Niger - Meet a camión from Bilma in the Ténéré Desert

The Ténéré is one of the least populated regions in the world, except here on the “salt route” from Bilma to Agadez (Niger), where loud trucks have replaced the steady, serene pace of the camel caravans.

Adventure in sight - In the Sahara, buses and trucks for passenger transport are rare and fares are expensive. Between Bilma and Agadez, they follow the traditional path of salt caravans. - Niger / Ténéré / 2002

Public transport
No, it's not a photographic montage, but a tribute to public transport. On top of the 15 tons of cargo, 53 passengers crowded as best they could to travel the hundreds of kilometers separating Sebha, Libya, from Bilma, Niger.
Libya - Fezzan - 1964

Beginning on Vancouver Island as early as 1840, the timber industry has been British Columbia's most important economic base. Indians have worked in the lumber mills since 1856; in later years they also worked as lumberjacks and on log rafts. Today Indian people drive the massive lumber trucks (77) that deliver felled logs directly to the mills or they take them to the coast, from where the logs are floated to the pulp mills.

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Le camion demeure souvent le seul moyen de transport des habitants de la montagne. On y entasse passagers et marchandises dans un équilibre instable qui ne va pas sans offrir de sérieux dangers. - 1969

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Les bananes de la forêt tropicale sont chargées sur des camions qui doivent ensuite franchir la Cordillère des Andes. Les fruits sont vendus dans la plupart des villes du pays. Río Aguaytía, Région Ucayali - 1969

The legends are only available in German or Spanish
Sonntagsausflug mit dem Camion in der kolumbianischen Provinz Huila. Lastkraftwagen ersetzen in den Anden weitgehend den Bus. - 1977

You do not need a bus to go to the market. This truck in Calca in the Urubamba Valley will be filled with Indians to the last place, including their merchandise, of course. - 1969

On the Panamericana, between Arequipa and Ica, the gate on the back wall of a truck has opened and a load of oranges has been poured onto the road. - 1969

A cistern truck and a car are travelling on National Road 3 in Patagonia. - Santa Cruz Province - 1973

Travelling flea market in Commodoro Rivadavia - Chubut Province - 1973

The dusty track of National Road 3 between Puerto San Julián and Puerto Santa Cruz - Patagonia - Santa Cruz Province - 1973

In southern Patagonia and especially on Tierra del Fuego and in southern Chile, the climate and vegetation only allow sheep farming. The flocks graze scattered over thousands of hectares of stony wasteland. They are only herded together for three occasions: Disinfection bath, shearing and slaughter. But then the ovejeros, the shepherd gauchos, are often on the move for days with their powerful dogs, keeping in touch with each other with high altitude fires and smoke signals. - Near Estancia Los Luises, Santa Cruz Province - 1973

This strange photograph is not a montage. It is a "public transport" in honour of the truck's manufacturer. On top of 15 tonnes of cargo, 53 passengers crammed themselves as best they could to make the hundreds of kilometres from Sebha, Libya, to Bilma, Niger. - Libya - 1964

Photo Gallery