Chelinda Campsite
Self-catering campsite · Near Chelinda headquarters · Not confirmed; enquire via CAWS or Chelinda HQ
A drawing, because nobody has sent us a photograph of Chelinda Campsite yet. Send five and this page changes the same week.
Budget
Inside the park
Park-run (DNPW)
A self-catering campsite near the Chelinda headquarters that appears in older guides and traveller reports, but for which no operator, rate or current status is published. Listed because it probably exists, flagged because nobody officially confirms it. Email CAWS before you count on it, and pack for nights that can touch freezing.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Budget way to sleep at 2,300 metres, if it is running
- Walking distance from Chelinda HQ, where fishing permits are issued
- Near the same trails and dams used by lodge guests
- Park-run (DNPW), so it is the cheapest route onto the plateau
Cons
- No operator, rate or facilities list published anywhere
- Current operating status is unconfirmed; email CAWS first
- Frost recorded May to August; needs real cold-weather gear
- Capacity and opening dates not published
What's here
Arranged from the lodge:
- Community visits
Read from Chelinda Campsite's own website in July 2026. Anything not listed we could not confirm, which is not the same as it being absent.
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. Nyika National Park charges its own entry fee for every day you are inside. Here is what that adds up to.
- Park entryApproximate, and the one figure on this site we could not confirm.
- $10per person, per day
- VehicleSomewhere between $3 and $15 by weight class.
- $8per vehicle, per day
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults sharing one vehicle pay $84 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
Malawi publishes no current tariff for Nyika. Treat both figures as indicative and confirm before you travel.
The full fee schedule for Nyika National ParkRates at Chelinda Campsite
Enquire. No current rate, operator or facilities list is published anywhere. Confirm it is open and what it costs before building a trip around it.
What the rate covers is not confirmed. We do not know yet whether meals, drinks and activities are included, so read this as the bed only.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Rates are from Central African Wilderness Safaris' own 2026 rate information, gathered July 2026, and from operator websites. Nyika publishes very little pricing. No figure means enquire. Always confirm directly before you travel.
Something this page does not answer?
This camp does not publish a rate, so the only way to a real number is to ask them or us.
This one is run by the park authority or its concessionaire, so the booking goes to them and not through anyone else. We are happy to help you work out whether it fits your route, which month suits it and what else sits near it.
Nothing on this site sits behind the form. Every figure we have is already on the page.
Questions about Chelinda Campsite
Is Chelinda Campsite still open?
Nobody officially confirms it. Chelinda Campsite appears in older guides and traveller reports, but CAWS's own site, which also covers Chelinda Lodge and Camp, makes no mention of it, and no operator, rate or facilities list is published anywhere. Email reservations@cawsmw.com before building a trip around it.
How much does Chelinda Campsite cost?
No price is published anywhere for Chelinda Campsite, and CAWS's own site does not mention it at all. If it is still running, expect it to be the cheapest bed on the plateau by far, but confirm the current rate, and that it exists, before you count on it.
What do you need to bring to Chelinda Campsite?
Genuine cold-weather camping kit. Frost is recorded at Chelinda from May to August, and the record warns nights can touch freezing. The site is self-catering near Chelinda headquarters, where fishing permits are issued, so bring food, a warm sleeping bag and everything else yourself.