Tunisia Nov 2019
 

Just back from our Nov 2019 Tunisia expedition. We took four Land Rovers down to the Grand Erg Orientale doing a search for lost LRDG/PPA vehicles abandoned after being strafed by the Luftwaffe. I am putting together a post trip report but highlights:

-Tunisia is a very safe and easily accessible destination.
-Port arrival customs/immigration at Tunis was smooth, quick and much faster that Morocco
-Surprised by number of people who speak English...easy to manage.
-The Grand Erg sand sea is daunting and challenging. As Tomek has mentioned in a previous post-trip report, the close packed dunes make it a real challenge for long wheelbase vehicles.
-Worked with Ilyes from SaharanSky in Tunisia who provided support and advice. Would highly recommend his service for any new Tunisian explorers.
-For anyone looking for the next level of challenge after Morocco, I would highly recommend Tunisia.
Cheers,
James
Popski's Private Expeditions

https://www.facebook.com/popskis.pri...type=3&theater

James, I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the dunes of Grand Erg Oriental.

1. What was your route?
2. How many days in the desert?
3. What was the fuel consumption in the dunes?
4. How much water did you take (per person/per 1 day) ?

5. Have you heard anything about current difficult conditions on the way to Sifessouane? I was told some 4x4 were broken.

6. How much did you pay for the guide service per day?


Cheers
Tomek

Tomek,

Answers:

- We went Douz, Ksar Rhilane, Qaret Ali, Tembaine, Douz
- 8 days in desert
- Fuel consumption varied...20 mpg for long wheel base 110s and up to 27 for short wheelbase Lightweight
- We carried about 160 litres and consumed about 5L per pers/per day
- Haven't heard anything about Sifessouane as we weren't headed out there.
- With SaharanSky, we didn't have a day rate. We engaged them to handle our desert authorization, storage of extra gear in Douz and one night at Abdelmoula camp at Tembiane. They also did help us out with a couple of repairs we needed. The final result was expensive...if you broke it down by days it would work out to about £200 per day. But for our first trip we felt it was a good investment to have that support.

James,
thanks for an answer.
Where is Qaret Ali?


Cheers
Tomek

Qaret Ali is not much to look at in terms of being scenic. It is a small area along the eastern edge of the sand sea, south of Ksar Ghilane. It was key for us as our expedition was focused on searching for the remains of WWII special forces trucks destroyed by the Luftwaffe in early 1943.

Hi Tembo
Any updates on your trip?

Hey PYM808,

The 2019 trip went off smoothly. There is an article out about it in the Feb edition of Land Rover Monthly and may be additional articles in other mags. There is a bit of a write up on the PPE website as well.

The logistics of the trip went well. Ferry out of Marseilles was easy. Port clearance in Tunis was surprisingly easy and quick. Lots more people speak English than I would have expected, although French did come in handy a few times.

The desert portion was also a success. We found the location of the missing WWII vehicles and parts of them but not the whole vehicles yet.

I have just started planning a return trip for Oct 2020. Looks like 5-6 vehicles this time and a larger crew. Will be at the Adventure Overland spring show in Stratford upon Avon with a stand and making a presentation on the trip.

If there is anything more specific you wanted to know, pm me.