Zimbabwean man makes history with solo road trip from London to Harare

Zimbabwean adventurer Hugh Ndudza has made history by becoming the first black Zimbabwean to successfully complete a solo overland road trip from London to Harare. He touched down in the capital on Sunday after an epic 212-day journey across Europe and Africa, covering more than 62,000 kilometres and passing through 42 countries.

What began as a casual evening watching travel content on YouTube turned into a life-changing mission for Ndudza. He was inspired by the stories of overlanders journeying through Africa but quickly noticed a striking absence of black Africans in those narratives. Determined to change that, Ndudza set out to rewrite the story — from behind the wheel of a self-built camper van.

"There are quite a lot of challenges and quite a lot of pleasures as well," said Ndudza upon his arrival in Harare. "I've crossed deserts, rivers, jungles and some of the toughest roads in Africa. But finally being back home in Zimbabwe is a great pleasure."

The journey began on October 26 last year. From London, he took a ferry to France, then another from Spain to Morocco. From there, it was an unbroken stretch of road all the way to Zimbabwe, through some of the continent's most difficult terrains.

What made the adventure even more remarkable was that Ndudza had no prior knowledge of overlanding or vehicle modification. He purchased an old delivery van in the United Kingdom and transformed it into a fully functional mobile home, complete with solar panels on the roof and a 500-litre water tank.

"I was not sleeping in five-star hotels," he said. "The car was just a normal delivery truck, and then I planned everything — where I would sleep, cook, and shower. It's basically a house on wheels."

The journey, which cost him over £15,000, was not only a personal milestone but a symbolic mission to place Zimbabwe on the overlanding map. Ndudza hopes his story will inspire more Zimbabweans to embrace adventure and challenge perceptions of what Africans can achieve in the global travel scene.

"This was not just about the thrill of the road," Ndudza said. "It's about showing that we, as Africans, can explore the world on our own terms. I wanted to redefine what overlanding looks like and who it represents."

Ndudza's triumphant return was met with admiration, as his journey is being hailed as a powerful testament to resilience, ingenuity, and a pioneering spirit that is bound to inspire generations of African adventurers to come.