26 Oct 2020

In the outskirts of Werda, some 20km from the village along Werda/Bray road sprawls a state-of-the-art facility that goes by the name Cornwall Safari Lodge. 

The facility was established in 2001 by Jannie and Heather Strumpher due to the growing need for accommodation and hunting in the Southern part of Botswana. 

The lodge sprawls in a four-hectare chunk of land in the Strumpher Farm, which also comprises a camping site

Situated 170km from Tsabong and 160km from the Mabuasehube gate at the Transfrontier Park, also 30km from the Bray border post, makes the facility ideal for tourists traveling from Johannesburg to Mabuasehube gate or to Chobe as well as the people travelling from and to Cape Town, who can use the amenity as a refreshment or a breakaway station as it is the only lodge in the vicinity from both the Botswana and South African side. 

The lodge had been operational for some years now and offers African experience as well as boasts a large international clientele base. 

Heather manages the Lodge and Jannie takes care of the eco-safaris and 4x4 excursions. The facility has been designed with an African feel, but also has modern facilities such as a swimming pool and tennis court. 

Evenings are spent around camp fires in the Boma or in the thatched recreational arena, where one would be exposed to cozy duchess Restaurant. Ms Heather Strumpher, owner and manager of Cornwall lodge told BOPA that the lodge’s 10 rooms as well as the restaurant and their private residence were gutted by fire at around 4am on July 27, 2015 the incident in which she and her husband nearly died. She narrated that they had to rebuild the restaurant and kitchen and had to use the remaining rooms for lodging again in 2019.

She opined that COVID-19 impacted adversely on the lodge, but said they did not make use of any government grant, but their own savings to pay employees as a way of contributing to the economy. 

She shared that the restaurant was famous for its quality and excellent cuisine. She expressed gratitude that one experiences the farm atmosphere while lodging at the place, adding that one wakes up in the morning to the sounds of birds in the trees and in the evening to the jackals howl sounds. 

Ms Strumpher said for citizens to run successful lodging business they must make clientele feel at home away from home when ever people are lodging at their place.

 “I am ready to volunteer as a mentor for upcoming and emerging lodges,” she said.

 She said whenever there is a challenge such as a water pipe burst one must rise to the occasion to come up with a solution, adding that etiquette to customers was key and the etiquette rule should run from both sides; the service provider and customer. 

She spoke of the need for lodge owners to equip themselves with business acumen, pointing out that it took one to be hands on to run a successful lodge business.

Ms Strumpher said it was paramount to keep money for any unforeseen contingencies as well as to invest the money into the business, not to spend all the money for personal gains. 

She said some of the challenges she contends were bad roads, and that the area was remote and in a farm, saying that not everybody wants to be on the farm. 

However, a visit to the lodge is an outdoor venue never to be missed that offers an exciting true African experience with an assortment of the much needed western amenities. Ends