Crossing the Sahara

Posted on Wednesday, 9 December 2009 by robjkentjr

After a quick stopover in Atar to restock supplies and try to buy some more local currency, we set off across the Sahara Desert to the coast.  With a GPS it was a breeze but I can only imagine how the situation would be if something happened in the middle of nowhere.
Wikipedia says this monolith called Ben Amera is the second largest in the world.  The largest is Uluru in , which after visiting this one, we did not feel like making the long pilgrimage to go see.
The morning sun breaking over the horizon and catching the rock face.
The crawling sand dunes as they slowly move around the rock.
This is to give an idea of how large this rock is.  If you look down to the right, you can barely make out our camp and I am only about a third of the way up the monolith.
Our second day we came across a lot more sand tracks but the wind was starting to pick up and wipe away our .
After almost three days of driving, this convoy of cars were the only other people we saw.  They must have paid a fortune for this high class tour.
Coming out of the desert, Bon Lanuar is the first you come across.  Does not look like much but we were happy to see people again.
I really do love the desert and even though we only saw a small portion of its vastness, we were relieved to be back on the main road.  Our next stop is the Banc d’Arguin and the two million migrant shorebirds that stop there.

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3 Responses to Crossing the Sahara

  1. Rick says:
    Sunday, 29 August 2010 at 19:49

    Your decision not to trek to Uluru was probably a good one since you were able to experience Ben Amara in relative solitude. Janet and I did the Uluru thing. We knew it had turned into a tourist trap but got up at 3AM anyway. Upon arrival, we found the majesty once enjoyed by the aboriginals had turned into a chaotic photo fest. I contented myself with standing behind the throngs of Japanese tourists and snapping pictures of the backs of their heads snapping pictures of the sunrise while surrounded by hundreds of tour buses belching diesel fumes while they idled. Too bad, because it is a beautiful and fascinating place.

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  2. Phyllis says:
    Sunday, 29 August 2010 at 19:50

    Rob, your photos are really spectacular – this set even more so than some. Thanks for having me on your list.

    Reply
  3. Shareema Houston says:
    Sunday, 29 August 2010 at 19:51

    Awesome!

    Reply

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