Travel in the Great eastern Erg. Sahara, Tunisia

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Adventure travel in Tunisia have been so many facts and many others will follow, this forces us to renew from time to time the tracks trying to make each trip unique.

This year's Adventures Rollers "organization and assistance Saharan adventure travel" of Claudius and Margaret organized a wonderful adventure, unique in its kind, which was called "share in Tunisia," the peculiarity of this trip has been to achieve the highest dunes of the Great Eastern Erg in Tunisia, which measure the top 420 meters. and to set up camps all over the sand to quote above the 350 meters.

A particular trip, where ever you are looking for the advantages of sandy valleys or corridors interdunari but peremptory simply drawing a straight line from South to North while maintaining the Algerian border to an average distance of 1000 meters.

The Great Eastern Erg and then we tackled the biggest dune chains.

The route provides a rapid descent towards the troglodyte village of Matmata, where we will spend the night in his hotel millennial dug in the heart of the mountain.
The next day transfer to Tataouine to provide military formalities we grant access to the great Sahara.

Hurry the increasingly complicated paperwork in the afternoon we dall'asfalto out, the needles of compasses now decisively pointing towards the South

We fifty kilometers, and we decide to set up the first camp.
In the evening around the campfire is controlled by a card the next day it will have to enter the Grand Erg Oriental, where it will be essential to fully understand and follow the path that would begin the journey of our project ... ... Tunisia in altitude.

The following morning Margaret, parent Adventures of Rollers, by the alarm, leaving all timidly tents between us there is some neophyte of the Sahara and it is known in the first wake up, have an expression strange and ecstatic at the same time.
With the reorganization and the breakfast area there we march to the station of Petrolifera Tjaret for a refill of fuel, yes because Tjaret down, because we have no other way to recover the precious liquid, unless in the end path.
Pass Tjaret, after a few miles, we leave the track for sure go in the sand, and then deflate the tires.
It is the beginning to what was then presented as one of the biggest challenges: the track in a straight line on the border of Algeria.

The first difficulty is presented dall'Owed Tjaret, an underground river, which cuts off our path, the area under various stages may look very wet and vehicles are likely to lock in the grip of the wet sand.
This risk decide owed to the coast, try the best to pass it, we reach the most narrow, measuring about 100 meters, we try to go ... .... a great rush and you're done, we reach a dry area in the middle dell'Owed Tjaret.
We continue fearless and gain the opposite shore, one after another all means cross the wetland, and we continue our approach to large dunes.

Most seem comfortable corridors interdunari call, but we (only for this particular trip) to deaf facilities, we head towards the biggest chains of dunes that face on Algeria.
Here nature that just before he had allowed to decide the route becomes Sovrana and powerful, the human and mechanical fatigue is significant, but in the evening the first field a quota of 350 will reward effort.

On top of these dunes, even those who intend to travel only from a motor, can not but be touched by the scene that the desert offers.
In this particular point, everyone feels free, free to decipher the images, the play of lights and shadows of dawn and sunset, free to count shooting stars but above all free to listen in total silence Nature.

The days follow one another, the irte contrast to climb steep slopes, we reach a 'great depression, almost as big a football field. On the bottom, away from the South side, we see many holes in the soil of medium size: they are dens of fennek. We decide not to move so as not to contaminate the natural habitat and then devieremo a few hundred meters.
Before you turn, however, choose to turn off the engine and go from machine to observe ... the wait is rewarded, after about half an hour here is the most boldest emerging from burrows. Grant right for a moment, not even the time of immortality in our cameras, it is immediately aware of our presence and are within the safe shelter of a large career start.

You're doing tonight, set the fourth bivouac at high altitude, this area we renamed Camp Panorama, is the highest among all that we do.
This is a flat terrace, large enough to accommodate a dozen ways, and is 380 meters high. It 'a unique place, from here you can enjoy an incredible panorama, it is not easy to find a place like where to camp, and is a jealously guarded secret.

In the morning, the wind has erased all traces of our passage as a miraculous medicine healed the wounds inflicted by our tires on virgin sand, bringing the clock in the desert the previous day, as if we had not ever spent ... ...
and as if by nothing provenissimo us away with the secret of Field Panorama ... ...

Today we reach the apex of our journey, saliremo on the Great Dune. We see in the distance more impressive than ever, we approach and begin to climb. The sand is good, compact, and will remain so throughout the morning. Reach the highest ridge on the top is the space of measure for all, we check the cards el'altimetro us the confirmation we are on the roof of the Great Eastern Erg in Tunisia at 420 meters.
Below us there are hundreds of meters of sand, harmless billion grains of silicon that, united by history, driven and shaped by the wind are the protagonists in our challenge.

Continuing north, the Erg here it changes slowly, turning into a fast sandy track that leads to the base oil of El Borma, where, after topping off the fuel we Douz where the road to spend a couple of days to rest, and finally Tunis still far to many hundreds of km to return to Italy.