Reading - Part 4

Driving in the Sahara

Driving in the Sahara is top on many romantic adventurers' travel lists. Images of explorers traversing silent dunes, camping among Bedouin villagers, watching mirages turn to caravans of camels and back again make the imagination of the intrepid desert lover soar. While it is true that the Sahara can be unforgiving to the unprepared, driving in the Moroccan Sahara and other North African countries can be exhilarating and safe, if travelers take proper precautions. There are two choices for overlanding the Sahara: renting a four-wheel drive vehicle in your destination or bringing your own car from Europe. Obviously, if you plan a short trip in Morocco, Tunisia or Egypt, you should consider renting. But if you plan to go nomad in the desert for a longer period or across borders, you need to bring your own car. And that takes planning and preparation and a bit of expense. However, once you're actually in the desert, you'll spend very little money, and the experience of clear desert nights, towering dunes and oasis campsites will be worth the effort in getting there. Getting to the Sahara is simpler than people imagine. Nevertheless, it's what accounts for most of the cost of touring the Sahara (aside from vehicle acquisition or rental and preparation). If you are flying and planning to rent a vehicle, flights to Casablanca and Tunis are available. Connecting flights will take you closer to the desert and vehicles can be rented in major towns and cities. If you are planning a longer trip and thinking of shipping your vehicle to Africa, you'd be much better off transporting it directly into any North African port.

Choosing a vehicle for a Saharan journey is vital. For the rigors of the Sahara, locals, commercial operators and travelers choose Toyota's Land Cruiser or Land Rover; that provide quality and strength along with large engines that can keep a fully loaded machine moving in power-sapping conditions. Fuel and water will account for up to half of your payload. You can never carry enough fuel and water, but fuel is the more important as the car is your lifeline. You should bring adequate water to provide ten liters per person per day in winter: in reality you will use half of that -- but the extra can make all the difference, if necessary. You should never finish a route with empty containers. Locally bought bottled water is a good way of gauging your rationing, otherwise use purpose made tanks.

In Tunisia and Morocco, you can pretty much stay in some kind of accommodation every other night, but in the larger countries covering the interior you must be self-sufficient. In the desert, fruit and vegetables tend to be locally grown and scrawny and trucked in and expensive. One thing you can get in every village for a few pennies is bread -- 'khobsa' in Arabic. Don't overlook some sweet or savory snacks and bring your favorite quality foods. Meals will be the highlight of some possibly tiring days. Bottled gas is the most convenient power source for cooking and available in larger towns. A twin ring camping stove will do, plus a volcano kettle for a quick brew while the food cooks. A thermos flask filled at breakfast will provide a hot drink for lunchtime without the need to set the stove up. Burn whatever garbage you can, and rush and bury the rest or dump it at edge of town trash dumps.

The simplistic idea of the Sahara baking by day and freezing by night has become exaggerated over the years. In the summer, it's hot around the clock and in winter at high altitudes, nights may reach freezing. But the important thing is protection from the sun and wind and repairing or recovering the car; plus a good night's sleep. Short pants and dresses may be fine in the beach resorts, but are not acceptable in the more traditional desert communities. Cover up as the locals do to protect your skin and get used to wearing headwear for the same reason -- especially on midday walks when a cooling breeze will disguise the burning sun.