We had the pleasure of taking part in the SHH Rally again this year, and even jumped on as sponsors!
Born out of desperation for wanting to explore during Covid times, the rally has slowly grown, and attracted the attention of fellow off-roaders in Botswana. The idea behind the event is to be given a roadbook, and to follow the tricky navigation. A roadbook is just a way of breaking down the intended route of a rally, or route into bitesize pieces, each giving you specific information to follow.
The rally this year started at the notorious Bull & Bush pub, where participants met for a briefing, and breakfast before heading off into the bush.
The route had participants winding their way through tricky river bed sections, and steep drop offs in the Moshupa area before stoping for lunch in the Metsimotlhabe River bed.
Hi-Range Safari City was there to capture the moments of excitement, and nervousness as some vehicles were getting stuck in the deep sand. We even had the chance to demonstrate how to pull out vehicles in sticky situations in the sand! This was a great opportunity to teach, and advise the participants on how to deflate tyres properly, and engage 4 wheel drive.
The highlight of the lunch stop was the ‘Divorce Course’, a competitive game where navigator and driver swapped seats. The navigator now being in the drivers seat, was blindfolded and was given specific instructions by the driver now in the passenger seat, to make their way through specific markers in the sand. This is a real test of communication and trust between the driver and navigator, hence the ‘Divorce Course’. Some found it hilarious, and some found it rather challenging! Quite a treat for spectators!
Once everyone enjoyed a complimentary lunch from the organisers, the rally kept moving towards Ranaka and eventually through to Lobatse. As you would expect, it wouldn’t be a proper off-road rally without some vehicles getting seriously bogged down in the wet sand. There was a big downpour of rain the day before the rally, which made some parts of the river bed surprisingly wet and sticky, catching quite a few vehicles! This is all part of the fun!
After a long day of navigating, and exploring the back roads of our beautiful country, we slowly made our way to Lobatse. The participants turned off the main road again, and entered Big Valley Game Lodge for prize giving, and a well deserved cool drink as temperatures were soaring into the 40’s! Some teams arrived in great spirits, and some arrived late, as the roadblock navigation proved to be trickier than some teams believed!
We all caught up with each other around the pool, sharing stories of how our day unfolded! Each with their own version of how the day went!
Around sunset came prizegiving, which was a spectacle to be seen. Fines were given out, as laughter echoed throughout the lodge. This was for some of the teams that made mistakes or that were completely off the course! Hi-Range Safari City was in the mix handing out some awesome prizes to this year’s participants!
On behalf of Hi-Range Safari City, we want to extend a big thank you to the organisers, and to Big Valley Game Lodge for hosting us! It was certainly another action packed rally this year, covering about 220Kms through the dusty Botswana roads! This is what it’s all about!
It’s a lifestyle and we love it! See you all again hopefully next year!
Until then, keep exploring and be safe!
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