Martin Port

Trans Africa Land Rover: The story of Philip Kohler and his epic overland adventure Martin Port

When Philip Kohler left his native South Australia in 1955, his sights were firmly set on the UK, yet his continued appetite for travel eventually led him to Northern Rhodesia - a move that would ultimately see him fulfil a deeply held desire to complete a solo crossing of the Sahara desert.
With only his thoughts and the mechanical outpourings of his Series II Land Rover for company, Kohler spent three years traversing his way across a remarkable continent that was in the midst of revolution and change - documenting his journey with his trusted Leica camera - before arriving back in London in the latter half of 1962.
The adventure provided not just new experiences, but also shaped the rest of his professional life - his photographic ability, as well as a chance encounter with John Wayne, resulting in a hugely successful career in the international film industry. Lavishly illustrated with the beautiful photographs that he took along the way, and written by award-winning author Martin Port, this new book from Porter Press International tells the story of Philip Kohler and his trans-African Land Rover.