Norman Carr Cottage | Established Campground

February 26th, 2024 by huggingtheaussieroad

Soon you arrive you feel home Leonie and Taffy welcome you soooo well loving it 😊 we had diner and the food is excellent don’t bother cooking 😉

January 26th, 2024 by taffy

Please note that all children pay $10 per person.
If you are running an office please supply your own data, please do not spoil the experience for others by abusing this service.
The management

January 10th, 2024 by berngreven

Still $10 pp, kids till 12 are for free (we were lucky as described above 😉). As described, nice place to stay. Wi-Fi is $5 for access. Ablutions are clean and in good condition.

October 29th, 2023 by Simbafrica.318

Very nice place to camp.
Huge trees there making a lot of shadow. Electricity at the spot, very clean ablutions.
Nice beach and restaurent / bar. We had a very good vegetarian quiche for 10$.
Only pain point : the rate was 1450 kwachas for 1 dollar which is quite high compared to the other campsites in Malawi (1100-1200 kwachas)

October 15th, 2023 by Gray Manicom

We enjoyed Norman Carr cottage. The campsite is on a nice lawn under large trees, with a laundry area. Dinners were delicious. We stayed in the rooms, which had wi-fi, power, the works. The hosts were very helpful and loved a game of scrabble. Went snorkelling and feeding the fish eagles which was enjoyable, as well as a boat cruise and joined the hosts for some walks through the area. Recommended.

July 1st, 2023 by sager_tanja

We had a lovely stay here. Camping in beautifully kept garden with lots of trees and shade. Great host with very interesting stories. Beach is lovely. Dinner was fantastic. A super place to relax and enjoy Lake Malawi. Will definitely come back.

April 23rd, 2023 by JohnnLana

Here is a great place to rest after the tense travel through Mozambique. Great hosts with lots of interesting stories. Unwind here and you won't regret it.

January 20th, 2023 by RollingStones

Lovely tranquil campsite on lush grass,under huge trees. There is a concrete area where you can cook, with a double sink. The showers are lovely and hot, with lov et ly big shower rose. Electricity at campsite. Private beach with kayaks and boat. Taffy and Leonie are very friendly. It's possible to pay by credit card or bank transfer as well as cash.

January 14th, 2023 by sarahelizabethhelm

Had a great stay here - would recommend as the base for exploring the bay as is very peaceful and set beautifully on the lake w a great little dock to look out over. The owner was very friendly and provided lots of great recommendations and offered a use of a canoe if we wanted to go out on the lake.
The camping was set back from the lake and set under some trees, clean ablutions, electricity and running water all available (10 usd pppn).
Strong wifi and coffee in the morning - both a definite plus.

August 30th, 2022 by larademelza

Best campsite under beautiful trees. DELICIOUS food available at the restaurant. Incredible owners… extremely warm, kind and friendly. We will be back and can’t recommend this place highly enough!

June 28th, 2022 by nickianddave

lovely relaxed camping area set among trees and grass. Brand new ablution block with hot water and a new camp kitchen area with sink for washing up. Taffy and Leonie are such friendly and welcoming hosts and we enjoyed sundowners in the beautiful conservatory/restaurant on the beach and also sat round a huge fire pit on the beach. Food is available in the restaurant but we chose to cook for ourselves. Gorgeous beach with sunloungers and cushions provided and crystal clear water.Boat trips are also offered. We stayed 2 nights and only moved on to explore more of the lake.

May 25th, 2022 by homesofafrica.com

What an absolutely loving owners, so friendly and helpful! Really felt welcome. The buffet was awesome and campsite nice and clean. Definitely recommend to stay here.

May 14th, 2022 by hobogoessolo

Checked in . Did not sleep over. Lovely helpfull hosts. Campsite on green grass under huge trees. Campsite ablution not finished yet , so they give campers the use of a cottage for ablution facilities.

Wouls highly recommend this site as Cale Maclear is very dirty . And so many people. Visit Cape Maclear for an afternoon and walk through the market. But this beach is quiet and relaxing and currently Cape Maclear’s beach is only 1m wide with the high water. Here at Norman Carr it is 20m of white sand. Also enquire about their campsite on the other side of the lake.

March 23rd, 2022 by Nico and Vicky van Wyk

Awesome camping spot with clean ablution with hot water.(currently from cottage). Very friendly owners, beautifull beach front and onsite restaurant. Village noices but it is part of Africa.

January 23rd, 2022 by Lost Reception

Stayed here for 3 nights. Camping area is large under big trees. Power supply available. The ablution and kitchen area is still under construction but is getting there. We got access to a cottage for showers with hot water and everything. The hosts Taffy and Leonie are just lovely. Really looking after the guests. Breakfast is awesome. We also did a tour on the old boat Alfie. It’s worth it.

10USD/night pp Camping
10 USD pp Boat Trip
20 USD buffet for dinner
8 USD pp Full English breakfast

Enjoyed the stay a lot!

October 11th, 2021 by Nomadic_Hagrid

We felt so welcome here that we stayed longer than we planned to; we went to Chembe Eagles Nest to snorkel at an island but didn’t enjoy the generator that ran late into the evening, and so returned for another stay the day after. Taffy and Leoni made us feel right at home once again!

Their cottages are unassuming as you drive in but the beach is beautiful and their camping is under gorgeous big trees on lush green grass. They have a small swimming pool for those who don’t want to brave swimming in Lake Malawi, and there are plenty of areas on the beach or outdoor/indoor lounge area to read/rest (with loungers and comfortable couches etc.). It was sublime.

Taffy and Leoni also gave us some good information for the next leg of our journey, they’re very knowledgable (Taffy has been at Norman Carr Cottage for 20+ yrs).

Camping was $10USD pppn

Well worth a visit!

November 4th, 2020 by tracksaroundtheworld.de

A beautiful campground with fat green grass and shadow. We liked it very much. Great area and beach with nice sun beds. The owners are very kind and helpful. We had really nice conversations. And we liked the cats. They cut a lot of branches for us and were welcome to do so also for others. They like to have big rigs there. And we felt it. The dinner was a bit expensive for 25 $ pp.

August 24th, 2020 by janharm.duplessis

Fully agree with the previous review. What a find! Taffy and Leoni are doing a great job amid these difficult times (COVID) and it was great to listen to Taffy’s stories in our native tongue:-) They really go out of their way to make your stay memorable. Stunning campsite on lush lawn and they even provided electrical points directly at the campsite. The kids enjoyed the pool while we relaxed in the stunning beach lounge area. Price still $10pppn (kids half price). We decided to also go and visit their place on the eastern shore; see review under Norman Carr Chikulu.

November 22nd, 2019 by ronelle.duck

What a lovely found. $10pp but negotiable if you stay a while. We ended staying for 5 days. The campsite addition to the lodge has only recently opened. The ablutions are still being built but they give you a key to one of their beautiful rooms to use the ablutions in the meantime. The camping area has thick green grass under beautiful trees. They built a wall around the camping area for privacy. We were provided electricity with a cable. Laundry services are available. I soaked my washing overnight and left it at the laundry with the intention to rinse it the following day. When I got there in the morning it was already washed and hanged to dry for no charge. Wow! We treated ourselves with dinner and breakfast and the food was excellent. We also went for the 2hr boat trip to feed the fish eagles and snorkel for $20pp. The sunset cruise is 1hr for $10pp. They have a neat little pool, restaurant (make prior arrangements) and beautiful relaxing area with books to read. Wifi vouchers is available. All the staff are very friendly and the owners Taffy and Leoni make you feel VERY welcome. Their rooms are $135pp and includes 3 meals. We also decided to go camp at their other lodge on the Eastern shore which is not operational at the moment. But if you are fully self sufficient you can camp there and use a room for ablutions. We are so happy we tried it out. It's remote, less populated, peaceful, quiet and beautiful. Even saw a crocodile. Ask Taffy about it. Taffy +265997746323

September 30th, 2019 by taffy

Quiet camping, only a few stands available..
Book meals at the restaurant in the morning if you get tired of cooking for yourself.

Free Wi-Fi available in the lounge area.

As a extra book a trip on our boat Alfie, build in 1951 for Sir Alfred Beit for use on Lake Nyasa!