The Africa Rally 2025: Bushlore Has Your Back!
The Africa Rally is already revving up for a stella 2025, with their next rally set to break all records on an event which has gone from strength to strength. The format, as always, is three weeks of adventure, two outstanding routes, with this your one opportunity to get involved (at a special Bushlore price)!
So, what is The Africa Rally we hear you ask?
The Africa Rally is a 4,500km charity road trip in which anyone can enter (regardless of experience level). The dates for The Africa Rally 2025 are 5th July 2025 to 26th July 2025.
Each Team selects a charity of their choice to fundraise for, prior to then embarking on an adventure which will take them from Hartbeespoort, South Africa, up through Botswana, to Livingstone, Zambia and Victoria Falls, then into Malawi for an epic Half Way Party on the beach.
From here teams either head north on the Challenger Route through Tanzania, the Serengeti, and eventually arrive at the Finish Line on Lake Victoria, Kenya…
OR
…they head south on the Discovery Route, through Mozambique, into eSwatini, then arrive at the Finish Line, situated at the infamous House on Fire, Malkerns.
The Africa Rally 2024 raised over R175,000 for a variety of amazing causes, and we are pleased to announce the Winners of the Discovery Route (Team Wazee Mambo) were in fact driving a Bushlore vehicle!
The Bushlore rig they rented was a 2022 Toyota Hilux 4×4 Double Cab, converted to a full camper with two rooftents, camping stoves, recovery gear, and all the extras you could imagine. This made sure they were able to see Africa in style, while not worrying about the roads, and it made them very popular with a few of the classic car teams who were a little concerned about driving on soft sand alone.
Now for a couple of common FAQs:
How did the Africa Rally get started?
The Africa Rally HQ Team have been getting lost, stuck, and making friends in Africa now for decades, however with the pressures of normal 8-6 jobs this limited them to individual one-off expeditions. That was until the global pandemic hit in 2020 and completely changed their working landscape.
The team collectively said goodbye to the corporate world.
What followed was the establishment of the Africa Rally brand, and the creation of a rally that is open to all, built with the aim of benefitting as many awesome causes as possible.
What’s great about the Africa Rally is YOU chose which awesome cause you want to fundraise for, the HQ team will then do everything they can to raise it’s profile and ensure donations flow in.
What does entry include?
- Team Entry into The Africa Rally 2025 (no additional costs per person, pay once for your vehicle)
- Three all-inclusive parties at the Start, Half Way, and Finish Line venues.
- Free Beer, Free Wine, Free Food, and Free Camping at the aforementioned venues.
- A dedicated 24/7 emergency line should anything go wrong.
- Africa Rally Vehicles Stickers to decorate your noble steed prior to departure.
- Access to The Africa Rally Partner Network; these partners include Service Partners who can assist with vehicle rental (yes, that’s Bushlore!) or travel insurance, and Hospitality
- Partners who can offer discounted accommodation and activities on route.
- Personalised Africa Rally Team Merchandise for all of your Team members.
- Paperwork Advice Service, including up to date information on all Visa Requirements
- Over 100 years of combined overlanding knowledge from the Africa Rally HQ Team, ready to answer any queries you have in the buildup to the rally.
…and let’s not forget that everyone to cross the finish line with (or without) your vehicle receives a personal satin gold Africa Rally Finishers Medal.
They also partner with the likes of Liqui Moly (who were kind enough to provide each team a free vehicle survival kit), and Geotab Africa who optionally fitted non-intrusive tracking devices should teams wish to remain on grid while on the road. Additionally, the fantastic crew at Magnate Safety supplied first aid kits and fire extinguishers to everyone, again – free of charge.
Why these routes?
Full disclosure? These two routes are their Rally Director’s favourite overland routes to travel. This is someone who’s driven London – Mongolia, all round East Asia, all over South America (on a comedically small motorbike), and also down the west coast of Africa.
Nothing compares to the national beauty, wildlife, amazing food, and general friendliness, of everyone you meet on these Africa Rally routes. We do tend to agree with them.
What are the advantages of taking part in the Africa Rally in a Bushlore vehicle?
There are two main advantages in taking part in The Africa Rally in a Bushlore vehicle.
First and foremost, the logistics. If you are someone who doesn’t particularly like paperwork, and are not too fussed about shopping for an old vehicle in South Africa then the rental option is the way to go!
Land at OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg and be picked up by the Bushlore crew, driven to their offices, and introduced to your noble steed. Three (ish) weeks later, simply drop it off in the same location, or (if you don’t mind the one way fee), leave it with one of their representatives in Nairobi ahead of flying home.
Second, the peace of mind in driving something that’s pretty bulletproof, with a fully comp insurance policy, and backup vehicles on standby should you have any mechanical issues. While the Africa Rally HQ Team revel in the moments of sitting next to a cooked 1980 Ford Cortina at the side of the road in the middle of Africa, we appreciate it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Therefore, if you are here for the journey, to see the best that Africa has to offer, while still self-driving and travelling in a group of awesome people, you’ll want to put your trust in Bushlore – they’ve got your back.
How strong is the Bushlore Rig?
Strong enough to hold the weight of a bull elephant. We’ve probably said enough.
How do we follow along?
- How do we follow along?
The Africa Rally have a number of active social media channels, so this is usually the best way to follow what they are up to:
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/africarally/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/theafricarally
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-africa-rally/
YouTube – https://youtube.com/@africarally
…and of course you can always reach them directly on info@africarally.com!
To get involved in The Africa Rally 2025 simply go to https://africarally.com/africa-rally-2025/ and hit “Join the Adventure”
Don’t forget to insert your Bushlore specific discount code at checkout – BUSHLORE25 – for the best possible price.