Off-road perils of getting stuck
Having not a single equipment for recovery on off-road driving is unforgivable.
We returned a few days ago from yet another pleasant visit to Chobe, Botswana.
The painful sights of the drought were visible everywhere from low water levels in the Chobe river to even more than usual dusty and eroded roads in the park. We nevertheless had a fantastic bird and animal sightings.
The one frustrating aspect was the multiple recoveries we had to make for sand stranded vehicles.
Forgivable (sometimes) is the overseas tourists with a rented vehicle and (?)
Unforgivable is the unprepared and unequipped local tour operators.
Most shocking was our experience with a stuck tour operator with NO recovery equipment whatsoever. Not even a spade and expecting us to tie our snatch rope over his front bumper for the recovery.
When I bluntly refused (for obvious safety reasons), his next suggestion was that we tie it to a tow bar ball screwed onto the front bumper.
We didn’t even bother to make big eyes but carried on for the prep for the recovery.
Annica crawled under his vehicle to locate an (unknown to him) recovery point under the car buried in the sand.
Usual culprits are high tyre pressure, two-wheel drive and no low range.
The usual culprits were once again high tyre pressure, two-wheel drive and no low range engaged when indicated and poor speed judgement and sand braking.
We had the same scenario in places like Savuti, Moremi, Mana pools, Mabua and Kaudum to name but a few places where we had similar experiences.
How can we address the problem?
Here are some quick and basic tricks:
1- As a novice off-roader, invite a seasoned camper/offroader with you on the first few trips for instruction and back up.
2- Go for off-road training ( driving, safety and recovery techniques and safe water crossing).
3- 100% roadworthy vehicle and a full set of high-quality recovery equipment (and how to use it).
4- Imprint in your mind over and over again: tyre pressure, 4 wheel drive, low range (when indicated) and selecting right speed for road and weather conditions.
Remember that over-inflated ego can be the biggest enemy.
5- When renting a 4×4, select a reputable rental company. Insist on a fully equipped and mechanically sound vehicle. Check all the bells and whistles before leaving.
6- Rental companies must insist on basic off-road training before rental and departure. If not possible, at least give a PROPER list of 4×4 operating instructions and guidance (in bold).
7- An alternative for the novice or overseas Traveller is to join an organized tour with a professional tour guide.
Also important to mention is that it’s not embarrassing to ask for advice or help instead of getting into a potentially dangerous situation.
Better safe than sorry – the wise man said … or was it a woman?
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