Desert Festival 2005 - Horizons Unlimited

**nomiskx** · #1 3 Feb 2004

Hi,
I'm planning a round trip to Mali and back to visit the 2005 Desert Festival that is heald around eth 4th Jan each year. I'm looking for people on bikes who fancy making up a group of say maybe 6 people in total.

The planned route is designed to take in a fair bit of off roading on the way down: along the spine of the Middle Atlas, the High Atlas, hen dwon through the 'desert routes' of Southern Morocco.... along eth Atlantic route, around eth Atar and to Mali....

Leaving from UK about the 1st November 2004.

The return route will be by the main roads (ho ho ho) up along the Atlantic back to Spain.

Let me know if you are interested in joining up and I'll email you details of my plans. For info on the desert festival see http://www.festival-au-desert.org

(I think)...

Simon

**DougieB** · #2 29 May 2004

Hi,

I might be up for this. I'm planning starting a RTW trip just after Christmas, but might go early as I've been reading about this festival and am interested.

What bike are you on and how quickly do you plan to travel off-road?

I want to spend some time in Morocco, so if I can get things sorted out to leave a month earlier I'd be heading back up to the Maroc coast.

Just looked at your post date...Feb 04. Are you still going??? Erm, you're not Simon of LAM by any chance?

cheers,
Doug

**patchlewis** · #3 2 Jul 2004

Been trying to get to Morocco for ages now, but work, money and knocking big ends have delayed me! Sounds a great trip, I want to spend about 6 weeks in Morocco and your departure dates seem good. How long you plan to go for? What bike?

[This message has been edited by patchlewis (edited 07 July 2004).]

**alan hopkins** · #4 2 Jul 2004

been planning a trip down to that area for october but this sounds too good to miss as long as other festive family commitments alow it

**DougieB** · #5 2 Jul 2004

I'm on an Africa Twin. No real plans, other than to finish my job around Oct/Nov and head south. Should be away for a year or two depending on how long the money lasts.

Heading to the festival seems to be a good thing to do, and should be a great experience.

Went to Morroco a few weeks back and it was fantastic.

**nomiskx** · #6 3 Jul 2004

Hi Guys,
sorry not to have got back to you all .... I've been off from life with flu... now I'm on the road to the South of France.

the desertv festival trip is on. So far it's me and my friend Susan, both of KTM 640 Adventurers with enough fuel to do about 500 miles between fuel stops.

I'm going to write up the plan and email it to you all when I get to the Pyrenees (which is where I'm staying for a couple of weeks)... watch this space.

Check out the desert festival on

http://www.festival-au-desert.org

More later,

all the best, Simon

**nomiskx** · #7 24 Jul 2004

i guys,
Well, fininshed my trip around the Pyrenees so have finally cracked on getting down to some proper planning for the trip to the Desert Festival.

We're (Susan and I) leaving on the 1st or 2nd of December, riding down through Morocoo (with stops in Fes, a trip through the middle and anti atlas, along the Mergouza pistes etc) then down the Western Sahara into Mauritania (a diversion along to the Atar region and then down the pistes to Tichit) and finally over to Mali for Timbuctou and then Essakane. That gives us about 5 weeks of travelling time to do the trip.

After the festival I have to gte back to London pretty quick so the idea is to ride to Dakar and ship the bikes back and fly home to London.

Do any of you fancy meeting up in London for a chat about all this ? See if we all want to meet up for some of the ride ?

cheers,

Simon

**Tommo** · #8 9 Sep 2004

HI,

Is the trip still on?? I plan to be moving to Southern Spain in November once my house is sold and this might tie in nicely with moving my LC4 Adventure to Spain.

**DougieB** · #9 13 Sep 2004

I'm planning to leave around mid-November. Not sure what I'll be doing, but it would be good to meet up and see which bits of our routes tie up.

cheers,
Doug

**nomiskx** · #10 22 Sep 2004

UPDATE

Thanks to everybody who's helped with info on this proejct ! I've almost finished all the planning now and am heading off on the 1st / 2nd December. I've written the planned route up as a word.doc if anybody wants a copy and I have all the GPS waypoints plotted (thanks to a variety of sources like www.voyages4x4.com etc).

If anybody else is travelling to the festival overland around the same time drop me a line and we can swap notes... and maybe meet on the road too.

cheers,

Simon
ps. Doug... I'm very sorry to hear about your bike being nicked ! hope you get another one sorted soon

**DougieB** · #11 22 Sep 2004

maybe see you there on my Enfield

good luck.

**Dalbir** · #12 12 Nov 2004

Hi Simon,
if its possible, id be interested to look at your plans. I will be in Spain in a few weeks time, and interested to check out the desert festival, in mali. Simon Mccarthy first mentioned this to me a few weeks back, and it seems like good fun.
Im riding a Dommie (UK Reg) and never been to Africa before, so quite excited about the prospect.

Dalbir
Now in Germany, heading south.