Return to Home Page

Home
Europe 1
Europe 2
Africa 1
Africa 2
Africa 3
Central America 1
Central America 2



Write to us!

Family camping in Africa.  Sahara Desert crossing with children in Jeep & tent trailer.  Travel in Morocco, Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, Ghana, & west coast. Exploring, safari, backcountry, backroads, overlanders
The Blickley Family's
African Camping
      Africa!   What a continent!  To actually be here and see for ourselves, is better than any research done by us from the United States.                                 
      Before leaving the United States we tried to obtain as much information about Africa and especially the Sahara Desert as possible. We soon realized that we were not adequately equipped, but God was with us! 
        Bill continued  his  urban study of  public transit,  housing, solid waste disposal, neighborhood organizations and cultural differences and similarities to the United States that he began in Europe four months earlier. 
After entering Morocco through Tangier, we traveled to Rabat, one of the four imperial cities. We found a beautiful camping spot along the Atlantic Coast operated by a Moroccan family who made our stay most enjoyable. In Alfeciras, Spain, we were told by a German desert traveler that it is impossible and forbidden to tow a trailer across the desert. There are three main roads which cross the desert; the quality of the road surface is not comparable to anything in the United States. The trails in the national forests of upper Michigan are good roads in comparison to desert tracks. The road with the best reputation regarding gas, water, and supplies runs from Algiers, Algeria in the north to Kano, Nigeria in the south. The route is over two thousand miles in length, with approximately fourteen hundred miles of desert tracks. After speaking with staff members of the Algerian Embassy in Rabat, I was assured that passage for a trailer is not legally forbidden.

We traveled from Rabat to Casablanca where I planned to pick up some spare parts for the Jeep and to purchase some necessary medicines from the Pasteur institute. The road connecting these two imperial cities runs through a dry sandy agricultural region, which provides little income to the local farmers.

We also visited Marrakech, which is a major tourist center, attracting travelers from all over the world. We took a camel ride through a movie lot where reputedly major American film stars were rehearsing .

Minor business transactions in Africa are often complicated  negotiations. A sum is suggested,  many counteroffers are considered, until finally buyer and seller agree. The unvarying routine among Marrakech merchants: "I have a very special bargain for you today. Today only I sell to you half price." The price quoted is always two to three times the amount that he will accept. After happily receiving some mail, we left Marrakech for Fez, our last stop in Morocco before entering Algeria and the beginning of the Saharan crossing into what is called Black Africa. We entered Fez after nightfall and had some problems finding the municipal camping spot.

We left Fez before sunrise and saw workers waiting for busses huddling around small fires for warmth. We crossed the Moroccan-Algerian border and traveled east along the Mediterranean Sea to Oran where we camped next to a fire station. In the morning the firefighters toured our tent camper and we toured their facilities. We reached Algiers and searched for a suitable camping spot. We were given permission to camp in the parking lot of a recreational center in Saralda. The complex is designed for upper class tourists (not campers), and is more beautiful than anything we saw on the French Riviera. The sand is smoother, the architecture is more beautiful, and landscaping is more artistic. The services are more complete and the weather is warmer on the south side of the Mediterranean. Algeria is busy competing for the tourist dollar, and from our vantage point in the parking lot we enjoyed watching "the other half " live .

Since leaving Europe we have continually thought about how we were going to arrive at the southern end of the Sahara. It is much easier now to relate some of the experiences since the long trek is over. We left Algiers on January 12 and reached Kano on February 15. The first one hundred miles we saw  many children selling produce, eggs, and live chickens along the mountainous road.  Soon the vegetation disappeared and barren rock and sand replaced all greenery.
Normally one visualized the Sahara as endless sand dunes stretching from horizon to horizon. This is true in some parts but much of the desert is similar to photos of the moon's surface without the round craters. The land is littered with huge boulders and is beautiful in its silence. Only the Tuaregs and their camels inhabit the land between the isolated towns.The veiled, blue robed Tuaregs with their encased swords would often stop us and request water, matches, and aspirin.
 
We always carried a large supply of these necessary items for them. After the first day we wrapped our heads against the dust just as the Tuaregs do.      

 Go to Africa page two