views over the valley and lake. Steep terrain but the campsites are relatively spacious; we managed to easily setup camp with offroad trailers. The new owners (Paul and Katlyn since March 2020) were great hosts and a visit to their permaculture gardens is a must! They also arrange guided walks to the nearby waterfalls. The Gorodi Pass from Chitemba up to Mushroom Farm is a stunning drive! A MUST visit!!!

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Hello everyone, we’re the new owners (Katlyn and Paul) of Mushroom Farm. We’re a community oriented eco-lodge ready to ensure you have a comfortable and enjoyable experience. All are most welcome.

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We stopped to have a look and decided to stay for lunch. View is closer to the lake than what you see from Lukwe and somewhat obstructed while sitting in the restaurant. The coffee and food was very delicious and well priced. Staff very friendly and common areas outstanding. Still for the overnight stay we would recommend Lukwe.

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Stayed in the dorm at 4000 K, dinner and breakfast in good quality. 10 km Dirt track up to the lodge, smaller motorcycles can go there or capable riders on bigger adventure bikes. GS1200 or similar not recommended to go. Can hire local motorcycles at the junction.

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Fantastic view from 800 metres above Lake Malawi. There's 1 hour of live music on Saturday night from local guys, which was awesome and highly recommended! There's a tuck shop here too, with crisps, cigarettes, biscuits, noodles, spaghetti, coffee roasted on site etc.

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3000 camping pppn.
Incredible spots for a ground tent with views. Great restaurant and cheaper than the other camp.
One of the nicest places in Malawi.

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We absolutely loved this place. Parked our camping car on the edge of the mountain and had glorious views downhill.
The composting toilets are nicely done and don’t smell. And the showers are hot.
Super social bar/ restaurant. And all the staff are very friendly.
We did the guided walk to the waterfall and was worth the k2,000 each.
The permaculture garden is also really worth having a look, very inspiring.
They are doing amazing work with the community as well, must check out the community centre in the village as they are producing beautiful brass jewellery there with the locals.
One of the best camping spots we’ve had in Malawi.
Highly recommended.

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Really scenic campsite for rooftop tents. We can't see the lake clearly from the camping area because of the trees but the valley view is already quite amazing! It's a bit far from shower, toilets and main common area and it's close to the parking lot but we enjoy the fact that it feels almost as a wild camping. There's a security guard who presented himself around sunset though. Food is quite good and really reasonable prices in my opinion especially being in such an isolated place! Pleasant atmosphere.

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nice large isolated terrasse for rooftop tent with incredible view. just a bit far from ablution block.

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Stunning views. You can also bring your own food and use the kitchen.

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As described in previous check-ins. It's nice, but food is expensive for Malawi, when you can eat meat in a local restaurant for 1000 Kwacha, hut here it costs 5000 Kwacha for veggie food. Not relevant for overlanders, but for backpackers it's also expensive to get here. In Chitimba they ask for 3000 Kwacha to get here in collusion with Mushroom Farm, but the locals pay only 2000 Kwacha to go twice as far all the day to Livingstonia.

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It’s certainly adventure up to the mushroom farm. The camp is fine on level platforms with shade, but view is obstructed by trees of the lake below. The ablutions are a fair distance form the camp although there is a toilet close by. Seems that overlanders were an after thought. Much more a back packer vibe. We stayed one night and moved onto Lukwe instead which we found much nicer and amazing food!

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Nice place with relaxed atmosphere. Obviously the views are the main attraction here, near perfect location. Showers were nice but pretty far from the campsites. No wifi, food seemed a bit pricy so we cooked for ourselves. Overall worth it for a night or two just to experience the Plateau

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Average compared to Lukwe next door that had amazing views of the waterfalls and much nicer huts and bar area and facilities. That said, camping for roof tent better at mushroom farm- close to car park but incredible views! $5pp, no power and had to pay for wood. Shower hot though and free drinking water.

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The road to here from Chitimba is an adventure in itself. We made it up on two loaded 800cc motorcycles in about 40 minutes (it was dry). The road is very bumpy with big loose rocks all along the way and sometimes gets really narrow. There’s a smoother road from the other side, but the staff told us that they won’t take it if there was at least a little bit of rain... After leaving this place we took that road and it’s almost all made of red soil (apart from a short paved stretch) which obviously gets slippery when wet.
The place is as nice as it was described below. Places to camp have great view and the ground is level. Showers are in the distance of a small hike from the camping places, but oh they were heavenly! Hot steaming water, great pressure and plenty of space with a lovely feeling of being in the forest - haven’t had such good showers in Africa for a while now...
The WiFi doesn’t work. They told us that the reception was poor so they simply switched off the service.
Breakfast menu varies from 2$ to 6$.

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Sandy but shady spot with amazing view of the valley. Hike with guide to waterfall was nice. Food was cheap and amazing. Definitely recommend! (They just need a pool then it will be perfect!)

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The perfect Place for Vegetarian-Yoga-City-Hipsters ;) But we actually also liked it a lot. The Views are awesome, it's a bit cooler than down at the hot Lake and it's overall very relaxed and quite. The Overlander Campsites are right in front of the Car Park, only some Meters away from the Edge of the Cliffs (nice Views from here too but some Trees in between). No Problem for normal 4x4 Cars with Roof Top Tents. It's a bit far away from the Heart of the Place (Showers, Restaurant and so on) but at least there is a Compost Toilet and Tap near the Sites. Hammocks on the Cliffs were pretty nice, Restaurant was good (we enjoyed the Veggie Burger with Chips for Dinner - 6 USD - although they normally only offer set Dinner Menu). Ablutions okay. Friendly Staff. 5 USD pppn.

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It took us 50 minutes to get up the 9.1km roa.....trail.
You don't need a 4x4: I was so focused I forgot to turn on my 4x4. It's a bumpy ride, some medium rocks when you start while the sharp turns are gravel. It is all first gear work with a couple of moments in second gear.
We made it with our Nissan X-Trail 2.2 SUV, with a ground clearance of 18cm.

All the time I was thinking...if we make it up without trouble I'll treat myself on CocaCola.....Until I saw the price(K740,- instead of the usual K250,- for a glass bottle) which is a smart move since no one will go down the same track for a CocaCola.

The place is alright.
They indeed serve big plates of food, been vegetarians for more than 10 years as well: it's not the BEST food we had but it's good. Prices are about USD6, 7 or 8,- per dish.
Natural water for free, the herbal teas are great.

We get what is stated by 'American style friendly', since the friendliness of the staff feels over the top and fake.

The owner helps the community alot which we like: a little advice would be to invest in the road up to attract more people.

Camping is USD5,- pppn. The thing is that if you're with a rooftop tent you have to park your car at or close to the parkinglot. With no showers nearby, it's a bit lonely in the corner with a few bricks to make your campfire and the view on the lake. So IF with a rooftop tent I'd advice to just wildcamp a bit further down the road because it's the same experience.
Otherwise you can park your car and bring your tent and pitch it near a cliff with hot showers and toilets nearby.

The wooden toilets are clean, but once you open it there's flies coming out of it ofcourse so we understand the previous statement that they're not clean.

We have mixed feelings about Ecolodges in general, because they charge high prices for less luxury since it's 'ecological'. So most of the times we're convinced that it's more about booming business rather than being ecological, especially when the owner shows up with a Dodge Ram V8. Just like 'sanctuaries' is a more attractive word for 'zoos'.

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Wow. This place would be worth the slog for the view alone, the food alone, or the atmosphere alone. The combination makes this definitely one of the top places I've stayed in Africa.

From the moment you arrive you are treated like an old friend, not just a customer. The restaurant/deck has a comfy area to chill and great selection of tunes playing all day.

The food is a real treat for vegetarians and anyone who loves fresh tasty organic food! (I've been veg for 10 years, and their veggie burger is one of the best I've ever had anywhere!) There's a selection of internationally inspired breakfasts and lunches, and a set menu for dinner ($7) served family style at a long table. Generous portions too. They bake their own bread and roast their own coffee.

The tent camping spots are amazing, literally right on the edge of the cliff with an unobstructed view! For $5! (Although the one on the right side of the path is prone to flood in heavy rain.) There are also dorms from $8 and a variety of differently constructed rooms.

The open air showers and composting toilets are beautifully constructed and kept very clean. The whole place is solar powered, there is also a permaculture garden, yoga deck, local craft 'shop', walking tours (for $3) and the owners sponsor a variety of community projects.

The only downside for me was that the wifi was unusably slow. Otherwise, this place is amazing!

I did check out Lukwe as well, which has a lot of similar things going for it, and is the original permaculture farm in the area, with a very friendly and knowledgeable owner. It has a better view from the bar, but is smaller and quieter, and lacks the colourful charm and traveller vibe of mushroom farm.

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closed until 1st of April 2017 - annoyingly the first sign stating it is closed it at the entrance of the camp 10km up a difficult 4x4 track. should put a sign at the bottom!

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The ride to reach this stunning place is quite bumpy, but ones there you won't miss it.

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Good overland camping sites, $5 power person. as stated previously, great restaurant with reasonably priced food but didn't really cater for cooking yourself as no place or tap nearby to wash up

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great scenery and food

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Amazing views and small pitches as mentioned in other reviews. Compost toilets were very smelly and not clean. Good outdoor showers. Personell acts 'Over the top American', which was not for us. No choice for dinner, just one main (seemed very simple and uninspiring and in our opinion thus overpriced).

Next time we will stay at Lukwe, a little bit more expensive, menu has many option and is same price range with also some cheaper options.

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Amazing spot on a cliff overlooking Lake Malawi. Restaurant and bar, friendly staff. Organises treks daily for reasonable prices - $8 pp. Overland campsites are small but have amazing views. Road to farm is a 4x4 adventure, very fun. We lived to the compost toilets and outdoor shower, although it's a bit far from the campsite can't complain to much :-)

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Great overlanding place. Good views and nice food. They are very friendly and helped allot with a little wildlife encounter I had. Recommend

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Top spot so far in Malawi. We stayed for two nights and the excellent food, drinks and team nearly made us extend our stay. Must stay there!

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Peaceful, incredible view. Clean Eco toilets and good showers. (Could do with a few more closer to overland camping sites) $5. We came in a slightly larger than normal land cruiser with camping trailer. The overland sites were a bit challenging to get into and a bit small but still incredible experience. Not really geared for self catering camping as no wash up areas for dishes etc. Glad we came though. Back road up to the farm is under construction so hopefully that will be done within a few years.

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Amazing eco place with incredible views from the camp site. The price for camping is $5 or 3500 MKW.

There are some friendly dogs and the staff is very nice.

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Overlanders sites have perfect views! Hot showers and clean toilets. Food is vegeterian but is good. Road from M1 to place is bad but doable with 4x4. We paid 3000mkw pp.

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Great view, nice people, very good food. Paid $5,- pp for camping.

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Great location of the hill side overlooking lake Malawi.

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Some kilometers before Livingstonia you will find Mushroom Farm on the cliff edge. We got a spot for camping where there was just enough room for our car and to put up the roof top tent. It was a Braai at our site and we had a great braai at sunset with view over Lake Malawi. The location is incredible and it is a nice and relaxed place. Toilet facilities was ok and a great shower with a view. No power or water. Bar and restaurant, and some great hammocks for relaxing on the cliff edge.

2700 MK

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