vehicle - Horizons Unlimited

**himba** · #1 11 Feb 2004

hello,

i plan a trip in the end of this year in south marroco or mauritania. If i go in south marroco only i think is not necessary to have a 4X4 to discover some real beautiful place ( exotic, not many tourist) : draa valley, dadès valley....
However if i go to mauritania i think it's necessary to have a 4X4 for example to make nouadibou -> choum -> atar -> nouakchott and return by the banc d'arguin isn'nt it ?
If this case what kind of 4x4 have i to buy to do this trip ? The ideal will be to find a vehicle that i could use the rest of the year to go to work ( not to expensive in petrol) and not to difficult to find on the second hand market (toyota, mitsubishi, nissan ????).
If i find a vehicule what kind of equipement is neccessary : sand plaque, second spare wheel, compressor ?
Thanks for your reply....

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So many places, so little time.....

**Runner** · #2 12 Feb 2004

Land Rover or Land Cruiser. Diesel engined, for preference. In my opinion Land Rovers are the better choice. Nissan and Mitsu ok but not as good as the two above. Dont use a Jeep of any description.

Sand plates (sand ladders) and decent compressor are a must for sand, as is a GPS.
Also consider a Hi-Lift jack.
Make sure you can use them *before* you arrive in the desert. Practice.

Choose your tyres carefully - Michelin XS sand pattern best but also think about AT pattern for mixed road/desert/rocky ground. If you are spending more time in rocky areas like the Atlas ranges think about Michelin XZLs. Second spare a good idea.

Travel with a second or third car if you can. Travelling alone, especially if you are new to the desert, is dangerous.

Be sure of your navigation and take spare parts, medical equipment etc. Take rehydration salts as part of your medical kit, again, make sure know how to use it all.

Take enough water and fuel and make sure your containers are strong and do not leak.
If you take jerry cans, make sure you also take a flexible nozzle to fill with.

Enjoy - but be careful, desert travel is an addiction!

**himba** · #3 12 Feb 2004

thanks for your reply runner. I'm beginning to look for a vehicle....

Quote:

Originally posted by Runner:
Land Rover or Land Cruiser. Diesel engined, for preference. In my opinion Land Rovers are the better choice. Nissan and Mitsu ok but not as good as the two above. Dont use a Jeep of any description.

Sand plates (sand ladders) and decent compressor are a must for sand, as is a GPS.
Also consider a Hi-Lift jack.
Make sure you can use them *before* you arrive in the desert. Practice.

Choose your tyres carefully - Michelin XS sand pattern best but also think about AT pattern for mixed road/desert/rocky ground. If you are spending more time in rocky areas like the Atlas ranges think about Michelin XZLs. Second spare a good idea.

Travel with a second or third car if you can. Travelling alone, especially if you are new to the desert, is dangerous.

Be sure of your navigation and take spare parts, medical equipment etc. Take rehydration salts as part of your medical kit, again, make sure know how to use it all.

Take enough water and fuel and make sure your containers are strong and do not leak.
If you take jerry cans, make sure you also take a flexible nozzle to fill with.

Enjoy - but be careful, desert travel is an addiction!

**Runner** · #4 12 Feb 2004

No probs. There's a LOT of information involved in a trip like this, especially if you head away from roads into the deep desert (thats the rewarding part!). Be careful.

I should add, in terms of navigation, take two methods - GPS systems are excellent but they do break and are not reliable. Michelin do a *reasonable* map of the area but its not very detailed.

There are some important books to read - Tom Sheppard's "Vehicle Dependant Expedition Guide" is very thorough, Chris Scott's "Sahara Overland" also as it has suggested routes listed in various countries.

Get to know your car, talk to people and find out what goes wrong with that particular model and what spares to carry. Service it yourself and where possible do your own work on it - that way you know its done properly!
Send me an email if you want more info.

**Robbert** · #5 14 Feb 2004

You can do your trip in a good 2wd. most people would put the car on the train from Mouadhibou to Choum, Atar to nouakchott is paved, en there are plenny of 2WD's going from Nouadhibou trough the park to NKT. You'd better take a guide if you're in a 2WD though.

As for equipement, you'll need a compressor, a shovel, and a tow rope. Sand plates are a good back up, but you'll find out you'll hardly use them. I never used my high lift in the desert yet (sand plates one time).

Toy or Land is a personal thing, today I love my rover, but in Mali I swore to take a toy next time...