As our overland expedition comes to an end, my heart is filled with a mix of emotions. Today, we returned to Abidjan, our home, bringing to a close this incredible 62-day journey that began here. The circle has been completed; I have driven from Abidjan to Marrakech and back, covering nearly 15,000 km. I witnessed the landscape and vegetation undergo a remarkable transformation — from tropical forests to mountainous terrain with lush vegetation, savannah adorned with baobab trees, the stark desert meeting the ocean, semi-desert landscapes, and finally, the majestic Atlas Mountains with their deep valleys and towering peaks.
Along the way, I encountered numerous remarkable individuals — friendly, humble, and brimming with passion for their work, region and country. However, I also observed many more details that left me contemplative.

Coming back to the last day of the expedition, day #62: we left Man after a good breakfast with an omelet at the accommodation and a short visit to the cascades that Alex had not yet seen. He was so impressed that he decided to take a dive in the cold water. The weather had cleared up again, and the sun was shining. Alex pre-cautiously put tons of sunscreen on his right arm to prevent sunburn, as he got the previous day, now that we have to drive with windows open.
The road took us south before turning east towards Gagnoa. At first, the road was perfect although with a lot of traffic. Later, the road to Issia is still in a very bad state, by Ivorian standards nowadays. In other countries, such as Guinea, it would probably classify as pretty good! We passed many rubber plantations. Many villages seem to solely live off this white stinking latex that gets harvested from rubber trees.

Finally, we reached Gagnoa. The dual carriageway, which the government had started many years ago to run through the city and make the traffic flow more easily, is finally finished, and today they started painting the white lines on it. What a relief it is to pass through the city easily now. At the edge of town, we were stopped by a police officer who had seen our spare wheel cover expedition logo and was wondering if we had a nice T-shirt or any other memento for him. After some apologies that we really didn’t have anything for him, we could continue.
Many of the previously illegally installed speed bumps had fortunately been removed again, and those that were left were well-built, not too high, and easily crossable at 30 km/h. Another relief, as the illegal ones were made from concrete, tall, and nasty. You basically had to carry your vehicle over them not to get damage to your suspension or even undercarriage. Those are the ones we frequently found in Guinea.

We made good progress and updated our wives via WhatsApp of our estimated arrival times in Abidjan. Along the route, you find lots of little stalls selling various fruits, whatever is in season. The hot item at the moment: full banana clusters, sometimes also plantain clusters. Many cars stop along the road and buy one or many of the clusters and maybe some other fruit too, to take it back home to Abidjan. Apparently, the quality and prices are much better here than in the metropolis.

Once in Tiassalé, we filled Eeyore up one last time and headed for the motorway. Cruising cross-country with a steady pace certainly improved Eeyore’s fuel consumption. The motorway was quite busy, especially with vehicles you would usually not expect there, with cargo tricycles transporting various goods or just empty on their way home. They even went up the wrong way. Furthermore, there was lots of activity at the sides of the road. Ladies again tried to sell their produce, making cars and even whole buses stop on the hard shoulder of the motorway.
The motorway surface between the last toll gate and the city has been redone. It was about time! So we cruised with light Saturday afternoon traffic into the city and without any hiccups at my house at half past five, our expected time of arrival. Karen and the dogs were super happy to welcome us back! Home at last, after 62 days and almost 15,000 km on West and Northern African roads and pistes with countless hours behind the steering wheel. Alex quickly ordered a cab that would take him and his pink suitcase to his loved ones!

In the next few days, I would like to document my detailed observations and conclusions from this expedition and publish them here. This will take some time and thought, so please bear with me.

At the end of this epic adventure, I want to express my gratitude to a few people. First and foremost, I’d like to thank my wife, Karen, for providing me with the opportunity to have this experience and for offering unwavering support during both the preparations and the expedition. I understand that managing your demanding work, the household, and our two dogs alone was at times challenging. Thank you so very much for allowing me to embark on this journey! Love you, darling!

My travel companions of a different kind were Charlotte and Trevor. Although they didn’t directly accompany me in my car, they were integral to the majority of this expedition. Trevor, thank you for igniting the initial spark in 2018 for this adventure. We’ve finally made it, overcoming all the obstacles in our way! Charlotte, thank you for supporting us so much throughout this incredible journey! Both of you, I hope you have a wonderful trip back home to Portugal.

Of course, I’d like to express my heartfelt thanks to my direct travel companions: Christoph, Julia, Brahim, and Alex. Whether it was for a few hundred or a couple of thousand kilometres, you endured my grumpiness, bad jokes, or moments of anger, yet you supported me and this expedition every minute. We shared countless hours together—talking, navigating, laughing, discussing, learning, or just chatting. Your passion, dedication, and adventurous spirit made this an unforgettable journey. Thank you for investing your time and energy in this incredible expedition. Without you, the adventure would have been much less enjoyable and epic. You are legends! Until our next adventure, let’s cherish the memories we’ve created together!
A big thank you also goes wholeheartedly to all the partners of my travel companions, for managing without them for a few days or weeks and enabling them to be part of this epic expedition.

Last but not least, a thank you to Eeyore, our trusted expedition vehicle, for taking us wherever we needed to go and bringing us back home safely. You’ve encountered super smooth motorways, all kinds of country roads from brand new to atrociously bad, gravel and rocky pistes to sand and sand dunes. You mastered it all well! Your engine performance might not be the greatest, but with endurance and reliability, you got us everywhere in the end. Thank you!

Thanks to all our friends and family for following our adventures and providing your love and incredible direct and indirect support!

Until the next horizon calls, my fellow adventurers, farewell.