Western Sahara

Gorgeous beaches

The stretch down Western Sahara was a long, hot, windy and monotonous trek.  The best description of it came from my GPS.  On the second morning I entered our destination for the evening and the first instructions where :  'Turn right in 510km.'  Yes 510 kilometres.

Police station

I was very lucky to get my windscreen on the Saturday morning in Marrakesh.  In all honesty I never thought the UPS guys would get it out off customs so quickly.  I managed to leave just after lunch and late that afternoon I met up with Morton in Sidi Ifni.  A very small and stunning beach town.  One off the last semi touristy outposts before we hit Western Sahara.  Spent a day there to service the bikes and explore the area, really stunning coast with miles of nearly empty white beaches.  Great way to chill and get our energy levels up for the stretch down to Mauritania.

Sidi Ifni hotel - paradise

Miles of  nothing ahead

Western Sahara is supposed to be one of the most infamous stretches of road on our route.  Lots of overlanders have blogged and warned about how empty and desolate it was.  We met a Polish guy who cycled it a couple of years ago.  It took him 3 weeks and he said it was so boring, he wished he'd taken a book to read on the road.  It is not that long, only about 1500km to the border, but our bikes are set up for off-road and have a big load on.  Our cruising speed is about 100km/h, and if you add in breaks, meals, accommodation search and the road blocks, then 500km takes up the whole day.

Miles of nothing behind

Miles of nothing to the side

The first morning off the first stretch we crossed the tail end off the Atlas mountains with a couple off nice hills and passes, and that afternoon we went through a massive sea of golden sand dunes.   'Not so bad I thought.'  I was completely wrong.  I t just became drier and drier.  Until all that was left was a few shrubs, rocks and immense amounts off sand.  Nothing else.  This was 90% of our scenery for nearly 3 days.  Ouch.  Mind numbing!!  The road was so straight that they put up warning signs even if there is only a slight bend in the road.  The villages became smaller and smaller until the last day they where only a few houses around the gas stations.  Half the gas stations where empty wrecks.  You would travel miles and miles without seeing a living soul. On top off all off this is the immense heat and wind, it engulves you and doesn't let go.  You can literary feel your energy being sucked away.  We were lucky that the wind was form behind most off the time, but when the road turned and it hit us side on we where battered!!  Sometimes really struggling to stay on the road.



The one good thing about the monotony was that we thoroughly enjoyed any type off change.  The best off this was the coastline.  Wow.  We travelled along a plateau about 25-50m above sea level.  This either ran straight into the sea or down cliffs into huge empty white sandy beaches. So when the road ran close to the sea it was absolutely gorgeous, with tiny fishing huts scattered along the waters edge.  I was so strange seeing people fishing off a 25m cliff, but they did it. I never saw anyone pull up a big one though.  The people here live a very very hard life.

The road blocks became a social outing, dragging them out as long as possible just speak to some people.  The further south we got the friendlier the officers became.  Was great.

The worst was being stopped in Tantan for a minor traffic violation and then having the police throw the book at us, trying to squeeze every last penny out off .  Luckily we are poor travellers with little money and loads off time.  We just played the African game and out waited them.  After about an hour we got away paying only a quarter off the initial fine.  Still a couple days lodging and food money but it didn't break the bank.

Fishing off a 25m cliff

Our last night was spent just outside Dakhla. They had a bit off unrest the last few days so the police and army where out in full force.  At the last roadblock, just before town, they where running around in a near state off panic with guns and rifles drawn, baseball bats and crowbars.  I pity the guys on the receiving end, and was immensely relieved that our campsite was outside town.

Sand, sand and more sand

The last bit was the border crossing to Mauritania.  Not a difficult one and only took us about 2 and a half hours.  A breeze for Africa.  The great part was meeting our first proper overlander. A Portuguese guy, who just spent a year on his motorbike travelling through Africa.  Asking him how it was he just smiled from ear to ear, with his face glowing.  So jealous.
There is about 5km off sandy track between the two border posts.  It is well know that there are landmines in this area, and everyone is warned to stay on the track.  How hard can it be, just follow everyone else's tracks. HAHA.  Not in Africa.  The moment you leave the border post this track spider webbs out into multiple smaller tracks.  As the one piece off road gets used up or taken over by the sand another one is used.  The problem is which one to follow.  We managed to get lost twice, and I think we even did a small bit off of the tracks.  But we are safe and sound in Mauritania and managed to miss all the mines.  Phew.

Bikes parked in hotel loby

The further South we get the more it feels like the real Africa. Loving it more and more.