From Norway to South Africa

It was Rainer Zietlow's 10th project and his 3rd long-distance world record: a marathon drive from the north of Norway to the south of Africa. Along for the ride were Marius Biela, photographer and cameraman, and Matthias Prillwitz, a former rally driver. Together they drove 17,000 kilometers from the northernmost point of Europe, Nordkapp, to the southernmost tip of Africa, Cape Agulhas, in the new world record time of 21 days and 16 hours.

The journey took them through a total of 19 countries in Europe and East Africa –- connected via a plane flight from Adana, Turkey, to Mersa Matruh in Egypt. The only modifications made to the vehicle, a VW Touareg, for this ultimate endurance test were to add a rollover cage and two auxiliary fuel tanks to achieve a range of more than 3,000 kilometers.

A hard time began for the team with an accident near Iringa, Ethiopia, after 6 days of driving. Fortunately, no one was injured, and thanks to good team work and great partners the Touareg was back on the road after 13 days of repair. On October 12, 2014, Zietlow, Biela and Prillwitz reached Cape Agulhas in South Africa after a driving time of 8 days and 10 hours – setting a new world record time of 21 days and 16 hours.

Rainer Zietlow once again donated 20 euro cents per kilometer to the aid organization SOS Childrens's Village. This time, the money went to two Children’s Villages in Zambia and Tanzania, which Rainer Zietlow also visited personally with the Touareg. He also supported Food and Trees for Africa (FTFA), which made the entire "Touareg CapetoCape"-project , including the record-breaking tour and the previous exploratory tour, CO2 and climate neutral.