New Openings — introducing newly opened and reopened lodges across Africa’s great reserves.
On 1 August 2026, Bua River Lodge reopens its doors deep inside Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve, Malawi’s oldest and largest protected area. It’s a small lodge with a big story behind it: a river that changed two people’s plans, and a reserve that’s quietly become one of the most remarkable conservation comebacks in the region.
Two people who fell for a river
Tash and Bryn Stott weren’t looking to buy a safari lodge. They’re conservation-minded, keen birdwatchers, and — by their own account — two “normal people” who love wild places. Like a lot of visitors to Nkhotakota, they came for a trip and left thinking about the Bua River: the sound of it, the size of the trees along its banks, the sense of being properly out in the wild.
Then the lodge came up for sale, and they took the leap. Neither had run a lodge before. What they did have was a belief that tourism, done right, can genuinely help a place — support conservation, create local jobs, and give a struggling reserve a reason to keep recovering. This August, Bua River Lodge welcomes its first guests under their ownership.
A reserve on the way back
Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve is Malawi’s largest and oldest protected area, a rugged stretch of miombo woodland climbing off the shore of Lake Malawi. It’s also the site of one of the biggest elephant translocations ever attempted: under African Parks, more than 500 elephants were moved here, along with buffalo and antelope, as part of a long-term push to bring the reserve back to life. Predators have followed. It’s still wild, still empty of crowds, and still very much a work in progress — which is part of the appeal for anyone who wants to see a conservation story in motion rather than a finished postcard.
Bua River Lodge sits right inside it, on the banks of the river that gives it its name. There are no queues of safari vehicles here and no fixed circuits. Guests can expect elephants moving along the river, strong birdlife, and the kind of quiet that’s getting harder to find on a safari.
Built to feel like Malawi, not just Africa
The Stotts have been deliberate about one thing: they didn’t want a generic luxury lodge that could be dropped into any reserve on the continent. They wanted it to feel unmistakably Malawian, which shows up in the small details as much as the big ones.
The soap in the rooms, for instance, is being developed with Malawi Botanicals using ingredients sourced from around the country — palm oil from Karonga, clay from communities near Nkhotakota, vetiver oil grown locally. Around the lodge, guests will find woven baskets, handcrafted furniture and locally made décor rather than imported fittings. It’s a simple idea: every purchasing decision the lodge makes is also a chance to support a Malawian livelihood.
What a stay looks like
Rooms are simple, comfortable tented accommodation rather than glass-and-concrete suites — four-poster beds under mosquito nets, canvas walls, and the sound of the bush right outside. It suits the lodge’s whole approach: this isn’t about five-star polish, it’s about being properly immersed in a wild place without roughing it.
Activities lean into what Nkhotakota does best — walking safaris, river-based outings along the Bua, and birdwatching that will keep serious birders busy for days. Malawi doesn’t get anywhere near the safari traffic of its neighbours, so there’s a good chance of having a stretch of riverbank entirely to yourself. Be realistic about what you’ll see: this is a reserve still rebuilding its predator numbers, so it’s not the place for guaranteed big-cat sightings. What it does offer is space, birdlife, elephants along the river, and a genuinely wild backdrop that few other reserves in the region can match right now.
Good to know
Location: Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve, Central Malawi
Reopens: 1 August 2026
Best for: Birding, walking safaris, river safaris, wilderness and quiet
Best time to visit: June–November (dry season)
Contact: info@buariverlodge.com · www.buariverlodge.com
Explore more on 25South
- Nkhotakota reserve guide — more on the reserve’s elephant translocation and wildlife.
- Malawi destinations overview — the reserves and lakeshore worth knowing about.
Bua River Lodge reopens on 1 August 2026 in Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve, Malawi, under new ownership. This feature is part of 25° SOUTH’s ongoing New Openings series. It is independent editorial — not sponsored, and no payment was involved. Photographs courtesy of Bua River Lodge and reproduced with permission.