The “Overland 12” crew and vehicles endured, and successed, in the final stage across the insidious Maurianian desert.

Thanks to an excellent combination of the performance of the Iveco vehicles and the experience of the “Overland 12” crews, the Daily 4x4 triumphed across the sands and, 25 days after departing from Turin, the expedition arrived in Mali, one of the world’s poorest countries with a poor record of child mortality and illiteracy.

Whilst in Timbuctou for planned vehicle maintenance, the team took advantage of a day off and visited this ancient city, famous for the mud built houses and a declared UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the most well known sites in Africa.

The following day, the orange convoy crossed the grand Niger flow. Two ruinous canal boats transported all of the vehicles from one side of the river to the other. The most apprehensive part of the crossing was the movement of the heavy vehicles, Trakker and “Big mugs” (Power Star).

Traversing sandy and ruined lanes, the expedition entered the land of the Dogon, an ethnic group in Mali widely known for dances and local masks. In this land “Overland 12” vehicles tackled the difficult Durogon ascent before moving onwards towards Mopti, the most important commercial harbour of the entire country. Mopti is also known as the Venice of Mali, due to the three islands in the middle of Niger river upon which the city has developed .

From Mopti, under a burning sun, and after carefully crossing the Bani river and ancient Djenne city, the Iveco caravan continued its journey to the Mali capital of Bamako.