What the practice drive is — and what it is not
On the buggy safari and the quad safari alike, the practice drive is where the briefings stop being words. You take your own vehicle onto the practice track under the guide's eye — start, steer, brake, stop — and show you can do what was just explained. It is included in the price and not optional for anyone who wants to drive.
It is not a driving lesson and not a licence test; nobody grades your technique. The guide answers one question: can this person control this vehicle well enough to follow the group safely over forest tracks, dirt roads and uneven ground? On the family buggy safari the adult driver takes it; the child aged 6–10 riding along does not, because children do not drive.
The eight steps between the transfer and the main track
Door to door the programme takes approximately 4–4.5 hours, and much of the time at the base passes before anyone drives the main track. In order:
- Arrival — the hotel transfer brings you to the private off-road course inland from the Side coast.
- Registration — drivers show ID as proof of age; the minimum age to drive is 16.
- Information briefing — vehicle, controls, route, group organisation, rules, basic driving procedures, what to expect.
- Safety briefing — following the guide, safe distance, overtaking and stopping rules, speed, emergency procedures, protective equipment.
- Vehicle briefing — your own buggy or quad, at the wheel or the handlebars.
- Practice drive — supervised, on the practice track.
- Guide assessment — the guide decides who drives the main safari.
- Main off-road safari — the 18 km route behind the guide.
What the guide is watching for
The assessment is no mystery: the guide looks for what the safety briefing covered a few minutes earlier. Do you start and stop smoothly, keep your distance from the vehicle in front, slow down when the ground asks for it, and react to the guide's signals rather than your own plans? A driver who does those four things is ready for the main track.
The guide has the final say on the day, and it is not a negotiation. Someone who is not in control or ignores the signals does not drive — for their own sake and the group's. Your day is not over, though: you ride the same route as a passenger at the adult fare, in the same helmet, through the same mud and water-splash stops. Alcohol and drugs are a different matter: anyone who has been drinking or has taken drugs does not take part at all, neither as a driver nor as a passenger.
Why you can join without ever having driven one
You do not need experience; you need to complete the practice drive to the guide's satisfaction, and everything before it is built to get a first-timer there. The buggy is automatic — a wheel and pedals, nothing to shift and nothing to stall. The quad has handlebars and a thumb throttle, explained before you touch either. That is why first-timers and regulars end up in the same convoy.
No driving licence is required — the safari runs on a private off-road course, not on public roads. What the base checks is your age: 16 or older, with ID.
Before you arrive at the base
A few decisions made at the hotel matter more than any tip at the track.
- Bring your ID if you plan to drive — it is checked at the base as proof of age, not as a licence.
- Wear closed shoes — sports shoes are ideal. Flip-flops are not suitable for off-road driving.
- Dress for dust and possible mud: old clothes, dark colours rather than white, spare clothes for after the showers at the base if you like.
- The helmet is included and worn for the whole safari. Goggles and a bandana are extras sold at the base — useful against the dust, not in the price.
- Your hotel pickup time is earlier than your departure time and is confirmed with your booking; 08:00, 11:00 and 13:00 are departure times for the activity, not pickup times.