Mud, Sweat & Cheers

Toyota Rust de Winter Jamboree.

- Andrew Middleton

After all the years of doing the Rust de Winter Jamboree, I still don’t think the friends that I drag along for this trip realise what they’re letting themselves in for. How about having to share a caravan with me for starters, and being dragged behind a flailing bakkie in a mud sled for the second course...? This year, I got buddy Graeme de Proftto sign on as co-driver. He was not properly warned. The event is a complete riot, and while some take it seriously, others go there for the fun – and we belong in camp 2.

Hosted by the 4x4 ATV club at their campsite near the Rust de Winter Dam 100km north of Pretoria, the annual Jamboree is a family-friendly gig that gets more popular every year. The spectacular camping area is home to the largest Apiesdoring (Acacia galpinii) trees in the southern hemisphere, and offers a huge range of activities for the kids as well as spacious sites with enough room for even the largest convoy.