|
Western Sahara for beginners
Why always rush across "this monotonous stretch of flat land"? Have some fun. For beginners: starts at Boujdour, ends at a public shower some 35 km before Dakhla. Easy piste & off roading + a stretch of old spanish tarmac (don't speed on it or you may fly). Mostly pedal to the metal. Caution mines around WP 8. (Iraifia 1 thermal source) - follow the tracks when approaching and leaving.
1. N26 04.528 W14 27.393 2. N25 43.704 W14 14.890 Iraifia 3 thermal source 3. N25 31.944 W14 15.667 4. N25 25.877 W14 16.155 5. N25 14.592 W14 18.620 6. N25 09.021 W14 19.364 7. N25 03.120 W14 18.138 Iraifia 2 thermal source 8. N25 01.322 W14 24.516 Iraifia 1 thermal source - mines! 9. N24 59.861 W14 27.943 10. N24 56.483 W14 31.564 11. N24 54.058 W14 32.890 12. N24 52.585 W14 34.116 13. N24 50.835 W14 35.516 14. N24 45.943 W14 39.399 15. N24 43.271 W14 41.750 16. N24 37.962 W14 45.349 17. N24 35.279 W14 48.561 18. N24 35.392 W14 48.550 19. N24 32.775 W14 50.299 20. N24 30.750 W14 51.200 21. N24 28.600 W14 53.410 22. N24 26.300 W15 00.150 23. N24 20.240 W15 04.500 24. N24 14.100 W15 13.170 25. N24 08.960 W15 19.700 26. N23 59.030 W15 31.350 27. N23 54.530 W15 35.580 28. N23 53.060 W15 37.690 29. N23 53.580 W15 40.380 30. N23 53.993 W15 42.674 thermal shower 7 dirhams per person units are: hdd mm.mmm have fun many more routes in store |
Great stuff, thanks very much.
Definitely plan to explore more of W Sahara, where possible, next year. Any and all info greatfully received. Happy travels Sam |
Thanks florence, very interesting.
@ Sam, when are you going? Do you want to hook up to do some of the WS if our dates fit? Matt |
Hi Matt,
Yeah, for sure if the dates work. It's later in the year though. My sister and I leave for Cape to Cape on Sept 1st, I guess hitting Morocco about a month later. What does next year have in store for you? |
I'm there April and 1st week in May.
I will PM you, save posting all over florence's thread. |
Any way is very important not to leave the tracks. The coast was mined by Moroccan army since Polisario began to attack spanish fish-boats in the early ´80s. Officialy there are no mines but there can be a "lost one".
On foot there is no problem, the camels have "found" anti-personel mines. |
Quote:
I can hardly imagine Polisario (or anybody else) attacking spanish fishing boats as they usually they fish at least 5 Nm offshore. |
Dear sir Florence, thank you for being generous with your coordinates :)
|
As you say Florence "virtually all if not all...". It wil be stupid to have a problem with a mine. Every year the MINURSO reports Reports of the Secretary-General on MINURSO - United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara talks about several killed by "residual mines" each side of the berm. Three years ago the Ausserd caid and two moroccan parlementaries died in an incident with a mine for example.
About polisario atacks and kidnappings on spanish fishermen you can read something here (sorry in spanish) Memorial de Víctimas . |
Extract of the site linked before. This all only in 1978
"April 21, 1978 In full diplomatic crisis between Spain and Algeria, eight crew members of fishing canary Las Palomas are kidnapped and taken to Tindouf. The act is claimed weeks later by the Polisario Front, which calls for political negotiations with the Spanish government for his release. The dialogue with the Sahrawi independence assumed by the political party Union of Democratic Centre. May 16, 1978 Amid the confusion for the kidnapping of Las Palomas, the Spanish fishing is brutally gunned Lérez a rubber boat when within five miles of the coast of the Sahara. The Polisario Front claims no action. The crew said that the attackers tried unsuccessfully to address the boat. August 16, 1978 The fishing boat is ambushed and fabric is machine-gunned for thirty minutes from the coast of the Sahara, an area not controlled by Moroccan troops. One crew member suffered serious injuries. The Polisario Front has no claims on the incident. September 9, 1978 Strafing carried out from the coast for more than an hour against the Spanish lobster "Maria Luisa", "Winged", "Dorothy", "Caribbean Sea" and "Bataan", with three crew members injured. This attack occurs while negotiating the release of the eight crew members of the Las Palomas. The Polisario Front claims it from Brussels. October 4, 1978 The South African crew is brutally executed Zuiderster on deck and finished off with machetes and knives. Six people are killed and only two survive the slaughter by hiding and become the dead. Polisario Front claimed responsibility, although a recognized Saharawi leader a year later a group of Spanish hostages responsibility of this organization in the attack. October 5, 1978 The Polisario Front machine gun and tried to storm the fishing Génesismientras announces the release of the hostages of Las Palomas as a goodwill gesture. The attack is claimed by the Ministry of Defense of the SADR. According to the crew "if we do not run away from there, we were fried alive. We do not know how many weapons used, the only thing we thought then was that we would all die. " The sailors were to be kidnapped, he admitted the Polisario Front, "but the command became nervous." November 28, 1978 Seven crew members of the Cruz del Mar are carried on deck and surmounted by a command that assaults the Canarian fishing near the coast of the Sahara. The attack generated great excitement in Spain and three survivors identified two of the murderers, the Polisario Front. The organization rejects Sahara accuses participation and Morocco. The characteristics of the attack are similar to that of Zuiderster. Nobody can explain what happened." Translated by Google |
im leaving the UK around May heading for Dakar so might see some of you guys on my way .
cant wait now:funmeteryes: |
Quote:
|
Thank you Pera for the interesting links... It's always pertinent to have an idea of the history/points of view of the places that we visit.
BTW, I copied the waypoints above to a GDB file, if anyone's interested please PM me. |
some pics
5 Attachment(s)
|
Quote:
In this video El ex Sáhara español (II) (Objetivo), Reporteros de la historia de TVE - RTVE.es A la Carta you can see the Polisario showing two spanish ships attacked (minute 44:30). I think it must be 1981. In 1981 Morocco controls El Aiún, Bou Craa and Boujdour, in the rest of the territory the Polisario moved freely. |
Pera, that video from 1981 is superb! Thanks for sharing that. I remember alot of ship wrecks on the coast but don't remember seeing that big one at 44minutes.....I guess it's been stripped for scrap metal since then!
Brilliant stuff. |
Hard to find any sympathy for the thieves, old (generalissimo Franco's Spain) or new (kingdom of Morocco).
|
Florence we are not talking about politics, we talk about history and safety in our trips.
|
pera, history is politics, unless you believe in some objective, universal truth, which I hope you don't + you might be a little off topic on this thread, don't you think?
|
I don´t know were you want to go. With my links I only want to show any information about the known fact that spanish and other nations fish ships were attacked by Polisario´s that you have put in doubt.
|
3 Attachment(s)
Quote:
I want to go back to the topic of this thread, away from the ocean, fish & ships & the year 1981 and especially from generalissimo Franco :) Here another .gdb WS route from fall 2008. Attachment 5934 Attachment 5935 Attachment 5936 |
|
Quote:
I am , with some friends, working for preparing a new distribution atlas of Moroccan mammals. Do you remember, at least approximatively, the location of the picture of fenek? In fact, it is not a fenek, but a Rueppel's sand fox. Thanks |
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 10:10. |