Dedza Pottery Lodge
Dedza is the highest town in Malawi and Dedza mountain, reaching up to over 2,000m, forms the backdrop to this attractive lodge which is situated in beautiful gardens within the grounds of the famous Dedza Pottery, known both for its handmade pottery and for its coffee and cheesecake. In 2005 a new restaurant was opened which is cool in hot weather and has a roaring log fire in the clear crisp evenings of June and July. A year after opening the restaurant was awarded a silver medal in the “Best Restaurant in Malawi” competition. Chifundo manages the lodge with a team of very experienced staff, some of whom have been at the restaurant for over 15 years.
The lodge has six spacious rooms carefully placed in a quiet part of the site but conveniently near to the restaurant. The lodge faces West with a wonderful outlook onto Mzengeleza Mountain. There is mains electricity and a backup generator and the rooms are attractively furnished each with its own en suite tiled bathroom, hot shower, mini bar and secure safe. Bed linen, mosquito nets, towels, soap, and electric mosquito killers are provided. Electric heaters are provided for the cold weather and fans for the hot season. There is a kitchenette with complimentary tea and coffee. Both the restaurant and the rooms have been designed with the physically challenged in mind and there are ramps for easy wheelchair access.
One of the main attractions for visitors is Dedza Pottery which opened in 1987 and now has the largest hand crafted production of pottery in Southern Africa; there is a very wide range of designs and customers can also place orders to be made in almost any shape or design. If required the pottery can dispatch pots, fully insured, to any address worldwide. Apart from buying or placing orders visitors can have a full tour of the production workshop. For more information about Dedza Pottery and its products please visit: www.dedzapottery.com.
Towering over Dedza Town is Dedza Mountain, the third highest peak in Malawi. From the top, on clear days, there are stunning views; to the East across Lake Malawi to Mozambique, to the South Zomba Plateau and Mount Mulanje can be seen. The top is walkable from the pottery in a few hours; and there is a rough road, suitable only for vehicles with high clearance, that reaches almost to the peak. There are also numerous paths within the forest for those that want a more leisurely walk.
There is a newly established “Cultural Village”, some 20 minutes drive away from the pottery where visitors can experience many aspects of Dedza traditions and see traditional dances performed. Dedza District is home to many early cave paintings and the area has recently been made a World Heritage Site. Work is ongoing to document and open up several sites while protecting the unique artwork. Enquire at the pottery for the latest information.
One hours drive away on mainly good roads is Mua Mission. This is one of the first Catholic mission stations built early in the 20th century, the original living quarters were elevated to keep the missionaries away from marauding lions and elephants. Father Claude Boucher, originally from Canada, has spent much of his life at Mua teaching carving and painting and studying Malawian traditions and interpreting the gospels into a Malawian context. There are few people who know more about Malawian culture than Father Boucher and in 2000 he opened the small museum of Malawian culture that he spent 15 years preparing and which is full of information on the traditions of several of the main tribal groupings within Malawi.
Our Full Board Rates include one activity per day. Choose from a mountain walk, pottery tour or town tour. Full Board includes English breakfast, midday meal & 3 course dinner.