Sahara! 52 days walk to Timbuktu

We are now out of the Sahara, rumbling towards our next destination so I thought a brief description of the last 18 hours or so is in order.

We were picked up in 4x4 toyotas and driven about 50 km east towards Algeria to erg chebi which is a series of sand dunes that runs about 25km further towards Algeria.  After the ubiquitous welcome tea we mounted dramaderies and headed up the dunes to watch the sun set.

We then returned on our dramaderies  to a group of tents where we had dinner, sat around a campfire and then slept.

This was a very touristy experience to be sure.  There were hundreds of other guests doing the same thing, the tents contained modern plumbing (sort of) and a bed shrouded with mosquito netting.  Despite the cheese factor, it was still very fun, and the sunset was stunning.

We are all doing well and having a good time.

Unfortunately, more of our group are getting sick.  I think just about everyone today was contemplating the distance from the dunes to the nearest WC, and how long a dose of Imodium lasts!.  

Enjoy some pics!

And a few scenes from the rest of the day...