Hot desert ?

P

poussin

Joined
Jan 28, 2003
Messages
95
Hello.
I plan to venture next August into the Moroccan Atlas (Dades and Thodra valleys), with one friend and our respective girlfriends, just to see what Northern Africa really looks like, how people are, etc... This friend and I are quite used to doing trips together in the mountains, and we are both quite familiar with our local woods, but none of us has the most tiny bit of experience with a hot desert. So I collect every piece of information I can, and of course I needed to ask here too.

I would like to hear everything you can tell me about that, any advice, any experience, or a link... averything is welcome !

Quickly, if it can help : the trip has to last one month, without a personnal motor vehicle; the place, at least on the photographs I have seen, looks like it is mostly sand and stone, with a dirty very small river in the bottom of the valley, and some people living here and there. I do not know how friendly the people are.

Thank you for every comment !
 
DAVID ALLOWAYS BOOK ON DEASERT SURVIVAL WOULD BE VERY HELPFULL TO YOU. CLEAN WATER WILL BE A PRIORITY AND YOU MAY NEED TO THINK OF HOW YOU ARE GOING TO OBTAIN A STEADY SUPPLY OF THAT.

ALEX
 
Finding clean water is probably going to be your number one concern. It will probably be the biggest limit on where you can go and what you can do.

Without a car, how are you planning on traveling around? Walking? Train? Bus?

What are you planning on doing while there?

A month is a pretty long trip. Especially to a desert. It might not be as much fun (or as safe) as you think it will be. Think it over carefully before you make any big decisions.

And if the people living in the area aren't friendly, you might want to forget about it.

Good luck!

-- Rob
 
Check your local library for travel or history books on Morocco. Then read up on the area & what you need to do to insure getting in/out of country safely & enjoyably. You might check to see if they have the Fodor's guide to Morocco. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0676902219/103-6611595-9064617?vi=glance

Common advice from the web seems to be: DRINK BOTTLED WATER!!!

For the very sun-sensitive, besides taking plenty of sunscreen, check out http://www.solarveil.com/

Temps look pretty good per http://www.travelgwt.com/morocco/general_information.htm at that time of year: 70-85 degrees farenheit.

US State Dept page for Morocco: http://www.state.gov/www/regions/nea/country/cp_morocco.html

Some other links courtesy of a Google search:
http://www.gate1travel.com/Destinations/General_Info/travel_tips/Morocco.htm
http://www.hiptravelguide.com/morocco/tips.htm
http://www.morocco.com/travel/tips.html
http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/9ecb/edc/1/
http://www.moxon.net/travel_tips/
http://www.seektravel.com/tips/northern_africa.htm
http://d4.dir.scd.yahoo.com/recreation/travel/by_region/countries/morocco/complete_list/
http://www.rediscover.co.uk/morocco_tips.htm
http://www.traveltop10.com/top 10/tips86.htm
http://www.travel-wise.com/africa/morocco/morocco.html linked from http://www.blackworld.com/country/morocco.htm
http://www.bakpaka.com/travelling_companion_in/africa/morocco.htm
http://home.hccnet.nl/ad.beljaars/arabesque/countries.htm
http://www.dalilusa.com/Almusaafer/MOROCCO/TIPS/mortips.html
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/archive/2000-03-4-0.html
 
First off my desert experience is not substantial but I have spent some time in the Grand Canyon and Mojave desert in 40 - 45 degree heat. Personally I was amazed at the volume of water I consumed.

One overlooked item is salt or electrolyte replacement. Even here in Brazil in the high serra where it is extrememly dry and desertlike my face gets covered with salt crystals and my hat brim turns white. I know from experience that if I don't have salt available that I will start cramping after a day or two of this. That could leave you unable to move, in effect killing you. I carry "Thermotabs" buffered salt tabs and regular salt in my kit.

One good piece of gear are "Platypus" bags. They hold 1 or 2 liters of water and take up very little space or weight when empty. They allow you to take advantage of any water source you find. Mac
 
Wow. Sounds like a great trip. I almost went to the Atlas mountains a couple of years ago, but ended up bailing out of Morrocco after 9/11/01 because people were really weird about us being from the United States.

I would definitely dig into several different travel guidebooks for advice. You will be traveling from village to village. I don't think bottled water will be an option so invest in a water treatment system. Using a Platypus to hold your treated water is a great idea. Also, desert temperatures fluctuate wildly. It is even worse at high altitudes like where you are going, prepare for blistering hot days and below freezing nights. Invest in a good layer system of dress -- light weight thin shirt --> long sleeve warm shirt --> jacket --> waterproof shell with hood. Shorts, pants,warm hat, sun hat (with wide brim), warm gloves, long underwear, light socks, warm socks, good boots (with ankle support), sandles. Good polarized sunglasses. Skin lotion,sun screen, lip balm.

-- Jeff
 
Sounds like you need this book, it has information on the Sahara and other deserts of the world:

THE ULTIMATE DESERT HANDBOOK
6118435.gif
 
A couple years ago I saw a very informative presentation by an adventure travel company that runs back country trips into that area and has many local contacts. I'm sorry I can't recall the name, but they and other such companies are undoubtedly on the net. Although you are going unguided, you might be able to pump a few of them for some helpful information.

If you are dealing with a silty brown water source, it will play hell with many water filters. They need constant cleaning under such conditions. You may want to be prepared to boil and use iodine as backup purification methods. Sometimes I pre-filter the water through a coffee filter. I also have a backflushable 10 micron pre-filter on the pickup hose of my main filter.
 
@alco141
I will take a washable filter, I have not documented myself much about this topic. I will also bring lots of pills (Hydroclonazone - Chloramine). Isn't that enough to clean water ? I also plan to take a lot of Smecta, to reduce stomach diseases, and much fuel if boiling is needed because of possible failure of other cleaning means.

@baraqyal
After we have crossed the Mediterranean, the plan is to train till Marrakech where I have good friends (who used to study with me last year here in France) where we can sleep a few days and live our tourist's life. Then we shall take a bus till Ouarzazate, and then it will depend a bit of the odds. We are well trained hikers, and we have rather warm mountains without water just twenty miles away from home, but I think we will suffer from warmth much more there, at least the first week. The period needed to adapt ourselves is one of the things which makes us want to stay there for so long, because we want to be able to also enjoy the places after our bodies have got used to them.

We have not planned exactly what we want to do over there, since we do not know what we will really find. It will depend. But the point is to move until Fes, walking or taking a bus when we feel the need, because there is a track with some buses.


@RokJok
Thank you !!! I will skim all this stuff.

@pict
Salt. OK, I will think of it.
I have already seen Platypus bags but I thought they were rather expenseive for what they had to offer. But if you say they are so convenient, I will think of it.

@dizos
Yes, as far as I know, Arabs live on a very "emotionnal" way. Being French and not to badly built I mostly do not have any difficulties with them, but yes, lots of them suck the Americans, and I have found no way to explain them yet that they have no good reason to do that.

I will think of the clothes. That will take a lot of spae and weight !!

@Jebediah
Thanks, I will look at the book.

@DanceWithKnives
It is OK, I have already planned to visit some specialized travel stores in Lyon. But if I do not learn enough, then I will remember of your proposal.
 
I just got back from an inland trip through our east Kimberley region here in West Oz. It's the tail end of summer so well over 100degF or 35degC during the day. But bloody freezing at night. It had been a while since I had been out this way and had forgoten this very important detail. Take something warm. Inland desert gets very cold at night.
 
Originally posted by poussin
[B We are well trained hikers, and we have rather warm mountains without water just twenty miles away from home, but I think we will suffer from warmth much more there, at least the first week. The period needed to adapt ourselves is one of the things which makes us want to stay there for so long, because we want to be able to also enjoy the places after our bodies have got used to them.. [/B]
Click to expand...

Even if the temperatures are the same as you are used to, the humidity can be very different, and you will be losing more fluids than you realize because it is evaporating off of you so quickly.

Having done a decent bit of mountainbiking in deserts in medium to fairly high heat, I've seen a lot of people in otherwise excellent shape suffer from dehydration because of this. Always drink before you are thirsty, and then drink some more. :) If you get to the point where you are thirsty, it's probably too late and you are dehydrated to some extent.

As mentioned, the evening temperature drops can also be a nasty surprise to the unprepared. Have fun, and be safe.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top