Photography by Coen Wubbels Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world as well as the largest Stan country of Central Asia, sharing borders with Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Vast and empty, it’s possible to traverse more than 1,200 miles of continuous steppes, home to the traditional nomads who, until the Soviet…
What These Rebelles Want You to Know About Rallying Older Vehicles
Lead photo by Richard Giordano There are so many parallels between competing in the Rebelle Rally with an older vehicle and overlanding in one. Usually, the vehicle is already parked in our driveway, budget prohibits the purchase of something newer and comfortable, and the vehicle isn’t just a mechanical object transporting us from one place…
Onions and Sage :: Into Oregon’s Owyhee Country
Full Disclosure: Firestone Tires invited Expedition Portal and several other content creators to explore Oregon’s Owyhee Valley for a week and to try out their new M/T2 mud-terrain tires. Firestone covered our travel expenses and food. Nyssa, Oregon, is a tidy farming community of just 3,000 souls hard up against the Idaho border on the…
The Rover Boys: Bristol Foster and Robert Bateman Reflect on Their Round-the-World Expedition
Photography by Bristol Foster, Robert Bateman, and Erik Thorn It all began with birds. Birds near Toronto’s Forest Hill, to be exact. Back then, the nearby ravine and creek were thick with vegetation and towering willow trees, offering endless opportunities to identify warblers and flycatchers, blue jays, and thrushes. At least, that’s how it was…
Amongst Predators: Camp Safely in Unfenced Campsites Around Africa
Camping and self-driving in Africa’s national parks is one of the best ways to get to know the rhythm of the ecosystem. Each park on the safari circuit from South Africa to Kenya is different and unique in some way. What they mostly do have in common are the predators. Africa’s big cats stand at…
Exploring the Smoky Mountains: Trail Scout
For episode Four of Exploring the Smoky Mountains, we embark on a Trail Scout Episode, hosted by Sinuhe Xavier. The route begins in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and continues to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and ultimately the stunning overland route along the Old Buzzards Roost Road. Editor’s Note: Shortly after this series was produced,…
Cool Vehicles of the 2024 Rebelle Rally
Photography by Richard Giordano, Regine Trias, Tim Sutton, Paolo Baraldi, and Ernesto Araiza After traversing over 2,600 kilometers of desert terrain, 128 women left California’s Johnson Valley in mid-October, bound for home. Hailing from 114 cities, 27 states and provinces, and six countries, they drove Jeeps and Fords, Toyotas, and Land Rovers. Some chose Subarus,…
The Georgia Traverse :: A Four-day Overlanding Adventure
In March, after months of meticulous planning and preparation, the Georgia Jeep Alliance Jeep Club took on the challenge of the legendary Georgia Traverse—a 390-mile route that passes through Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and ultimately, Alabama, across some of the most breathtaking landscapes in the southern US. Charted by the overlanding pioneers at Georgia Overland,…
Van Conversion Companies :: Buyers Guide
Let’s be honest. Building your own camper interior is a real pain in the neck unless you are a qualified carpenter or a next-level ninja DIY’er with a full workshop of tools. An interior build is never as easy as it looks online, the costs are always double your budget, and the build is never,…
Lexus Announces Upgrades to the LH 700h, LX 600, and the Overtrail Grades
Since the redesigned Lexus GX launch in 2023, the premium off-roader has been making waves and turning heads. For 2025, Lexus is elevating its flagship SUV lineup by introducing the LX 700h and the new Overtrail grade, along with updates to the LX 600. This expansion showcases Lexus’ commitment to diverse customer preferences, especially with…
Living Legends: Patricia Upton
Photography courtesy of Patricia Upton and the Estate of Loren Upton I recently had the pleasure of sharing a glass of wine and a lively conversation with legendary lady overlander Patricia Upton, world traveler and matriarch of the overlanding world, at a campsite outside of Idaho Falls, Idaho. Patricia and I initially met at an…
How I Fell In Love With Winter Overland Travel
Standing on the frozen Arctic Ocean, clad from head to toe in winter gear, my beard froze as my convoy mate informed me that it was -50°F in Tuktoyaktuk, where my overland vehicle was parked. A grin spread across my face, and I felt a wave of satisfaction and tempered elation course through my warm…
Double Dutch World Safari on 40 Years of Overlanding
Overland Journal Podcast Episode 206 Join us on this episode of the Overland Journal Podcast as we sit down with Robert Van den Hoeven, an experienced overlander whose extensive travels span across continents like Africa, Australia, and the Americas. Robert shares his profound experiences, from camping trips in Europe during his childhood to maritime adventures…
Crossing Continents: Africa Wrap-Up and Lessons Learned
Overland Journal Podcast Episode 205 Join the Overland Journal Podcast as co-host Matt Scott interviews Scott Brady about his journey across Africa. Discover the valuable lessons learned, the performance of the Ineos Grenadier, and the critical role of teamwork during a challenging long-term expedition. Special thanks to our sponsors this week, Overland Explorer Vehicles. Tune…
Jan and Leoné Vorster – A Life of Daring and Adventure
To this day, Jan and Leoné Vorster still live in a leafy suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa, mere miles from where I was born and mostly raised. But, before I was conceived, this Afrikaner couple had already traveled far and wide and achieved what most, even today, consider near impossible. Jan and Leoné traveled overland…
All Wheel Drive (AWD) vs. Four Wheel Drive (4WD), What’s the Difference, Really?
We’ve all been there: navigating your heavily modified 4WD along a twisting, mildly challenging trail or remote track, feeling like a modern-day Camel Trophy adventurer, maybe even in low range (because, why not?). Then, you round a corner and, to your dismay, find yourself face to face with an AWD Subaru Outback, a Honda CR-V,…
Overlanding North Africa with Kids in the 1970s
Editor’s Note – Valentina Vallinotto’s father, Angelo, was an ambitious explorer. Piling his young family into a series of Land Rovers, IVECOs, and Toyotas, he tackled uncharted routes across North Africa and the Sahara Desert throughout the 1960s all the way until the early 1990s. The 1970s was a particularly exciting decade for overland adventurers…
Overland Journal Podcast :: Andy and Mercedes Lilienthal
Overland Journal Podcast Episode 199 Andy and Mercedes Lilienthal are the dynamic, bespectacled duo behind Crankshaft Culture, one of the most creative automotive and adventure travel media outlets going. Globetrotters, award-winning journalists, denizens of road rallies around the world, and connoisseurs of JDM trucks (particularly Mitsubishis), Mercedes and Andy have an undeniable enthusiasm for the…
Rust To Glory – The Ultimate Overland Movie – Is Now Streaming
Rust To Glory redefines the overland adventure documentary genre by capturing the trials and tribulations of three unique teams and their unlikely vehicles as they tackle the world’s largest amateur rally, the Budapest-Bamako. “We wanted to show what it’s like to compete in this grueling overland rally in three junkyard rescues,” said Andrew G. Szabo,…
Reza Pakravan :: Modern Explorer
Photography by Kevin Merrey and Mark Game It was 70 days into Reza Pakravan’s bicycle expedition from Norway to South Africa before he cracked. His body weak with a recent bout of malaria and severe food poisoning, Reza and his expedition partner, Steven Pawley, slogged through the Kenyan desert in 40°C temperatures, out of water…