Name: Pakachere Backpackers Lodge
Address: Off Kufa road, Zomba, Malawi, Zomba, Zomba, Zomba, Malawi
Rating: 9

Smoke-free property

Garden

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Non-smoking rooms

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Family room

Locker

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Mosquito net

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Diet menu (on request)

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Bottled water (at extra charge)

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German

English

French

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Barbecue grill(s)

Hiking

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Ping-Pong

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Darts

Cycling

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Chileka Airport

Pakachere Backpackers Lodge

Very nice hostel and really enjoyed my time here. Very relaxing and spent a lot of time reading my book in the garden. Loved the decor! 
Lovely, friendly and welcoming staff, clean beds, free filtered water and great food - the poke bowls were really good. 
Would recommend doing the hike to the waterfall which was beautiful. 
Good location, close to town. Defo worth a visit!

Set in a large walled garden in the middle of the golf course and near central Zomba. Lovely relaxed atmosphere with multiple shaded seating areas around the garden. Established vegetation with good bird viewing.

There is a wide-ranging menu including many vegetarian dishes, all very well cooked and presented. Managers and their staff are friendly, efficient and helpful.  Various letting rooms and a tent available.

There is also a stage for cultural performances. Always someone interesting to meet here.

We joined the market trip with Olivia, saw some exciting corners where you would not go by yourself..Then did the malawi cooking lesson in the garden and learned how to prepare nsima properly. Finally had a great lunch with a cold beer. 
Perfekt day, thank you all

Me and my boyfriend stayed in Blend for a couple of nights in the Safari Tent, 

Price is super reasonable!
The staff are so friendly!
Food is SO GOOD!

It’s a really good location as it’s right near the Zomba Plateau we actually walked from the lodge up the Plateau!

Loved it so much we even went back a second time when passed through zomba! 

For more of an insight we made some videos on our travel tiktok 

@nadanddan_adventure 

Thank you so much BLEND X

Very clean, very helpful staff, beautiful garden with comfortable seating areas. Ideal for exploring the zumba plateau. Under new enthusiastic management. Great value for money. We wish you all the best for the future. 

Such a beautiful and cosy backpackers! Very helpful and friendly staff, clean and comfortable rooms and so many nice cosy areas to relax and read. Staff were very helpful organizing a tour up the plateau with Isaac as well as sorting our transfer for our onward journey. Would definitely stay here again!

This place is magic! 
The  beautiful scenaary of the garden, the welcoming staff, the nice clean  rooms.
We were lucky to to be there during the weekend and ejoy to cool staff that take place.
Awsome.
This was our home away from home when we were in Malawi. When we need help Anniely  helped with just about everything.

We stayed in the largest en suite - loved it.  Great welcome, gorgeous landscaping, art, food - I have zero bad to say, all good.

Environmentally friendly, socially responsible, chill, comfortable, interesting, we would stay here again for sure.

Even if the rates at Pakachere would be higher, it would still be great value for money. They are very well situated in Zomba, have beautiful spacious gardens to relax in and the rooms are comfortable. The staff is super friendly and very welcoming and the meals are great. We'll definitely go back to enjoy when they're using the brand-new stage in their garden!

I stayed here last week. The building is set within grassed gardens and is very community-focussed, like a drop-in. Everyone is welcome and the Dutch owners are doing a lot of community projects. They were organising Zomba Festival while we were there.

The room was great with an en-suite bathroom. There is a big chill-out area and also a wi-fi suite open to the public.

A relaxed bar and restaurant make this a good choice within a budget.

Zomba

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Lovely

Excellent

Blend was so good we went back again!

Amazing Backpackers

Home away from home

Best value for money

Lovely feel

Where to even begin… it would be impossible to overstate that Pakachere literally feels like heaven on earth. From the staff to the scenery to the food, everything is perfect. And this is coming from someone who had a long-term stay at the lodge — a total of 3 weeks. 

I stayed at Paka (as thy and guests call it) while in Zomba to work with an NGO as part of my studies at the Harvard School of Public Health. While I thoroughly enjoyed my work and many aspects of my time in Malawi, staying at Pakachere was undoubtedly a highlight, and helped make my time in Malawi truly unforgettable. 

When you arrive, you can’t help but be overwhelmed by an immediate feeling of serenity — the land is lush, birds are chirping, monkeys can often be spotted on the surrounding walls, and there is always a kind staff member waiting to greet you in the entryway. Not to mention that there are almost always guests (both international and locals alike) working or just hanging out having a beer. The setting, in that sense, caters to a range of personalities and backgrounds — if you’re a traveler looking to meet people and have a good time, this is the place for you; if you’re a couple looking traveling through looking for a private room in a beautiful space with activity, this is the place for you; and if you’re someone like me who’s a student or working and you want a peaceful place to post up, this is also the place for you. 

In fact, there’s an entire massive room with outlets and books, as well as desks in the rooms and on the porches along with strong wifi across the entire lodge. Even when it was a busy night, I could still always find a quiet, peaceful, work-conducive spot to plug in. The best part, though, was that if and when I wanted to be social, I could just go downstairs where ex-pats, locals, and travelers were all convened eating dinner, talking, and at times doing activities like trivia, art night, or even attending a live concert. The food, by the way, is unreal. Vegan and gluten free options, but also themed nights, traditional Malawian food, the best pancakes I’ve ever had (big statement coming from an American!), and fresh juices and teas. The menu has something for everyone and I literally never got tired of it over the three weeks I was there. 

Another notable highlight of Paka is the wonderful accommodations. Everything is clean and tranquil with gorgeous local art, the beds are extremely comfortable, there’s really nice mosquito nets on every bed, and the bathrooms are well-kept with warm showers and strong water pressure. I couldn’t (and still can’t) believe how lucky I had it, and by the end of the third day or so, it already started to feel like a home — a feeling that continued all the way until the end. When I was not feeling well at one point, FIVE different people, including the owner, staff, and other guests, checked in on and helped take care of me, including by taking me to the nurse; and when I went any day trips, it felt like I was leaving my family. Anybody would be lucky to feel the warmth and love that emanates from Paka, it’s a very special feeling.

Finally, Zomba itself is an absolutely breathtaking city that any travel lover must visit at some point. Paka sits just at the base of stunning Zomba plateau, which is idyllic with hike paths, rolling waterfalls, and wide variety of flora and fauna; it’s also a 10 minute walk from the Zomba botanical gardens where rivers flow and monkeys roam (can’t be missed — I think I went three times). The lodge is also conveniently located a 10/15 minute walk from town, a 10-minute walk from the town’s chocolate factory and cafe, a 1.5 hour drive from the major city Blantyre, and an approximately 5 hour drive from the stunning beaches of Lake Malawi. 

I cannot recommend staying at Paka enough, and can’t wait for the day that I can return. It is a super special place not to be missed, and that I recommend adding to your travel itineraries now. My deepest thanks go to Anneliese, Jonah, and the whole staff for making my time in Malawi one of the most memorable of my life. I miss you all every day and am jealous of all the lucky guests traveling through!!

A true slice of heaven!!

I have stayed at Pakachere several times, including with friends, family and school trips. It's a fantastic spot, that has friendly staff, fantastic owners and good food at very reasonable prices. The rooms are kept spotless and the owners work hard to continually maintain and improve the place. One of the biggest plus points of Pakachere is the guiding options they provide. Not only do they offer guided walks up Zomba Plateau but also trips to the beautiful Lake Chilwa, Chikhala Pillars and other nearby attractions that you would otherwise have real trouble getting to. These places really are worth the effort and that Pakachere can provide these options is something visitors to Zomba might want to seriously consider when organising accomodation and travel plans. Pakachere is also know to hold arts events of all kinds, in order to promote local talent. It is definitely worth asking ahead about such events, as they can really add something to your trip. I you haven't figured it out already, I couldn't recommend Pakachere highly enough.

Highly recommended

This is one of those places where you plan to stay for two days and end up staying for two weeks. The atmosphere is great, you can meet a lot of travelers and locals. 
All of staff members are really friendly and open which I have not seen this in Africa yet. 

We did two tours with Isaac and so far he is the best tour guide we have experienced. If you are visiting you shouldn’t miss out on a tour with Isaac.

The food was also very good and their are a lot of vegetarian options available.

Pakachere Backpackers Lodge

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