Summer 2021 is imminent. The falling number of infections makes travel and vacation possible again. The EU is trying to establish uniform rules in the member states.

For us, however, the question of entry to Tunisia as well as the event procedure of the rally in Tunisia at the end of October is just as important.

The number of infections in Tunisia is currently slightly higher than in Germany. However, the greater areas Tunis and Gabes are particularly affected. In the other regions of the country, especially in the south, where our rally will take place, the 7-day incidence is significantly lower than in most European countries.

And there were also some simplifications with the entry regulations. Dependent on urgently needed tourism, Tunisia has essentially the same rules that apply in the EU:

Fully vaccinated or recovered individuals no longer need to provide a PCR test. There is also no quarantine requirement. All other travelers must show a negative PCR test on entry that is not older than 72 hours. This is usually followed by a quarantine of at least 7 days, from which the participants of package and group trips are excepted.

In plain language this means for the participants in the El Chott rally:

Entry into Tunisia without special conditions for fully vaccinated, recovered and negative tested people.

So nothing stands in the way of our pre-tour. Since we are taking over all the daily stages planned for 2020 unchanged, also the road books were already printed, it will be more of a control tour. The date from September 18 to October 2, 2021 is close to the actual rally date. Accordingly, after the pre-tour, we will not only be able to bring you up to date with the routes and overnight accommodations, but also with regard to any hygiene measures that may be required.

Until then, we wish all teams a good preparation time.

Stay healthy!

24/10 – 01/11 (04/11) 2021

After we finally had to cancel the “El Chott 2020” rally which was already postponed to the end of March 2021 due to the corona pandemic, we are now making every effort to organize a great anniversary event “40 years Rally El Chott 1981-2021” for October 2021.

In addition to all active and previous ElChott participants, we also invite all other teams and drivers who share our passion for marathon rallying in the fascinating dune landscapes of North Africa. And of course in our two guided tourism groups there is an opportunity also for the anniversary event, as in previous years, to get to know Tunisia individually and away from the classic tourist routes.

From 14/02 at midnight, registrations can be made using the online entry form. -> Registration

For February 18th, I announced the final decision on the implementation of the rally ElChott 2020, which was postponed to the end of March 2021. This decision has already been made today:

Unfortunately, the rally cannot take place also during the alternative period.

Despite the best efforts of everyone involved in the organization, it is not possible under the current circumstances to reliably guarantee to a safely run of the event in Tunisia.

The number of covid-19-infections in Europe but also in Tunisia is still high. In addition, there is concern about the spread of new mutations of the virus. On this basis, the entry and exit restrictions of all countries concerned change again and again. Most European governments strongly advise against unnecessary travel abroad. And even if we were allowed to enter Tunisia with an appropriate hygiene and prevention plan, no authority will currently guarantee us that the rally will run smoothly. Even planned daily rapid PCR tests would not change that:

What if only one participant tested positive? Will the rally be interrupted? Do all participants have to be in quarantine for a certain period of time? Or should we leave the affected team behind?

These are all questions that I don’t get any answers to at the moment. Under these conditions, it is not possible for me and the entire team to plan the rally in a final way or even to guarantee that it will run smoothly.

So there is unfortunately no alternative to canceling the event.

I will contact all the participants concerned personally by e-mail.

-> click here for all important dates of registration deadlines and events 2021

… we would like to say thank you to all teams, to our business partners and sponsors for the good cooperation and to the many ORGA employees and of course to all friends for their great commitment and assistance.

For 2021 we wish for all of us a return to normal, so that we can once again find out great experiences with you at our planned events.

At a point in time when we published in previous years the conclusion of the event that was behind us, this year we are announcing the replacement date in order to be able to implement the rally in the first place.

The regular dates of other events planned for spring as well as some “catch-up dates” for postponed events did not make it easy for us to find a suitable period.

And one more thing is aggravating: whether the rally can take place in the specified period depends to a large extent on how the corona pandemic develops in the next few months and whether the currently applicable travel and entry restrictions are lifted by March 2021.

Really I would like to be able to announce the replacement date for ElChott 2020 with more certainty, but unfortunately that is not possible under the current circumstances. On the other hand, there is now a basis for personal planning for all potential participants, service teams and employees in the organization.

With this in mind, I hope that we can hold ElChott 2020 five months late but as planned, because the anniversary rally “40 years ElChott 1981-2021” is already on the program for October 2021.

Until then – stay healthy and keep your fingers crossed.

In line with the current developments in covid-19 infection in Tunisia, but also in Europe, we unfortunately have no choice but to postpone the event.

Everyone involved in the organization of the event did what they could to hold the rally even under the currently difficult conditions. With our hygiene and precautionary concept, we had created the prerequisites for entering Tunisia and issuing the event permit. But the rapid development of the infection rate has ruined all our efforts.

• The number of new infections in Europe is increasing dramatically.
• More and more European countries (France, Switzerland, Spain, Czech Republic, UK) are on the “red list” of the Tunisian Ministry of Health. The exception to the entry ban for citizens of these countries planned for the rally can no longer be upheld, especially since the forecast for the end of October predicts a further deterioration in the situation.
• While Tunisia had low numbers of infections in the spring and summer, it is now being hit all the harder by the pandemic. The number of new infections has increased a hundredfold since the beginning of August (currently almost 3,000 per day). Under these conditions, sports or travel events across the country can of course no longer be approved. Already granted permits will be withdrawn.
• Since yesterday, Tunisia has been declared a risk area. Return travelers have to stay in quarantine, at least in Germany. Each participant can decide for himself whether this is justified for him. On the other hand, I cannot ask this of my voluntary organization and service employees. After all, that’s also a question of lost vacation and earnings. And many employers have announced sanctions if employees travel to risk areas.
• There could also be further problems. How and whether our participants from the so-called “risk countries” are allowed to pass through the transit countries to the ferry and back at the end of October and beginning of November is still completely unclear.

Unfortunately under this circumstances, as the organizer, I have no choice but to postpone the “ElChott 2020” rally to a later date.

After checking possible alternative dates (March / April 2021), we will announce the new event period soon.

Until then – stay healthy and keep your fingers crossed for all of us that things will become a little more normal again.