La Croisière Verte has just crossed the tenth country of its expedition and continues its journey towards Cape Town after traveling across the entire western part of the African continent.
After Morocco and Mauritania, Éric Vigouroux and the adventure team continued their journey along the roads and trails of Africa, exploring countries such as Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, and Nigeria. To close out 2024, La Croisière Verte stopped in Cameroon for the holiday season before embarking on the second half of its expedition, which will lead to Cape Town, South Africa.
A look back at the best moments of the end of the year…
Senegal
The team will surely remember this evening spent in a small village surrounded by magnificent baobab trees as one of the most memorable moments of their time in this country. In a festive atmosphere, they prepared a traditional meal with the locals, which they later shared to the rhythm of traditional dances and local music.
After crossing the border and leaving Mauritania, they met up in Saint-Louis with Seydou, a 23-year-old mechanic who replaced Kamal, who had returned to Morocco. It was a wonderful encounter and an experience that everyone will remember.
To wrap up their Senegalese adventure, the expedition visited a small locksmith workshop to repair Alex’s car’s suspension arm, which had bent the night before after hitting a deep hole. The mechanical issue was quickly resolved thanks to the generous help of several villagers.
Guinea
In Guinea, it was the breathtaking landscapes that amazed the members of the odyssey. Surrounded by dense and rich flora and fauna, they traveled across the country.
After 5,000 kilometers on the road, fatigue began to set in—not only for the crew but also for the cars. But that wasn’t enough to stop Éric and his expedition companions. While the scenery was stunning, it was the hospitality that also stood out. Twice, they were able to recharge their vehicles using decarbonized electricity from hydroelectric power plants.
Before leaving Guinea, La Croisière Verte was eagerly awaited by the students of Faranah University, where they received a warm welcome. It was a moment of sharing and exchange that everyone wished could have lasted longer, but the team had to hit the road again to stay on track with the expedition’s goal…
Ivory Coast
La Croisière Verte entered Côte d’Ivoire with a busy schedule of visits and planned meetings.
Fortunately, the quality of the road infrastructure in this beautiful and vast country allowed the team to progress faster than expected and fulfill all its commitments. With the authorization of the director of the Ivorian Electricity Company, they were even able to recharge their batteries at the Kousso hydroelectric power plant. Shortly after, they headed to Abidjan to meet with AUTO 24, a partner of the expedition, for an event attended by the French Ambassador.
The crew then visited the Abidjan Technical High School, where they were eagerly awaited. To their great surprise, they were welcomed by students all wearing t-shirts featuring The Green Cruise logo. It was an intense moment and an opportunity to share their adventures and experiences. After a lunch break at the residence of the French Ambassador, the team visited the construction site of a future major factory that will produce electricity from biomass starting in August 2025.
La Croisière Verte on the roads of Ghana, Togo, and Benin
Ghana, Togo, and Benin crossed in just a few days by La Croisière Verte team.
Due to their close borders, these three countries were quickly traversed by the team, which continues to progress at a very good pace. In Ghana, they stopped at an estate renowned for luxury eco-tourism. The team took advantage of the stay to recharge their batteries using the solar power plant installed on the site. After that, they traveled through Togo and arrived in Cotonou, Benin.
In this city, the team decided to take a 48-hour break to visit the Kuabo garage, which trains the country’s future mechanics. It was also an opportunity for the four Citroën AMI of the expedition to undergo a full check-up.
Nigeria, a country that left a lasting impression on the team in more ways than one
Due to its natural resources, Nigeria is one of the leading economic powers on the continent. Everything there is on a grand scale—the size of the cities, the population density, and even the traffic. However, the warm welcome and generosity of the people remain a common thread with the previous countries crossed.
In a unique and almost timeless atmosphere, Antonia, David, Sasha, and Éric celebrated Christmas Eve between Nigeria and Cameroon…