Journey through the Sahara desert

Perhaps the desert - one of the most beautiful places that nature has created. There are many places in the world that stagger the imagination, but the desert - especially! Nowhere so clearly do not feel the infinity of the universe and unity with nature, as in the desert.

alien landscapes and remoteness from civilization makes a completely different way to look at the world around us. Sugar - embodied the image of the Desert. There are deserts that look different, but the traditional way - it's yellow sand dunes, black rocks and camel caravans. Sugar - such. There is a yellow sand dunes, black rocks and camel caravans ...

Many travelers come to meet with the great Sahara desert. It is called "the land of fear and thirst." Sugar - severe, reddish, rocky desert. It is located on the territory of many African countries, and is the "heart" of the Sahara of the interface 5 countries: Algeria, Libya, Mali, Chad and Niger.

Home and Travel Tuareg

When we were preparing for the trip, our choice fell on Algeria - a country in North Africa, about 4/5 of the country which holds the Sahara desert.

We flew from Algeria capital in a small town, Janet, who is at the south of the country and in the midst of rocky desert.

Before starting the journey through the desert all the crews are stocking food, water and fuel. The desert ride exclusively on providing full autonomy, in a way not possible to replenish any supplies, except for firewood and sometimes - water from wells.

Since all the indigenous people of North Africa have long mixed with the Arabs, the "real" Tuareg preserved only in remote desert city, or in a nomadic tribe that still exist!

Here, in the Sahara, one can see the difference between the Tuareg and the ordinary people of the Arab countries. Tuareg is much higher, thinner, have a slightly different facial features. Tuareg speak in their own language, which is different from the Arabic. In addition to the native language all the locals necessarily speak Arabic and French. Here you have a backward Africa :)

The Tuaregs are considered the best guides in the desert. Well, you can distinguish a real Tuareg for national headdress called tagelmust - is a long piece of cloth that zamatyvaetsya around the head, leaving only the eyes exposed. Incidentally, the Tuareg women do not cover persons - they cover only men here.

So, having bought everything you need, we moved into the desert. Our route was to begin in a place called Tadrat - it's not a very big Plots Algerian Sahara, on the border with Libya and Niger.

At first, the road was not picturesque - dull stone desert, sposhnoy dirty-gray-yellow color and rare skinny trees on roadsides. Sand began to appear only after a couple of hundred kilometers away, and the first time we have rushed to take each and every sand dune camel gets us on the way.

In the second half of the day began to wind along the ancient bed of the river inside the mountain massif. Gradually, the terrain became more and more intricate.

But the most interesting thing was to come.

The trees in the desert - a rarity. The process of logging was always a long and tedious. Trees are extremely solid. To cut off a branch from this tree, all three of our conductor waving an ax up a sweat, one after another. But how long this tree is lit!

Another rarity in the Sahara - wells. And beside them there is always a chance to meet people with camels - nomadic families move through the desert from well to well.

For all the time the way we met only twice in the desert nomads. Family roams from one source to another water, carrying substantially all economy. When he saw us, all family members, young and old dumped look at the guests:

Life in the desert is very harsh. Brutal weather conditions have dried skin nomads so that during the handshake seems that the hand of their wood.

In choosing lodging Tuareg guided not by considerations of beauty. Designated campsites our guides always chosen very carefully. It was not supposed to be an open place - or camp can bring sand. I had to hold the conductors explanatory conversation, and these camps were divided into more beautiful locations.

Another story - Tuareg tea. Our guides never moved in a way without drinking traditional drink. The process of cooking - is a ritual. Needed two small teapot with narrow and long noses. In one brewed strong and very sweet tea, whereupon the liquid is transferred from one kettle to another, achieving a dense foam.

Cave paintings

Every day, we overcame some distance to the next point of the night with a stop for lunch. The distances were mostly small - 30-50 km per day.

During the trip our guides are constantly showing us the rock carvings, which there are many. The oldest drawings is estimated at 10-11 thousand years. Tadrat entire area is under the protection of UNESCO. Workmanship some images casts doubt on their ancient origin - too well they are drawn.

Petrified plants:

Two huge stone arch in the middle of the desert - Catedral - that's what really struck us the first time!

Moul N'aga - one of the most beautiful places of

The dunes are wonderful orange color, and they are almost red at sunset. Pointless to say anything. Just watch.

In the evening:

At dawn:

Sculptures

In this area, a lot of rock weathering. For thousands of years of wind made of soft sandstone most bizarre sculptures. One of the famous "sculptures" even resembles a pig.

Neighborhood desert Tin Merzouga: the highest dunes

Pictures do not convey the scale, and to understand what they are huge - it is impossible. Sunset was dedicated to this beautiful spectacle.

At dawn:

A place that has been on your route, called the Cirque. Battered by the wind, sand and time, jagged mountains located here in a circle, forming almost the right shape of the arena. The place is beautiful, but not photogenic - the eye is beautiful, and it is impossible to photograph.

During the whole trip we saw the dunes of different colors: white, yellow, orange, red. But it turns out, there are even black dunes - sand sprinkled on top of crumbs of black rock. This place is called Agalati.

The season in the desert is very short. The best time to travel - January-February. In March, start sandstorms, and in the summer there can not be located because of the heat.

White dunes Erg Admer

The latest point of our route - the white dunes of Erg Admer. The dunes here are quite high and very hard - you can walk on them almost without sinking into the sand. Not white, of course, but the lightest of all that we have seen. At dawn and dusk, they acquire a golden hue.

The vegetation and fauna of the desert

The word "desert" in the Russian language is derived from the word "empty". It is believed that it is absolutely lifeless place, and there is nothing but rocks and sand. This is not true. Animal and plant life here is. Of course, a few organisms can exist without water, but some were able to adjust to life in the desert. The flora is mainly represented by several kinds of low trees and shrubs.

Across even these amazing flowers.

harder with the animal world. We saw a lot of different tracks in the sand. Pets wait out the heat of the day under the earth and in rocks, and in the night come to the surface. Given that we live in a completely different schedule, our paths hardly crossed. We saw only birds and camels, both wild and domesticated.

The life there is! Well, or ... Here was proof :)

The desert changes a person. Once you see the sunrise over the Sahara, breathing hot air, and soaked the whole body a feeling of infinity, it is impossible to remain the same as before. There was a feeling that we touched something grand and incredibly beautiful. Desert - perhaps the most beautiful that nature has created.