The video below was made in 2015 on our last trip with the old Iveco 40.10WM. In the years before, on several occasions, we explored Andalucia including its most remote areas. This particular excursion was really off the beaten track. Yes, in Europe!
Shortly after this ritual jaunt, we were happy to sell the vehicle to some very nice people with the right overlander’s attitude. We are glad to know that the truck is still extremely well taken care of and keeps on exploring more obscure destinations.
We know it’s a habit among overlanders to share beautiful and extraordinary spots on apps like iOverlander. The app contributes to the feeling of being part of a community of explorers, nature lovers, solitude seekers or whatever else your favourite interests might be. Nevertheless, we barely use it. If we do, we only rely on it to find an overnight spot in difficult circumstances like densely populated areas.
On our 2019 28,000km Silk Road journey, we only used the app twice: to upload an overnight spot in Georgia and another one near Bukhara (Uzbekistan). The app leaves us with mixed feelings. To a certain extent, we believe it undermines the adventure of overlanding. It’s so special to discover places like this one in Andalucia on your own. Sometimes by chance, often after substantial efforts. It’s all part of the game.
Beautiful and lonely campspot in Andalucia
There’s a fundamental difference between stumbling on beautiful places as a result of intuition, the ‘deep reading’ of a map or serendipity, as opposed to just driving there by putting some GPS coordinates into your device. So, please excuse us for not sharing the precise information about this particular area. Nevertheless, we sincerely hope you will find a lot of similar areas, or even precisely this one on your own terms and enjoy them just as much as we did.
After having watched our little film and acknowledging the fragility of this unique natural environment, we hope you will understand our point of view. Let’s preserve these areas by allowing them to be part of the special overlanding experience.
Overlander’s tip: Off-road in Andalucia
OK, so no GPS coordinates. But I’ll tell you this: it isn’t that far from Albuñuelas…