Marco AnnunziataMichele Sabatini and Vittorio Rimbotti Antinori, long-time friends of mine from Florence, Italy, turned their passions for adventure into an extraordinary journey, traveling along Africa’s West Coast in two Land Rover Defenders, driven by a desire to explore the continent.
Michele owns a ’00 Defender 110 Td5 Hardtop, which led Vittorio to buy an ‘01 Defender 90 Td5 to accompany him on the trip. Originally, they had planned their adventure to celebrate their 30th birthdays, but circumstances delayed the departure until the summer of 2024. They set aside three months to complete the journey from Florence to Cape Town – from late July to late October.
South African overlander Graeme Bell commented on their pace, calling it,“Brutal! Driving two Td5 Defenders from Italy to South Africa in three months demands meticulous mechanical, personal and bureaucratic preparation. With multiple visas with strict time limits arranged in advance, 19 often grueling border crossings, the journey must have been a relentless race against time. This is overlanding at its rawest, a challenging adventure not for the faint-hearted.” [For more information on Graeme Bell’s overlanding, visit www.a2aexpedition.com -ed.]
Both Vittorio and Michele had made previous, lengthy overland journeys across continents: Vittorio had traveled from Bangkok to Italy via China and Kazakhstan, while Michele had journeyed from Florence to Singapore through 28 countries [See Land Italia, January–February 2016 -ed.].
The present journey would take them through 19 countries: Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Namibia and South Africa.
November 2023 saw the pair begin their many months of preparation. For the nearly 12,400-mile route from Florence to Cape Town, every detail was covered, from documents and visas to medical preparations. All visas were obtained in advance through Vistonline, an agency in Rome that specializes in complex visa and carnet preparation.
Health precautions were equally extensive. The friends received numerous vaccinations: some mandatory, like yellow fever, others discretionary, such as tetanus and hepatitis booster shots, and additional vaccinations for protection against tropical diseases, including dengue.
They clearly chose the right vehicles. The Defender has always symbolized adventure for both men. To their dismay, they did not encounter other overlanders in Land Rover 110s or Defenders. Along the way, however, they did spot many Land Rovers used by locals, which they photographed whenever possible.
Before this expedition, Vittorio and Michele tested their vehicles on African raids in Tunisia and Algeria. Both Defenders performed excellently, handling Tunisia’s technical dunes and Algeria’s red Tassili tracks with ease.
Despite initial concerns about safety, West Africa proved more secure than expected. In Guinea and Sierra Leone, they relied on local guides, and in Nigeria, an armed guard. Locals were often warm and welcoming, though the team wisely took precautions in politically or economically unstable regions.
Friends and family joined at various points. in Morocco, Vittorio’s wife Allegra and Michele’s sister Saskia accompanied them – Allegra stayed until Bissau, Saskia until Dakar. A friend, Clemente, joined from Dakar to Monrovia, and Michele’s girlfriend Viviana from Luanda to Windhoek. Allegra returned to complete the final leg to Cape Town.
The vehicles endured the challenges well. Vittorio’s only issue was a broken brake pad, repaired with local help. Due to his Defender’s higher mileage, Michele faced more mechanical issues, particularly the front swivel ball assembly, but local assistance allowed timely repairs and replacement parts.
For now, Vittorio and Michele have no immediate plans for another journey of this scale, though they haven’t ruled out further African adventures – possibly passing through Libya to explore its spectacular sand dunes.
Over the years, trusted Tuscan workshops Zecchi & Taddei and Ponygarage made the following upgrades:
Vittorio Rimbotti Antinori
’01 Defender 90 Td5
- Snorkel with pre-filter
- Custom storage compartments in the boot
- 255/85R16 tires with heavy-duty suspension
- Additional 130-liter diesel tanks
- Electric rear differential lock
- Upgraded electrical system with dual battery and monitoring instruments (voltmeter, oil pressure, temperature)
- 40-liter water tank with shower
- Autohome Airtop 360 rooftop tent (quick set up, waterproof, but requires the entire roof rack)
Michele Sabatini
’00 Defender 110 Hard Top
- Reinforced drivetrain components
- Protective accessories such as a bull bar and rear corner protective bars
- Winch and auxiliary lighting
- Side steps
- Instrument cluster of gauges monitoring turbo pressure, oil pressure, alternator output
- Compressed air system for tire inflation
- Additional 66-gallon fuel tank
- Additional 10 gallon water tank
- Custom aluminum storage boxes in the rear for spare parts, food, clothing and recovery gear
- Roof rack-mounted Aircamping tent
- Roof rack-mounted shovel pickaxe, second spare wheel
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