Save Ratel Safaris Campaign

Hi, my name is Juan and I'm pleading to you to help save Ratel Adventure Safaris.

Ratel Safaris has been a lifelong dream of myself and Hannelie Schutte. Ratel safaris is a self-drive overlanding safari tour company run by the two of us taking people on safari tours and help promote Eco Tourism in Southern Africa as we go along visiting beautiful remote places. 

So I'm pleading to you to help us keep our dreams alive and save Ratel Safaris from going under. 

It all started going bad financially in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic struck and we were without a income for 9 months and saw our hard earned reserves dwindle away without anything that we could do. We survived 2021 until 2023 by the Grace of God but now our vehicle, named Martha, a 1009 Ford Ranger 3.0 tdci, which is the most essential part of our business, has come to the end of her life. She is costing us an enormous amount of money to maintain so, the small profit that we made from our safari tours are no longer sufficient to maintain her. She, after all, have provides us with safe safaris for over 400k kilometers in some of the most rugged terrain Southern Africa has to offer. 

Or last tour had to be cancelled due to the firstly the turbo went followed by the engine seizing up. 

We have to either quit the business or get funding from somewhere/someone to replace her altogether. 

It isn't just our dreams, but our complete livelihood that is hanging in the balance. 

Unlike most other Safari companies, we actually live in/on our vehicle going from the one tour to the next year in, year out. 

So, reaching our target will enable us to get a newer vehicle that still has a factory warranty that will sustain us for the following 10+ years when our kids can continue the business. 

We know the amount we need is very big, but buying a 4x4 vehicle suitable for the task and getting it equipped is not a cheap feat although any amount would be greatly appreciated.

A complete breakdown of how/what the funding will be applied can be provided separately in PDF format. 

We thank you for this opportunity.