Lybia in September???????

[NCR]

Hi,

I'm planning a trip to Libia in September with some friends in 4x4 vehicles. The route is not yet defined, but we will probably follow the Paris-Dakar route or the ones of Chris Scott's Sahara-Overland. We all have some experience in the Desert (most of the members have already gone to Morocco, and some to Mauritania). Unfortunately, the only possibility is to do it in September, due to professional/personal limitations of the group. What is your opinion? Is September an "acceptable" month to cross the desert in Lybia????

Thanks and regards,

NCR

[Sam Rutherford]

We crossed Libya (through to Algeria) in June/July 2001. It's hot but fine. Take a little more water and stick as a group unless forced to split. Watch your engine temperatures in the dunes as well.

You'll have a great time, and the desert to yourselves.

Sam.

[Richard Washington]

From time to time the Sahara seasonality issue crops up on the forum. Most often the debate settles on whether one can handle the high temperatures outside the narrow Nov-Feb winter in the Sahara. This remains a personal choice for most and having sat through a few 46 degree days in Niger in April, I'm not one to go back outside the winter months.

But there is another aspect to the story. The Sahara is by far the world's largest source of dust. Visibility in the Sahara is very poor in the summer months when the dust output is maximised. On the other hand, November, December and January are, on average, the clearest months by quite a long way. So if you like scenery, its better to stick to the winter.

Check out
http://www.geog.ox.ac.uk/staff/rwashington.html and look at a powerpoint presentation 'mineral dust, sources, transport and pathways' which has some satellite pics of the Sahara (beware, 20 mb file!).

[Tomi]

No problem to travel in summer. Near Djanet it was max 46C, but it is dry so it's not difficult to travel and work (dig).