The 4x4 Offroad Adventure Club began in the Western Cape in 1998 as a dream of Greg van der Reis. After having been a member of two other 4x4 clubs he believed that there was more to offer the offroading community.

From its inception the 4x4 Offroad Adventure Club was promoted as a club for the self employed and professional person who enjoyed offroading, more as a means of getting to a wilderness destination than driving trails (even though we still drive trails). Members are encouraged to bring their families to outings and we endeavour to make all the outings “children friendly”, although being single is no deterrent and a number of members are not married and in some cases the members family do not enjoy the outdoor lifestyle.

2001 saw the 4x4 Offroad Adventure Club Gauteng branch coming into being under the leadership of Alan Goodway an experienced offroader and long time friend of Greg van der Reis. The Gauteng club has grown in leaps and bounds while still keeping the desired members profile.

The outings are planned to cater for a wide variety of interests and vehicles and include offroad trips, expeditions, long distance trips to neighbouring countries, social wilderness camping trips, trout fishing weekends and even include a bit of mountain biking here and there. Outings are limited to 10 vehicles in most cases and should the group be larger the group will be split so as to avoid large groups. We believe that small groups promote friendship and interaction between members and experience has shown that a group of between 8 and 10 vehicles is ideal.

Both branches of the 4x4 Offroad Adventure Club are growing steadily, we are not striving to have the biggest club in South Africa, BUT we are striving to maintain our desired members profile and the variety of outings. The 4x4 Offroad Adventure Club Cape achieved a record of just less than 100 outings and meeting during 2003 and are striving for a similar number during 2004. Membership is interchangeable between the two clubs and outings offered by each branch are available to members of the other branch. Both branches strive to arrange long distance trips each year and have visited Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, the Kalahari, Richtersveld, etc.

Representing almost 300 members we endeavour to negotiate the best possible deals for members, both trail costs as well and from offroad equipment suppliers. Both branches have established relationships with preferred suppliers that have supported the club members for an extended period and our group of preferred suppliers is growing.

The clubs are administered by a volunteer committee with the Greg and Alan having veto rights respectively.

Joining a club like the 4x4 Offroad Adventure Club gives you the opportunity to:

• Make new friends
• Meet people with a similar background and interests
• Visit unspoilt places and wilderness areas
• Learn offroading skills
• Get advice from people who have “been there and done it”
• Drive offroad while not damaging the environment
• Join a club that is a member of the Association of All Wheel Drive Clubs