Driving in the African Bush – What we’ve Learnt

1.       Driving in Sand – don’t accelerate too hard, don’t expect the steering wheel to do anything when you turn it. But whatever you do, don’t stop

2.       Driving in Mud – accelerate hard. If you stop – you/your wife will probably have to get out and push.  If you feel yourself sinking, be prepared for your wife to shout ‘keep going’ continuously whether it’s helpful or not.

3.       Driving over  small rocks – go slow.

4.       Driving over large rocks – go very slow (especially when the car is carrying twice its capacity), and prepare yourself for awful scrape-y noises. And pray that no vital parts fall off the car.

5.       Driving in long grass – have faith and don’t expect to see where you are going. The long grass may be taller than the car, but it’s generally safe. Don’t be surprised the ‘road’ looks suspiciously like a field.

6.       Driving through rivers – pray

7.       Driving through puddles – attempt to distinguish the difference between a puddle and deep hole. This is usually impossible.

8.       Driving around potholes – dodge, duck, dive, dip and dodge. Don’t hip them at high speed – bits will fall off your car.

9.       Changing a tire on a mud track – put a rock under the jack, or you can expect the jack to impact the floor more than the car!

10.   Driving past pedestrians – wave at anything that moves – they love it and new friends may come in handy when pushing is required!

11.   Driving over snakes – despite being strongly encouraged by locals to mow down the ‘spitting cobra’ in the road, we would advise keeping your distance

Additional – if you end up driving at dark, it can be difficult to distinguish between rocks/sand/mud/rivers, so apply all the above rules simultaneously. Good Luck.