Sahara Overland Trip - UK to Timbuktu
Click here to enquire about or book this holiday!
Basic information
Location: Sahara desert
Date: November/December
Duration: Can be tailor-made depending on what you want!
Group size: 1+ people
Price: From £2495 including all transfers.
Not including food and accommodation, visa fees, all drinks, personal purchases and tips.
Location: Sahara desert
Date: November/December
Duration: Can be tailor-made depending on what you want!
Group size: 1+ people
Price: From £2495 including all transfers.
Not including food and accommodation, visa fees, all drinks, personal purchases and tips.
What will I be doing on this trip?
Using Toyota Landcruisers - the great and preferred mechanical beasts of the Sahara - we will make the fabled journey “from here to Timbuktu”.
We have a choice of routes. Some years we do Tunisia - Algeria - Mali. Other years we do Morocco – Mauritania – Mali. Please contact the operator to find out route.
Wherever we go we take local guides. Algeria and Mauritania have some of the most astounding Saharan landscapes which we will explore - the Hoggar mountains, Atar, Chenguetti the Parc D’Auguin and the area around Djanet and on to Tamanghasset.
We go onto Mali and on to Aguelhoc and the Adrar Des Iforas mountains and a community of Tuaregs with whom the operator has a strong affiliation before completing our journey at the edge of the Sahara, the river Niger and the fabled city of Timbuktu.
You have the option to join our xmas Tuareg Festival Safari Tour for Xmas festivities, a camel trek and the Festival of Camels or the Festival Ténéré over New Year.
Using Toyota Landcruisers - the great and preferred mechanical beasts of the Sahara - we will make the fabled journey “from here to Timbuktu”.
We have a choice of routes. Some years we do Tunisia - Algeria - Mali. Other years we do Morocco – Mauritania – Mali. Please contact the operator to find out route.
Wherever we go we take local guides. Algeria and Mauritania have some of the most astounding Saharan landscapes which we will explore - the Hoggar mountains, Atar, Chenguetti the Parc D’Auguin and the area around Djanet and on to Tamanghasset.
We go onto Mali and on to Aguelhoc and the Adrar Des Iforas mountains and a community of Tuaregs with whom the operator has a strong affiliation before completing our journey at the edge of the Sahara, the river Niger and the fabled city of Timbuktu.
You have the option to join our xmas Tuareg Festival Safari Tour for Xmas festivities, a camel trek and the Festival of Camels or the Festival Ténéré over New Year.
"We will cover many miles, go through extraordinary landscapes, stay with amazing communities en route, meet some wonderful people and you will have good time to zen out as different worlds go by. On the Sahara Overland you will see Europe meeting north Africa meeting the desert meeting sub Saharan Africa - one world, one journey." - Guy, tour organiser
My holiday itinerary...
This is our signature trip and what we are all about - taking you “off the beaten track”, “down the road less travelled”, “daring to go where there is no path” - all the tag lines we’ve dreamt up for the company all in one trip!
This year 2010 we are taking the Morocco - Mauritania - Mali route.
This is our signature trip and what we are all about - taking you “off the beaten track”, “down the road less travelled”, “daring to go where there is no path” - all the tag lines we’ve dreamt up for the company all in one trip!
This year 2010 we are taking the Morocco - Mauritania - Mali route.
What we particularly love about this trip is how it shows you how connected our world really is. In a few days from wet and cold London in November, gearing itself up for Christmas with endless jingle bells.... we are in the orient. The landscape is open, the smells and colours and sounds are exotic, we are a world away but we still feel close to home.
Even before we reach Morocco, we sense this change coming. As we travel across Spain the landscape widens, the sky gets bigger and then we hit Granada and the Alhambra for your first sign of Africa. What an amazing place - Africa in Europe, the last time Africa tried to civilize the savages!
Then overnight we land in North Africa and the world has changed a little - hamams, men in cafes smoking hookahs, spices and scents - the orient is with us but we don’t feel too far from European culture, partly because it is still cold but also Morocco looks very much towards Europe rather than Africa.
Once in Morocco we will head down to Fez over the Atlas mountains and on down to M’Hamid, on the edge of the Sahara desert where our Moroccan guides come from. This is Berber culture now - more specifically Saharawi. We will spend a day or two here before we begin a 4 day drive across Western Sahara - still part of Morocco but a separate entity as it is disputed territory - to the Mauritania border.
Once in Mauritania we will again spend time exploring the desert. Firstly in the stunning Parc De Banc D'Auguin, a national park which combines beautiful pristine desert landscapes with coastal areas where Saharan sand dunes meet the sea. We then travel up to Chenguetti, one of the most important sites historically in the Sahara to rank alongside Timbuktu - an ancient seat of Islam, trade and Saharan culture.
From here we push on with another open desert trip to Tidijikja and slowly on down to the Mali border. We will cross into Mali north of Nioro.
The next leg we will leave flexible. For those sticking with us for the Tuareg Festival Safari they may choose to go onto Bamako to rest for a few days before that begins. For those leaving us after this trip I will get you to Timbuktu by the 15th of December.
Even before we reach Morocco, we sense this change coming. As we travel across Spain the landscape widens, the sky gets bigger and then we hit Granada and the Alhambra for your first sign of Africa. What an amazing place - Africa in Europe, the last time Africa tried to civilize the savages!
Then overnight we land in North Africa and the world has changed a little - hamams, men in cafes smoking hookahs, spices and scents - the orient is with us but we don’t feel too far from European culture, partly because it is still cold but also Morocco looks very much towards Europe rather than Africa.
Once in Morocco we will head down to Fez over the Atlas mountains and on down to M’Hamid, on the edge of the Sahara desert where our Moroccan guides come from. This is Berber culture now - more specifically Saharawi. We will spend a day or two here before we begin a 4 day drive across Western Sahara - still part of Morocco but a separate entity as it is disputed territory - to the Mauritania border.
Once in Mauritania we will again spend time exploring the desert. Firstly in the stunning Parc De Banc D'Auguin, a national park which combines beautiful pristine desert landscapes with coastal areas where Saharan sand dunes meet the sea. We then travel up to Chenguetti, one of the most important sites historically in the Sahara to rank alongside Timbuktu - an ancient seat of Islam, trade and Saharan culture.
From here we push on with another open desert trip to Tidijikja and slowly on down to the Mali border. We will cross into Mali north of Nioro.
The next leg we will leave flexible. For those sticking with us for the Tuareg Festival Safari they may choose to go onto Bamako to rest for a few days before that begins. For those leaving us after this trip I will get you to Timbuktu by the 15th of December.
There is of course a lot of driving, but one gets into the meditative rhythm of worlds passing by. There is a great sense of freedom, not just in the desert but also in the flexibility of the trip.
The above is a rough plan. The route is flexible and open to alterations in case we have to adapt to situations on the ground. Also I keep things open for the group to decide on changes themselves. We will have the final say, but if there is ever strong feeling to do a place then we can adapt.
Whenever we are in the desert we are always with local guides who I know well and trust implicitly.
The above is a rough plan. The route is flexible and open to alterations in case we have to adapt to situations on the ground. Also I keep things open for the group to decide on changes themselves. We will have the final say, but if there is ever strong feeling to do a place then we can adapt.
Whenever we are in the desert we are always with local guides who I know well and trust implicitly.
How to get to us...
By Air: Meet us in London!
By Car: London is the starting point for the Overland Tour. You can also get to us by bus or train!
Additional information
Services: All you need to survive. Accommodation is in 3* hotels and some camping
Note: These trips take you off the beaten track. There is not always a tourist infrastructure such as you may be used to. Be prepared for some flexibility.
By Air: Meet us in London!
By Car: London is the starting point for the Overland Tour. You can also get to us by bus or train!
Additional information
Services: All you need to survive. Accommodation is in 3* hotels and some camping
Note: These trips take you off the beaten track. There is not always a tourist infrastructure such as you may be used to. Be prepared for some flexibility.
How does this holiday make a difference?
This trip is guided by prefessional guides operating small businesses from each of our host nations and ultimately the trip is hosted by a community of Tuaregs from Mali.
As part of the festivities in Mali the company is sponsoring a mini-festival in Aguelhoc, Mali which supports local musicians and food supply for 2 schools for nomadic children.
The children in these schools have to walk a long way to school so they have to stay in the school all week. The biggest problem for the school is providing food for the pupils.
This trip is guided by prefessional guides operating small businesses from each of our host nations and ultimately the trip is hosted by a community of Tuaregs from Mali.
As part of the festivities in Mali the company is sponsoring a mini-festival in Aguelhoc, Mali which supports local musicians and food supply for 2 schools for nomadic children.
The children in these schools have to walk a long way to school so they have to stay in the school all week. The biggest problem for the school is providing food for the pupils.
Company ethos
This company aims to dispel a few myths and to show you a modern, vibrant, open, safe and progressing west Africa and to ensure that your trip has a positive impact on the communities which host you. Too often tourism in Africa centers around the amazing wildlife and stunning scenery whilst the most vibrant, colourful and fascinating aspect of Africa - its people - pass by the window of the 4x4. We try to reverse the focus by taking you out into some of the amazing communities which we have befriended over our 20 years of traveling this vast and extraordinary continent.
The landscape is merely the background to the colour music, vibrancy and hospitality of the people of west Africa. Throughout the trip food and water is bought en route and as locally as possible.
Before your trip you will be sent our Responsible Travel guidelines, and en route you will be advised about changing cultural sensitivities.
This trip minimizes waste by advising clients to follow the African example and recycle everything. You will see how a system that provides no waste disposal produces very little waste.
We encourage you not to bring anything that we in the west count as disposable such as razors or wet wipes etc because in Africa they are not disposable.
Our company aims to minimize its environmental impact by:
As an alternative to carbon offsetting we offer you the opportunity to support these projects and thereby support communities which will be most affected by climate change.
Where is it?
This company aims to dispel a few myths and to show you a modern, vibrant, open, safe and progressing west Africa and to ensure that your trip has a positive impact on the communities which host you. Too often tourism in Africa centers around the amazing wildlife and stunning scenery whilst the most vibrant, colourful and fascinating aspect of Africa - its people - pass by the window of the 4x4. We try to reverse the focus by taking you out into some of the amazing communities which we have befriended over our 20 years of traveling this vast and extraordinary continent.
The landscape is merely the background to the colour music, vibrancy and hospitality of the people of west Africa. Throughout the trip food and water is bought en route and as locally as possible.
Before your trip you will be sent our Responsible Travel guidelines, and en route you will be advised about changing cultural sensitivities.
This trip minimizes waste by advising clients to follow the African example and recycle everything. You will see how a system that provides no waste disposal produces very little waste.
We encourage you not to bring anything that we in the west count as disposable such as razors or wet wipes etc because in Africa they are not disposable.
Our company aims to minimize its environmental impact by:
- Only flying one way for our season of tours in west Africa. For our outward journey we drive to Timbuktu – and you may too!
- Not having an office and our only paper based marketing product is a flyer.
- Having no brochures and doing most mailing by email.
As an alternative to carbon offsetting we offer you the opportunity to support these projects and thereby support communities which will be most affected by climate change.
Where is it?
Click here to enquire about or book this holiday!
To discover other Responsible Tourism projects, click here.
For a similar overland trip from Mali to Cameroon, click here.
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