The Sahara desert: Day 4: Erg Chigaga

Last night we were given a calor gas heater to warm our tents as well as the hot water bottles - It was wonderful to experience warmth in the tent at night. During the day it's so hot in there but as soon as the African sun goes down the cold sets in. After a much better night's sleep we awaken with excitement wondering what today has in store for us.

Breakfast again is a lovely experience - sitting in the morning sunshine wearing shades and fleece to keep off the chill with fabulous views of sand dunes, being waited on hand and foot by Brahim. We converse in French as Brahim does not speak English. He tells us that he has only been married a few months and he loves working at the camp - who can blame him?! As we later scramble over the dunes, I catch sight of him in the distance playing football with another member of staff; it strikes me as funny, bizarre and somewhat surreal to see young men dressed in full nomadic clothing kicking a ball around in the desert.

Go Brahim!

Morning coffee

After a lazy morning hanging around the camp talking to Bobo, he offers to take us off-roading in our 4x4. We jump at the chance and invite Romain and Virginie to join us. Mart is really excited - this is one of the activities he really wanted to do, so has no hesitation in getting straight into the driver's seat... I am a little more nervous...understandably!

All set to go

Bobo is a great teacher and soon he lets Mart take off by himself over the smaller sand dunes...being the dedicated wife I am, I stay in the car with Mart whilst everyone else scarpers and watches from a safe distance! Can't say I blame them. We set off slowly but soon gather speed as we see the dune looming in front of us; I hold on tight to the roof handle as we bump along, wheels skidding in the soft sand...up, up and over we go, then it's a lovely silky smooth feeling as we slide down the other side...we made it in one piece! Not content with one dune Mart continues to another - my insides are rattling around inside me, good job we haven't eaten since breakfast! Up, up and...wheels are skidding furiously - we are stuck! Bobo and our friends come running over to help, scrambling up the dune to meet us. After surveying the scene Bobo directs us all to dig out the wheels and push. We scramble in the sand, digging with all our might with our bare hands to gain freedom for the wheels...then it's a mighty push, really getting our backs into it whilst Bobo steers the car safely down the dune. We all clap him...but we're not aware at this point that there's more of the same to come...and things are about to get even worse!

Up we go....

Oops, stuck at the top. Bobo to the rescue!

Virginie also has a go at driving amongst the smaller dunes and not to be outdone Romain decides he must too - but he wants to prove he can do better than his wife...we should've known it's always a bad sign when a man admits to this! Everything starts fine...Mart is in the passenger seat whilst Virginie, Bobo and I sit on a sand dune watching. By now the sun is scorching and it really feels like we're in the Sahara desert. We watch as Romain drives around the same route as Mart, following his tracks...up and over they go, getting stuck a few times, but nothing a bit of digging and a big push by all of us can't handle. However, then things take a slightly more serious turn as we watch...the car is stuck...but this time Romain has turned into the hill instead of driving level causing the car to tilt over with wheels firmly stuck. Without thinking, Mart gets out of the passenger seat to call us over...but then suddenly realises that without his weight (and there is a lot of it these days! :D) the car could topple! So he gets in again. We all run to help, but this vehicle is going nowhere fast. Bobo looks at the car from all angles, a slightly worried look on his face; he weighs up the situation, then tells Romain and Mart to carefully get out of the car. We are all so glad that Bobo knows the desert like the back of his hand and is used to getting himself - and visitors - out of scrapes. He urges us to once again dig out the wheels, then he takes the driver's position...leaving his door open in case he needs to jump out, he spins the wheels steering furiously and urges us all to push the car sidewards, seemingly in the opposite direction to how one would think it should be pushed....but this man of the desert knows best, and soon the car is upright again - PHEW! Thank God for Bobo!

Romain at the wheel

Oh dear!

Surveying the damage

Time for lunch me-thinks!

All we have in mind now is for a restful afternoon hanging around the camp...but no, Bobo has other ideas and suddenly appears with two camels and a camelteer! This looks ominous as he begins to wrap Mart's scarf around his head like a true nomad. I am in fits of laughter at this as Mart looks nothing like Laurence of Arabia....he just doesn't carry this look well. Soon everyone gathered is also laughing...Poor Mart...but he carries on with dignity. I manage to convince Bobo that I will put the hood on my fleece up if the sun is too hot on my head - phew, got out of that one! We mount our camels and begin the trek. The plan is to meet the others at one of the highest dunes in about half an hour's time (they will travel by 4x4)....to go sand boarding!

However, we trek on the camel up one sand dune and down the other side and that's enough for me! The handle on the camel's back which I am gripping as hard as possible just doesn't feel sturdy, swaying even when the camel is stationary...and it's a long way down if I fall! Have you ever tried coming down a sand dune on a camel? On the flat ground it is fine, if a little bumpy, but coming down a dune is a different experience altogether! I decide to get off and walk the rest of the way alongside my camel. Typical that the camelteer then decides we will walk across the hamada (rough ground) anyway and avoid the dunes. Mart endures the rest of the journey by camel and we finally meet the others as arranged.

Suits you, Sir...not!

Off into the distance we go

Our camelteer and camels

As we approach the taller dunes, I gasp in amazement...these are absolutely stunning, mountains of pure sand reaching up into the blue sky, seemingly untouched by human feet - until now! The colours of the sand in this late afternoon/early evening light are beautiful. Light and shade alternate as far as the eye can see, small peaks appearing like icing on a Christmas cake. Here they are known as 'la mer de sable', 'a sea of sand'. We all scramble up the dune ahead of us and stand awhile taking in the spectacular views all around us....in fact, I decide to stay there and enjoy a bit of silence whilst the others scramble even further up the dune so as to  have a go at sand boarding down the other side.

La mer de sable

Our footprints in the sand

A moment to soak up the peace

Climbing up the sand dune

Virginie before her tumble

All was going just too well. I am enjoying the spectacular views and the peaceful silence, sitting on the crest of the dune, Mart is sliding down the sand dunes on his backside having given up on efforts to sand board, and Romain and Virginie are practising, determined to succeed at this difficult activity...when suddenly Virginie falls off her sand board and tumbles down the dune. We know nothing of this until Romain and Virginie eventually join us...Virginie has hit her head on the hard sand and hurt her back and is walking slowly and painfully towards us; she is very lucky to not have more serious injuries. To add insult to injury, Romain has captured the whole thing on his phone video, hoping to see his wife making it look easy...but instead we can see Virginie take a tumble. Not a very pleasant end to a lovely experience. We decide to go straight back to the camp instead of waiting to watch the brilliant sunset with a glass of wine, all set out on a table for us by the drivers who, as usual, want to give us the best experience possible. Reluctantly, we all return to camp, hoping that Virginie will soon feel better.

One of the lanterns lighting our way

After yet another lovely evening meal Bobo's girlfriend, Tyne, a young Belgian girl, leads us outside to look at the constellations of the night sky. The sky is so clear here in the desert as the only light comes from the many lanterns lighting the way to our tents and the camp fire; there is no light pollution, so stars appear very bright in the night sky. Soon we are spotting the Milky Way, Orion, Jupiter and Venus, Little Bear and Great Bear, the Plough...and even manage to capture a shooting star in our photo!

The camp lit up at night

Beautiful night sky (with shooting star on left of photo)

We have really enjoyed our time in the desert, an unforgettable experience. We have learnt such a lot about how people live in this arid place, the supremity of nature and the need to be guided by it, the simplicity of lifestyle of nomadic people, the genuine hospitality of the people who work here and above all the sheer beauty of this wonderful place in the middle of nowhere. It is a place to which we hope some day to return.

Our journey is not over yet, however. Tomorrow morning we leave this place after breakfast and Fath is driving us back another route across the desert via a dried salt lake bed called Lake Iriki. It proves to be another interesting journey....

Erg Chigaga Luxury Camp