Salam!

- Back from RIM 3 weeks a-go with a 93 model , no problemas yet at the new Ndb - Western Sahara border. We arrived at the RIM border at night and the RIM officers were nice and very polite. They used our torch to search (lightly) our very loaded car. Next time I may carry a carnet, RIM is changing rapidly in some aspects.

- Renewing the 3 day visa at Ncktt was a real pain, tourist had to wait in the funky S.N. building for much longer than expected, some even had to pay more, specially if you don't speak french properly.
If you can, get the 1 month visa at your country of origin, or anywhere else.

- More: a friend who works in the new gov showed me the dossier with all maps and data for the construction of a tar road from Kiffa - Tidjikja - Atar (near the oasis) He said it will be finished in about 3 years. They want to keep tarring til Tindouf

- For Richard K.: We only did see 1 vehicle in the piste (local) bet Tichitt and Oualata. All 5 wells bett Tichitt and Oualata very easy to find with good water at less than 10 meters. Water consumption was about 7 liters per person, temperatures (Jul-August) about 43 C. some more in Tichitt where temperatures did not drop at night and the air was hot like a hair dryer.

Price for Diesel in Tichitt 300 oog (they asked 350-400) There was no petrol but we left 150 liters at the ouberge next to the check point.

Finding the piste bet after Aratane wells and 60 km before Oualata was difficult, there was no traffic for long time, not tracks and lots of wind. About daily dust storms and extreme rain in the Nema area, the piste with Oualata became a 150 meters wide impassable (for us) oued

We meet Matt, --an american solo biker with a new Kawa 650-- in Nktt and help him to carry his water and fuel to Tichitt. He fried the clutch 40 km's near Ganeb wells, after 6 days of very soft sand. The bike did not overheat. About two years a-go, in March, we meet in Tichitt an experienced german biker with a broken KTM. Is the Tidjikja - Tichitt- Oualata piste so demanding for a bike?

Let me know if you need any more info of this track for your bike trip

Sidi Jose Brito, thanks for the info --and the w.p.'s you did send me!--

Just in case someone wants a few impressions of the RIM
This Fab Trek - my big world journey: Mauritania

we went up from Senegal along the beach then crossed over to Atar around Guelb er Richat Chiguetty down to Tidjikdja Tichit Oualata Nema. I would not want do it in summer.
Manfred, Casablanca going south.

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Manfred
www.thisfabtrek.com

In August, any soft sand piste will be demanding for any bike or car...

Done it in 2005 with a Xr 650 R and had no problems. Mate with a 950 Ktm had none also.

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Regards,

NCR
Lisboa, Portugal
http://ncr2006.blogspot.com/

Armadillo,

Thanks for the update! Do you know if there was any petrol being sold from jerrycans in Oualata?

cheers

Hi Lluis, glad to hear you survived the Summer burn! Now I feel like we're taking the easy option by going in January - even with the fuel for 5+ bikes!

Sounds like the LC was a success?

I'd certainly be interested in any more route waypoints or well details. Will send you a email.

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Pictures, Mauritania 2011

- Matt Roach, in Oualata there was some petrol in plastic jerrys . In Tichitt generally you can find some, as well, but it was being used in a (broken) welding machine. In RIM it's far easier with Diesel.

We normally add some good additive to the fuel. This time we also used a filter, Mr Funnel, but it was not really necessary.

----

- There is a certain beauty in traveling in Mauritanian Sahara during the summer, it's is certainly a different Sahara. During the middle of the day you just lay down in a shadow, unable to do nothing, not even thinking, just waiting. Great time for a spliff. When the sun goes down life comes back again.

Rolled shadow attached to the roof rack: 3x4 meters of 2 or 3 layers the plastic stuff with very small holes in it, used normally to protect young plants from the sun. It works great, little noise with wind, and it's very light.
We had no real difficulties with the heat but found it difficult to be drinking most of the time and still be thirsty (and urinating about nothing)
The 80 is got a.c. but we found not need of it in Mauritania except in the hot and humid parts of Spain!

However locals told us the months of May and June are generally the worst in RIM, soldiers in Tichitt said they got more than 55 Celsius day and NIGTH during some days in those months. They found those temperatures just unbearable.
Well, I guess one good thing in traveling during summer is that is quite more difficult to find bandits on the piste.

Richard K.
It was my first trip with a TLC80. I don't like the esthetics of it , --L.W: "ethics and esthetics are one and the same"-- but the power and fuel economy of the 80 are very helpful in the Sahara. The loaded 80 did keep the temperature needle in the middle during the difficult conditions --I guess the narrow 750's helped a bit-- and had no problemas except a broken winch, overused for crossing wet oueds south of Oualata.
The second car, a 1975 LR Series III, was also a success during the 4 week trip in hot sands and had only minor problems: continuous overheating and some lack of power. Routes ? I'd like to see "Mauritanie GPS" book. Well, we drove north of Tichitt to see some engravings and experience off piste driving, but took no w.p.'s. Too busy keeping the vehicle moving. The loaded Series III just couldn't go up the long sandy hills (there was no piste). In the other hand, the recoveries of the heavier 80 were quite long and exhausting. A blown-off air jack and no hight-lift did not help.

I'll send you (or anyone) the beautiful pics ,taken by Masato Nishikawa, of the sand-dust storms .

Thanks !

Attached Thumbnails

 

Awesome picture armadillo!

Glad to know that the waypoint were useful!


Cheers,
José Brito

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Desert Crocodiles of Mauritania: http://cibio.up.pt/crocodilos/en