Dqae Qare Lodge: The marvel of D�Kar
Zolani Kraai | Friday September 4, 2015 13:27
There, wooden curved signs direct one to the reception. On the opposite is a garden thatched roof balcony that, according to the management, is used as a serving point for refreshments and meals. The lawn beautifies the front view of the L-shaped combination of the reception and guest rooms. Established in 1993, following an arrangement by the Dutch and Netherlands Development Association to purchase the farm for the San people, the lodge has managed to generate its own sustainable income.
With its colonial era architecture the lodge’s magnificent structures are accompanied by a camping site of which has ablution under camel thorns. You would not have completed your tour of the campsite without having a glimpse of the San traditional village; about seven minutes walk from the lodge. Dqae Qare Lodge has seven en-suite rooms, four traditional Basarwa Huts and other options for different tastes.
As a celebration of San culture, the community delights in sharing their culture and extraordinary knowledge of the Kalahari with guests through bush walks, traditional dancing, fire making, craft making, trapping and story telling.
Guests can choose from individual activities or spend days living with the San in their traditional village nearby.
Dqae Qare Lodge is situated near D’Kar 25 kilometres from Gantsi, on the main highway between Maun and Namibia. Upon arrival the Arts & Culture team drove inside the farm for seven kilometres. From the enjoyable sandy and gravel terrain, signs of beauty and wonder greet us.
Just before sunset, a game drive is arranged for visitors. An aerial view of the game is amazing as a variety of animals graze around with no fear. These include Giraffe, Eland, Kudu, Gemsbok, Zebra and much more.
The carnivorous residents include Cheetah, Leopard and Brown Hyena.
At the end of the drive, Greg Laws explains the meaning of the name of the lodge ‘Dqae Qare’, which he said is ‘the Steenbok biltong’. Laws said that meat from the steenbok is special as the animals are commonly found in the area. Interesting beliefs and laws shared about the San women is that they are restricted from eating the meat when in their menstruation cycle, as they believed that it would bring an unexplained curse.
Management of the lodge is by the San community governed by a board of trustees.
“We are only here to advice the management on financial matters and bookkeeping, but of course we also advice on issues of governance and leadership,” Laws said.