Tongole Wilderness Lodge: where Luxury meets Compassionate Conservation

PLCnetwork has partnered with its first Malawian network member, Tongole Wilderness Lodge, which is situated in the pristine 1,800 square kilometer NkhotaKota Wildlife Reserve, and has signed a concession with African Parks Network to operate in this area. 

Foreslake Limited (Trading as Tongole Wilderness Lodge) is a company which was formed in 2009 to build and operate an eco-lodge. Mr Bentry Kalanga is the Managing Director of Tongole, and established the eco-lodge in memory of his late son, Vitu Kalanga, who passed away in a tragic car accident at the age of 16 on 31st January, 2007 in the United Kingdom.  Bentry and his wife, Mrs Molly Kalanga, migrated to the United Kingdom with their three children in 2005. Vitu Kalanga aspired to train as a Doctor, and it was this aspiration that drove the Kalanga’s and their longtime friends, David and Sue Cole, to commemorate Vitu. The two families decided to create a two part project: specifically, a sustainable business which would create employment and training opportunities in a very deprived part of Malawi on one hand; and a foundation on the other hand, that would work with the local community to uplift their lives. 

The vision to create a mutually beneficial relationship between the operator, community and guests was born. Through conservation of the environment and wildlife, Tongole aims to offer employment opportunities to the local community and excellent hospitality experiences to guests in a pristine natural environment of NkhotaKota Wildlife Reserve.

In an exclusive interview, Bentry shares they have established the Tongole Foundation as a charity arm set up to meet the social, economic and environmental needs of some of the most vulnerable communities within the region through education, training and employment, whilst encouraging support for the protection of the NkhotaKota Wildlife Reserve. Currently the foundation is working with The Mwalawatongole F.P. School and Chankhokwe F.P. School and have constructed a complete new Chilimani Primary school from scratch. The Foundation’s work has included vital renovations and repairs to classrooms and school building, mending the school roofs, decorating and installation of toilet blocks. The Foundation has also supported the schools with scholastic materials which are not always available in the schools. In this way, Tongole represents hope and compassion; motivated by personal tragedy with the primary aim of benefitting many, it is an exciting and evolving story in a particularly disadvantaged region of Malawi.

As Tongole joins our comprehensive network, PLCnetwork seeks to improve its publicity, networking opportunity and business potential. For the future, Tongole and PLCnetwork aim to collaborate on conservation and community projects to achieve conservationreneurship success.