This
country is famous for its natural attractions, like the dangerous,
inaccessible Skeleton Coast, the highest sand dunes of Sossusvlei, the
dry Kalahari desert, and the land of the ancient nomadic Bushman tribe.
Before it arrived in Namibia, “Overland” crossed Angola, and had to
tackle the most demanding and difficult three days of the whole
expedition since it left Turin, to reach the capital, Luanda.
What seemed on paper to be a relatively short stretch of dirt track
was in fact a non-existent trail through the tropical forest. Without
any reference point and with no indication as to the direction to take,
the “Overland” team took several hours to cover a few miles, as the
vehicles negotiated slopes of 70%, with the risk of overturning.
Thanks
to the determination and courage of the men, and the excellent
performance and resistance of the Iveco vehicles, the expedition
continued in spite of apparently unassailable difficulties. Without
giving in, without stopping: this is the true “Overland” spirit.
This spirit translates into some really incredible numbers.
The
“Overland” project, of which this is the twelfth edition, was launched
in 1995 with the ambitious intent of travelling around the world with
the orange Iveco trucks, drawing a portrait of our planet and exploring
its remotest corners:
- over 270,000 kilometres travelled (almost seven times the circumference of the earth)
- 4 continents crossed (Europe, America, Asia and Africa)
- 122 countries visited
- 11 expeditions completed
- 1,145 days of travel, i.e. more than 3 years
- 115 episodes broadcast by RaiUno
The next important goal that “Overland 12” would reach would be South
Africa, the turning point of the expedition, and the country that will
host the Football World Cup in June.
