The Western Sahara

Go into the deserts of the Western Sahara in a four wheel drive convoy from Morocco or Algeria. Dinner will be rice and camel meat on a fire. The ridges in the Western Sahara can contain fossils, a reminder that this area was once under water. There may be armed conflicts in this area. You could stay in an old Spanish fort. A sand storm may come up and there may be a lack of visibility going into Mauritania. Over the border of Mauritania you will come onto a tarmac road. Border control is a tin shed in the middle of the western desert. Zouerat has hot water and you will be able to get a beer to wash down the dust of the Western Sahara desert. The howli or turban will protect you from the wind and sand. Zouerat is a mining town. Iron ore gets mined and put into huge trains that carry it away. Everything is recycled - old forty gallon drums become walls. Every day the iron ore train leaves Zouerat and they take passengers. Getting on may be a bit of a struggle and you will have to fight to get a seat.

The iron ore express in the western sahara in Mauritania is the longest train in the world. You can board it at Azougui. The train goes to the coast and you can get off at Chinguetti and stay at a relic of the old French Days - fort sagan. The desert is full bore here. It is hot. There used to be caravans going to and fro from here but the desert is reclaiming the town now. If you want to get back on the iron ore train you can get to the coast, where the desert meets the sea.

Western Sahara Resources

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