Friday 13th March, Iriki Salt Pan to Track out of desert

Today we had a short 10km walk to a road head. This walk was planned to be a sunrise walk. My job was to wake camp at 0400hrs to get packed and be ready to walk by 0500hrs. We set off in the dark using our headtorches and followed the route of the Paris Dakar rally which would take us to the road head.

Sunrise came about 0630hrs but unfortunately today it was not as wonderful as we had been hoping for. Just after 0700hrs we reached the road head where we were collected by truck for a bumpy ride through the desert back to the tarmac road to meet our bus. The weather was poor today hece not many pictures.

It was a long and dusty ride in the trucks followed by a 5 hour bus ride through the High Atlas mountains to Marrakech. We decided to move our celebration meal to the following evening as most folks were very tired after an early start and lots of travelling and went in search of beer instead.

Thursday 12th March, Jebel Bani to Iriki Salt Pan

The winds died down during yesterday afternoon and we enjoyed a nice sunset and sunrise over our camp. The route today was a long one over the salt pans of what was Lake Iriki. It was our longest walking day, 22km, and it also turned out to be the hottest with temperatures reaching 40 C during the day.

The local crew had put up a tent in the middle of the salt pans so we could get some shelter from the sun during lunch and for some clients to have their midday naps. An enterprising local spotted the tent and appeared with a case of Coca Cola and managed to sell his total stock to the group.

During the afternoon walk we saw countless mirages before emerging from the salt pans onto part of the Paris Dakar rally route. We finally reached a small mound and behind this was the finish line for our 100km walk in the Sahara and camp for night. A large banner marked the finish and the local crew cheered and sung as the group arrived.

The whole group had succeeded in completing their challenge and we enjoyed an evening of celebrations and sharing experiences on a very enjoyable trip. Most of the group choose to sleep under the stars on our final night in the desert.

Wednesday 11th March, Erg Chagaga Camp to Jebel Bani

We had showers in camp last night and everyone was feeling refreshed and ready to go this morning as we set off to tackle the largest sand dune - Chagaga - one of our challenges on this trek. On route we passed through a nomadic village with tents where we rested for a few minutes before starting the long climb up the soft sands of this monster dune.

The temperature was in the 30's again but a strong wind was cooling us although it would prove to be a problem later in the day. We followed the line of some natural ridges and slowly made our way towards the top. It was very heavy walking due to the soft sands and we seen some good examples of team work. At the top the wind speed was high and we were all getting blasted by sand so it wasn't a pleasant place to stop for too long although the views across the desert were stunning. Vicky's hat blew away and one of the local crew ran after and saved the day.

After we descended we meet up with the camelmen and refilled our drinks bottles before our onward trek to the next camp site at Jebel Bani. The route followed a dried up river bed and we all got covered in sand due to the windy conditions and needed googles and our sashes to keep the sand out. Eventually we reach lunch in a sheltered spot under some trees.

The afternoon started to take us out of the dunes and soft sand and back onto the harder but easier walking Hammada terrain. We camped near a nomadic camp and managed to meet many of the local children fortunately the wind died down and we enjoyed a nice sunset and sunrise at this camp.

Tuesday 10th March, Bourganne to Erg Chagaga Camp

After we left this campsite our route followed a valley across stony ground and across a saltpan of a dried up lake on the edges of the dunes. In this type of terrian it is very difficult to judge distances and items that appeared close took much longer to reach than we had expected.

Problems with blisters on feet became a problem for many folks due to the effects of heat, soft sandy surfaces and getting sand in the boots. The temperature again today reached 35 C and lots of fluids were required to avoid being dehydrated. Lunch today was at the only tree for miles around and it provided some good shelter from the heat of midday and for a few tired legs.

After lunch Cindy and Sarah opted for a ride on the camels over towards camp which is on a large flood plain. Richard and I also took a short ride on the camels into the camp but decided we would walk in future. The camp was on the site of an old nomadic camp and in an area very green with Rocket plants. Here we found large herds of camels and their young being watched by Nomadic herdsmen. In the distance we got our first views of Chagaga the large sand dune we would be walking up tomorrow morning.

The local crew have been great always smiling, making some fantastic meals and having a hot brew and cakes available when we arrive tired in camp in the evenings

Monday 9th March, L’oued L’autruche to Bourganne

We left early again this morning as the group began to get into the routine of life on a trek. Our trek today was 19km and took us over a mixture of terrain and low dunes and stone desert. The trail meandered through the low dunes and at times only heads could be seen above the dunes. Part of the route took us through fossil beds where we quickly found good examples of bellomites and ammonites some over 250 Million years old.

After the usual long lunch to avoid the heat of the day, 35 C, we set off for the walk to the camp at Bourganne which was on the edge of a stony area next to some large impressive sand dunes. Shortly after arriving in camp I set off with Carly and Max to explore these large dunes. We were rewarded with some wonderful views from the tops and walked along some sharp wind swept ridges before returning to camp for mint tea.

Sunday 8th March, Erg Louida to L’oued L’autruche

We left camp early next morning for an 18km walk across the desert. The terrain was different and more varied than what I had expected. We encountered open desert before moving onto “hamada”, (an area of wind swept bare rock) and “reg” (a flat plain with fine sand blown away leaving stones and gravel) before entering an area of dunes and Tamarisk trees.

To avoid being out in the hottest part of the day we stopped for lunch in a dry valley where we could shelter from the sun under the trees. After lunch we continued through similar mixed terrain before finishing at the base of small dunes near an old well. The sand began to take its toll on the client’s feet today with Dr Cookie busy dealing with numerous blisters while we enjoyed mint tea and cakes.

We were entertained by the local crew after dinner around the campfire. As it was a nice evening most of the group decided to sleep out under evening sky and watch the stars. Around 0300hrs the wind picked up and it started to rain and we had to make a run for the tents to keep our kit dry.

Saturday 7th March, Ouarzazate to M’Hamid

We left the hotel early for a long bus ride to the start of our trek near M’Hamid, a small village in the Zagara region. On route we stopped for refreshments and the group had the opportunity to buy some local sash's to protect us from the sun and sand before we entered the desert. We followed the Draa Valley before crossing the Jebel Bani mountain range to the edge of the Sahara desert. Where the local crew were waiting for us along with the camels that would carry our kit across the desert.
























After loading the kit onto the camels we set off for a short walk to our first camp. The first few km’s were across flat open desert before we began trekking into the sand dunes. During the afternoon the temperature reached a pleasant 35 C. We arrived at a small area of sand dunes in the middle of the Erg Louida plain which would be our first camp site where the group had the opportunity to relax and watch the sunset over the desert.