Too hot in July and August?

[Roy&Doede]

Hi there!

Last week we bought a copy of Chris Scott's Sahara Overland. Chris tells us not to go to the Sahara in the summer. And actually, we want to go in July and August :-) Silly us? Please tell us your experiences.
Check our website (DeReis.org for details on our route, but roughly it’s this:
Rabat, Dakhla, Nouadibou, CHOUM, ATAR, Nouackchott, Rosso, Dakar, Bamako etc.
We will be traveling by Mercedes-Benz 307D or comparable. To CHOUM we take the train.
Thanks in advance for your replies!

Tata, Doede & Roy - Amsterdam


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posted by Roy & Doede
www.DeReis.org
travelling from Amsterdam to Benin in July and August 2002

[GWJ]

hi there,
it will be hot but it's never too hot. just think to drink enough water. take care also for the area around Kayes. it's the hotest area in West Africa and maybe difficult also in the rainy season because of floods.
cheers, Ties

[Kevin]

You shouldn´t have too amny problems with the heat, the hottest time of the yearin Mali/Burkina is April/May. The advantge(?) of summer is that there are less tourists around.

The route from Kayes to Bafoulabe may be impassable because of rain. I did it in June one year with a 207 and got badly stuck in mud a couple of times. There are also river beds to cross which may be impassable. Consider taking the train from Kayes to Bamako.

[Chris Scott]

... also I hear that the Atlantic Route is cooler than the interior of the Sahara in summer.

CS

[LandRoverNomad]

Hiya
Went to the Moroccan desert in July and August, temp was supposedly in the fifties, though our thermometer was knackered. The stupid thing was at the time I hadnt figured out how to switch off the arctic heater in the Landy (duh! Bonehead) so it was scorching! That said once we got used to it things were fine. Same cannot be said of a Nissan that travelled with us, their aircon dried the cab air out and badly dehydrated the driver to the point where he couldn't drive, 100+ miles from the nearest road. Digging a Nissan out 3-4 times a day in dune sand in those temps needs quite a bit of water! (and patience!) I took a Camelbak water carrier so I could drink constantly whilst driving - the metal of the vehicle was literally hot enough to fry eggs on, same for sand ladders *owtch*, same for sand in sandals! Desert boots are excellent kit. Boots rehydration solution is excellent and doesnt taste of chemicals, so I am told!