Pelumi Nubi’s Pioneering Solo Adventure
24 July 2024
At a checkpoint in a remote part of Guinea, an official scanned his eyes repeatedly over Pelumi Nubi’s car in disbelief. “I asked him, ‘What are you looking for?’ And he replied, ‘The other person.’ Then he looked me dead in the eye and asked, ‘Where’s the driver?’ I was holding the steering wheel. My right-hand driving confused him. However, people couldn’t fathom that I was doing this by myself. It’s interesting what societies expect from women and the box they keep us in.”
A Remarkable Journey
When Nubi rolled into Lagos in her trusty Peugeot 107 in April, she became the first Black woman to travel solo overland from London to Nigeria. Her welcome by cheering crowds was the culmination of a 74-day, 16-nation journey through areas of West Africa that might make many travellers gulp. After traversing France, Spain, and Morocco, the British Nigerian had planned on going through Mali and Burkina Faso but instability forced her to reroute via less-travelled nations such as Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.
Connecting Two Places Home
“I was trying to connect two places I considered home,” says the 29-year-old, who was born in Lagos and grew up in the UK. Travel wasn’t always Nubi’s ambition. She had been pursuing a PhD when Covid hit and wiped out three years of research on genetically modified fruit flies. “I didn’t want to restart my PhD without funding,” she says. Following a period of despondency, she pivoted to travel, driving solo through Namibia and co-founding a travel magazine.
Pushing Boundaries
When, in 2022, someone else became the first Nigerian to travel from London to Lagos by motorbike, Nubi wondered if a woman had done this before. It turned out no Black woman had. After a crash course in basic car mechanics, Nubi began her odyssey, driving for up to 12 hours a day and spending many nights in her car or camping. “Some hotels opened their car parks,” she says. “Sometimes I parked on random streets in residential areas or in campsites. I really enjoyed wild camping on the beach in front of the Mosque of the Divinity in Ouakam, Senegal.”
Experiences on the Road
Did Nubi ever feel in danger? “It was cold in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, so I booked a hotel room. The hotel worker offered me a discount if I gave him a massage. I told him no. Then, at dinner, I was the only person in the restaurant. As I was leaving, he grabbed my thigh and said, ‘What about that massage?’ I slapped his hands away and told him, ‘Don’t ever touch a woman like that.’ In other places, I felt fairly safe.”
“Driving through the Atlas Mountains was stunning, like I was on the moon. I continued south into the Sahara desert. The tarred road was one of the best I drove on. Three days of just road, sand dunes, and the occasional nomadic settlement. It’s very desolate and quiet, very meditative.”
Exploring Cultural Landmarks
Nubi headed to the Mauritanian towns of Atar, in a region of “biblical” beauty, with its date-palm desert oases, and Chinguetti, which was founded in the 8th century as a trading outpost. Chinguetti’s ancient libraries contain delicately preserved religious texts left by Islamic pilgrims heading to Mecca hundreds of years ago.
At Choum, she boarded the three-kilometre-long iron ore cargo train, known as the “snake of the desert,” for a 12-hour journey to Nouadhibou. “I sat on the pile of coals. I bought a turban to keep warm and ski glasses to protect my eyes from the coal particles. At one point the train stopped suddenly. I thought we were being ambushed, but they were loading a camel. It was stunning, sleeping under the stars.”
Southern Adventure
Nubi’s journey south was more scenic than her original trans-Saharan route might have been. It included beaches in Gambia, Senegal’s Saint-Louis island, and countries such as Guinea, which receives some of the fewest tourists despite its stunning Fouta Djallon highlands. Additionally, she passed through Sierra Leone, whose River Number 2 beach is regarded as one of the most beautiful in the world.
A Close Call
A car accident in Daloa, Côte d’Ivoire, almost terminated her journey. “I had to crawl out through the passenger door. I’m so grateful the engine wasn’t affected. I was in the hospital for two days with whiplash and bruising. Walking was difficult. But my ultimate goal gave me the drive to finish.” Nubi’s resolve continued as she went on to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Yamoussoukro.
A Grand Homecoming
Her trip continued through Ghana and voodoo fetish markets in Togo and Benin, before she crossed the border into Nigeria, where she received an extraordinary homecoming. An escort of 10 cars and government representatives greeted her. “They cleared the whole route as I made my way to the University of Lagos. I broke down crying when I saw my dad, because I might not have made it after that crash. I wanted young girls to see that a Black solo woman did this, and that anything is possible.”
The Journey Transformed
Following television appearances, Nubi was appointed Lagos tourism ambassador, and her entire experience has served as a confidence booster. “I knew I was crazy but now I know I’m crazy crazy,” she laughs. “On this type of expedition, people tend to have a team. I had to wear multiple hats and learn multiple skills.”
Inspiring Others
Nubi has also founded an experiential travel company. Psychologically, she’s come a long way from the PhD student cut adrift by the pandemic. “I went into a deep depression, because I fell into the trap of thinking the PhD was my identity, but I now think that was a blessing.”
She believes that many people need to see someone else doing it to find the courage to explore. “Start small, a neighbouring city or country. Then, over time, you build up the muscle to do bigger things.”
