We can hardly believe that a whole year has passed since
our last teambuilding. Our teambuilding events have always
tended to be legendary experiences, and this year was
certainly one for the books.
The two weeks leading up to the day were filled to capacity
with a number of project challenges; all requiring long hours
and a lot of team effort to complete on time. In a sense, this
was something of a teambuilding exercise in itself. With
the real work behind us, we dubbed the actual event our
teambuilding after-party.
Early one Friday morning, we gathered at BBD’s Pretoria
office and boarded a bus to take us through to the beautiful
Sondela Nature Reserve near Bela-Bela, Limpopo. En route,
we stopped at Piccinini’s Bistro & Pub where we were treated
to a scrumptious breakfast buffet.
For our first adventure at the nature reserve, we sat in the
middle of a 4×4 obstacle course, surrounded by three VW
Amaroks – ready and waiting for us to take them around the
course. Some of us really enjoyed the thrill of the brakeless
incline (these vehicles did all the real work for us, so we
could just sit tight and enjoy the ride), while others hopped
onto quad bikes for a dusty but fun experience out in the
African bush. For all of us, this experience was one of the
highlights of the weekend.
By late afternoon, exhilarated from our respective obstacle
course and quad biking adventures, we headed back to the
camp to relax for a little while before meeting up for a
tractor-led game drive. As a private nature reserve, there
are no dangerous wildlife roaming the property, so it was
wonderful to be allowed to get out of the vehicles and just
enjoy the expansive views and quiet of the bush.
The following morning, we were treated to a tour of the
reserve’s wildlife centre where rescued animals are housed
and cared for. It’s one thing to see a wild animal at a
distance out in nature, but to stand just a few metres away
from two magnificent pumas is an incredibly memorable,
and something that for many of us, may very well be a once
in a lifetime experience.
This short weekend getaway was unforgettable. After such a
fantastic time away from it all, we can’t help but wonder what
adventures are in store for us next year.
